TropIKA.net coverage

• Meeting home
• Meeting news
• Background Documents
• Daily Reports
  • Monday 17 November
  • Tuesday 18 November
  • Wednesday 19 November
• Session reports
• Profiles
• Meeting blog
• Social calendar
• Event photos
• News Media Centre

Research Partnerships for Development – Perspectives for European Union Supported International Collaboration in Research for Health

Source: TropIKA.net editorial team

Title of presentation:

Date: 18 Nov 2008

Location: Salle de presse

Chair: Bocar Amadou Kouyate, Centre National de Recherche et Formation sur le Paludisme, Ministère de la santé, Burkina Faso.

Presenters:

• Irene Horejs, Human Development, European Commission, Brussels
• Kevin McCarthy, Public Health, European Commission, Brussels
• Albrecht Jahn, Public Health, European Commission, Brussels
• Charles Stephen Mgone, Executive Director, European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP).
• Werner Christie, EAGLES, European Federation of Biotechnology, Norway
• Malcolm MacLachlan, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland
• Eric Mwangi, Africa CAAST-Net, Ministry of Science and Technology, Kenya.
• Jennifer Parr, Nuffield Center for international health and development.

TropIKA Rapporteurs: Onikepe Folarin

Major topics: Funding for poverty related and neglected diseases in Africa by the European countries funding agents.

Scope: Partnerships; human development; research, capacity-building; public health, priorities; Africa; European Union, 7^th Framework Programme;

Overview

International collaboration in health research with an emphasis on low and middle income countries has been a hallmark of European research funding since the 1980s. The 7th Framework Programme (2007-2013) reaffirms its commitment to partnership-based and outcome-driven research, under Specific International Cooperation Actions (SICA).

This session of the Bamako 2008 Forum has highlighted the European Commission’s support and funding for research for health, and the different themes and funding channels along which its partnerships operate.

Presentations on the global policy context, the interaction with global stakeholders and the mapping of health research in Africa aimed at preparing the ground for a discussion on future strategic research priorities.

Presentations have illustrated high profile projects and programmes, including the European and DevelopingCountries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).

Various European Union Initiatives support international collaborations, each focusing on different health issues. The European Commission focuses on so-called poverty-related diseases, specifically HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The European Union is also looking at issues like health (and food) security, climate change, at global level. The objectives of the Commission include product development support, research support, and evaluation research with a focus on communicating the findings resulting from the research to policy level to assist robust, evidence-based decision-making.

Programmes, Initiatives

All the initiatives presented are aimed at bridging the 10/90 research gap.

The International Health, in-HEALTH, also focuses on poverty-related diseases, provision of scientific support to policies, communicable diseases such as SARS.

The EDCTP is made up of 16 European countries and 46 Sub-Saharan countries. Its mission is to foster African ownership and engagement, by providing a conducive environment for clinical trials that integrates and supports ethics review activities. To date the EDCTP funds 155 projects from 28 countries and 125 African institutions.

Other European Union-supported international collaborations include the EAGLES (European Action on Global life Sciences) which, in addition to poverty-related diseases, also focuses on diabetes, drought and agriculture, and food issues, among others. EAGLES comprises 6 partners.

The EquitAble funded by the EU FP7 focuses on disability which can be in many forms, resulting e.g. from spinal cord injury, infections with HIV/AIDS or temporary injuries. Currently, 4 African partners and 2 European countries work together in EquitAble. These African countries’ engagement has been shaped by the types and level of disability their populations have experienced due to various circumstances. Sudan, as a result of displacement, Malawi due to poverty, Namibia because of population dispersion and South Africa due to inequity in wealth.

The Net CAAST which is an arm of INCO on the African continent focuses on research programs on parasitic diseases, vector control and leishmaniasis. Other focuses are on biotechnology and non communicable diseases, traditional medicine and drug development as well as epidemiology, public health and health systems. (See Volume I, issue I of CAAST-Net, Sept 08)

Key facts and figures

Each of these European Union funding agents has been involved in a number of projects. The INCO programme, under the International health In HEALTH, has supported 20 projects on health and policy with €20m funding. Twenty-seven projects on neglected diseases research and 8 projects on reproductive health research have also been funded in the INCO programme, with €45m and €18m respectively. In 2006, EAGLES (European Action on Global Life Sciences) has organized workshops on diabetes, plant drought, HIV/AIDS, livestock and changes in Chinese diet.

Issues raised, obstacles

Some key issues raised relate to health systems and policy research,with an emphasis on research for health. The need to focus on African health problem is also very clear. Issues touching on human resources, and research on reproductive health were also raised.

There were constraints and limitations in collating information on the above issues, due to the fact that events change very fast and the information too quickly becomes out of date. In addition the data is difficult to collate.

Other issues raised related to the lack or inadequacy of financial support and the need to increase the funds available.

Lessons learned

• The lessons learned from the various presentations are that capacity building and research, in developing countries, must be strengthened in parallel;
• All the agencies and organisations supporting developing countries show commitment and are doing their best, but there is a need for clarity, mapping and further defining who is doing what, in order not to duplicate efforts.
• There is also a need to work on injecting coherence both in themes and approaches selected, as there is at present considerable fragmentation.

Focus and priorities for the Bamako Action Plan

The research priorities recommended for inclusion in the upcoming Bamako Action Plan include

• Systemic research
• Evaluation of policy impact
• Improvement in research capacity
• Focus on other diseases which are still present
• Break the compartmentalization between human and animal health
• Continue capacity-building
• Increase investment on neglected diseases.

Personal observations from rapporteur

The organisations that fund research in health are available but efforts are concentrated on some aspects of health such as the so-called poverty related diseases while other salient health problems are not considered which, however, would deserve more attention. The funding organisations are also observed to be concentrated in certain parts of Africa while other parts have been neglected.

Relevant Documents

Background Paper(s) and/or Links

EU Policy on Health in developing countries

CORDIS EUROPA – Partenariats, Recherche / Santé Specific International Cooperation Actions (SICA)

CAAST-Net, Kenya

Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development; Research:

European Action on Global Life Sciences

Comments