Africa-EU Summit Science Dialogue Events

Africa-Europe Science and Innovation Summit
ABSTRACT Partnering for the development of sustainable clinical research infrastructures and a skilled workforce in Africa

Health research and innovation (R&I) are fundamental for health – one of the major determinants of economic growth and poverty reduction, and a centrepiece in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The COVID-19 crisis underscored once again the vital importance of global health research preparedness and response. Accelerated basic and clinical research carried out in real-time by consolidated infrastructures provided prevention and therapeutic tools within unprecedented timelines. Despite record achievements, access remains a key issue to ensure the provision of the standard of care globally. Gaps in cross-border ethical and regulatory harmonization, quality sample and data collection, data sharing and repurposing mechanisms remain to be addressed in order to enable multinational clinical research capacities in Africa.
Establishing a robust clinical research infrastructure coupled with scientific excellence and leadership is a key development step to addressing health challenges on the continent. Governments should capitalize on the momentum from the response to COVID-19 to coordinate efforts by all stakeholders, including private actors as well as development banks, and provide sustainable governance and funding mechanisms for tackling global health challenges.

This session on Partnering for the development of sustainable clinical research infrastructures and a skilled workforce in Africa, co-chaired by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN), brings together key global health actors to collectively discuss the next steps towards the comprehensive mobilization of all the stakeholders necessary for building sustainable clinical research infrastructure, skills development, and strengthening of institutions for the development and uptake of safe and effective R&I products in Africa. A set of recommendations on clinical trial infrastructure and capacity building in Africa arising from a session hosted by ECRIN and EDCTP on 17 June 2021 at the Africa-Europe Science and Innovation Summit will also be further discussed.
EDCTP is a public-public partnership between 14 European and 16 African countries, supported by the European Union. EDCTP’s vision is to reduce the individual, social and economic burden of poverty-related infectious diseases affecting sub-Saharan Africa. EDCTP’s mission is to accelerate the development of new or improved medicinal products for the identification, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, including emerging and re-emerging diseases, through pre-and post-registration clinical studies, with emphasis on phase II and III clinical trials. EDCTP’s approach integrates the conduct of research with the development of African clinical research capacity and networking.

ECRIN-ERIC is a not-for-profit intergovernmental organization that supports the conduct of multinational clinical trials in Europe. ECRIN works with national networks of clinical trial units (CTUs), as well as numerous European and international stakeholders involved in clinical research. ECRIN is also a founding member of the Clinical Research Initiative for Global Health (CRIGH) which brings together more than 40 member and observer institutions across the globe to establish a framework for international cooperation in non-commercial clinical trials and to promote evidence-based medicine through various activities focused on infrastructure and funding, global core competencies, research ethics, patient involvement, comparative effectiveness research and socio-economic impact, and data management and sharing.