Announcements
10/26/2009
Dr Alexis Nzila and Dr Dominique Pepper receive EDCTP award for outstanding African scientist
The Hague, 26 October 2009 - The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) has given its Awards for Outstanding African Scientist to Dr Alexis Nzila and Dr Dominique Pepper.
The EDCTP-funded awards are extended on the basis of a number of criteria including: innovation/ Intellectual Property, impact of research, publications and advocacy for health. The awards aim at fostering the research activities of the winners, with the ultimate aim of strengthening clinical research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
On announcing the first winners of this biannual prize, EDCTP’s Executive Director Prof. Charles Mgone remarked: “This is a momentous occasion for the Partnership since by offering these awards not only we recognise excellence, we also intend to inspire it throughout Africa”.
Dr Alexis Nzila, Head of the Molecular Parasitology Group at the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programmme in Kilifi, received the Award for Outstanding Senior African Scientist. The award consists of a certificate of recognition together with a cash prize of EUR 20,000.
Upon receiving the award, Dr Nzila commented: "My first thoughts go to the Kenyan young scientists and students who have been working with me. This award is the result of their hard work and contributions. I want to express my gratitude and admiration to all of them. As Africans, our contribution to research is hardly acknowledged outside Africa. Thus this EDCTP initiative contributes to improving our visibility, and it should be encouraged".
Dr Dominique Pepper of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine in Cape Town, South Africa, received the Award for Outstanding Junior African Scientist. This award consists of a certificate of recognition and a cash prize of EUR 10,000.
Dr Pepper underpinned the purpose of the award by stating: "I wish to express my sincere gratitude to those who have already contributed to this work. This award would not be possible without the invaluable training and insight provided by my mentors, as well as the dedication and perseverance of those working with me in the field. My heartfelt appreciation is expressed to EDCTP for recognising the efforts of my mentors and co-investigators. I am certain that this award will inspire many other African scientists to address issues which challenge our health care services".
About the awards
The EDCTP Awards for Outstanding African Scientists will be extended on a biannual basis (once every two years). They motivate and empower African scientists to take the lead in building research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa. There are two awards: one for a senior scientist, and one for a junior scientist (< 30 years old). The next set of awards will be announced at the next EDCTP Forum in 2011. A call for nominations will be published in the run-up to the Forum.
Background information and bios
Please visit the Fifth EDCTP Forum blog for background information and bios:
http://www.edctp.org/forumblog/2009/10/dr-alexis-nzila-and-dr-dominique-pepper-receive-edctp-award-for-outstanding-african-scientist
Please send you questions and requests for interviews to media[at]edctp.org.
10/02/2009
Forum blog – the hub of Forum activity
We are excited to announce the launch of the Forum blog (www.edctp.org/forumblog), which will be the hub of Forum activity before, during and after the Forum. The blog will complement the Forum website and will update both delegates that are at the Forum and others that wish to know what’s happening.The blog will offer a mix of daily summaries of sessions, interviews and audio/visual material such as photographs and podcasts. You are invited to read What the chairs say about the Fifth EDCTP Forum!
10/02/2009
Marketplace at the Forum
During the Forum, there will be a marketplace where partners both from the host country and from other parts of the world present themselves to the Forum delegates. At this marketplace, you will find institutions involved in public health and health research, sponsors of the Forum and some EDCTP-funded projects that can be of benefit to all delegates such as laboratory and scientific exhibitions, online courses and other information resources.
The marketplace will be located outside of the main building, adjacent to the main conference hall. We will publish further details about exhibitors and times online; don’t miss it!
10/02/2009
Full programme now available online
The full Forum programme is now available online. You will find the presentations and speakers of the plenary and parallel sessions, as well as details on all poster sessions and satellite meetings. Please note that all registered delegates will receive a programme book containing the abstracts of the Forum presentations at the registration desk in Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge. Any changes in the programme will be indicated at the registration desk, as well as on the programme posters that are in the venue and through announcements by the chairs of the Forum sessions.
09/17/2009
Social events of the Fifth EDCTP Forum
All Fifth EDCTP Forum delegates are cordially invited to attend the social events on the evenings of Sunday 11 to Wednesday 14 October. During these events, food and drinks will be served, and our guests will have the opportunity to meet, catch up and enjoy the entertainments programmes. Please refer to the Social events page for the times and locations of this Forum’s social events.
09/17/2009
Satellite meetings: programmes now available
The programmes for the two optional satellite meetings on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 October are now available. Both meetings will take place in the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, and packed lunches will be served. The first satellite meeting will be held on Monday 12 October (12:00 - 14.00): Universal standards for clinical trials in practice, organised by the Switching the Poles" Clinical Research Network. The second satellite meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 October (12.30 - 14.00): Ownership of research outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, jointly organised by EDCTP and the Netherlands-African partnership for capacity development and clinical interventions against poverty-related diseases (NACCAP). Please consult the satellite meeting page for details on the programme. Please note that registration is compulsory.
09/04/2009
Registration for Fifth EDCTP Forum closes
The Fifth EDCTP Forum looks forward to welcoming a record number of delegates in the Forum’s history. Because registration has reached its maximum, it will be closed by 7 September 2009. We wish to thank all delegates for registering online and see you in Arusha!
09/02/2009
Sponsorship programme closed
The Fifth EDCTP Forum sponsorship programme closes as of 1 September 2009. The sponsorship committee wishes to thank all sponsors that have joined, and looks forward to welcoming and helping to raise their visibility during the Forum! Read more >>
07/25/2009
Registration for satellite meetings now open
Delegates for the Fifth EDCTP Forum can now register for the two optional satellite meetings that will be held during the Forum. Both meetings will take place in the Forum’s venue, and packed lunches will be served.
On Monday 12 October (12:00 - 14.00), the Switching the Poles" Clinical Research Network organises a satellite meeting on Universal standards for clinical trials in practice. The meeting focuses on the challenge of setting and implementing appropriate standards in externally funded clinical research projects carried out in resource-constrained settings.
On Tuesday 13 October (12.30 - 14.00) EDCTP and the Netherlands-African partnership for capacity development and clinical interventions against poverty-related diseases (NACCAP) jointly organise a meeting on Ownership of research outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. This meeting will focus on the need to support African researchers and institutions to empower them in data management, handling of intellectual property related issues, creativity and innovation.
Register for the satellite meetings
07/25/2009
EDCTP welcomes first sponsors
A warm welcome to the first sponsors of the Fifth EDCTP Forum! It is encouraging to see so many partners joining this Forum and seizing the opportunity to underline partnership as a successful strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Partners who have pioneered as sponsors on the Forum are:
Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation
CONRAD
International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM)
Novartis Pharma AG
We also wish to acknowledge the generous contributions from our supporting Member States:
Belgium - Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM)
France
Institut Pasteur
Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida et les Hepatitis Virales (ANRS)
Germany - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Luxembourg - Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg (FNR)
Netherlands - Netherlands-African partnership for capacity development and clinical interventions against poverty-related diseases (NACCAP)
Norway - Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet)
Spain - Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII)
Sweden - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
Switzerland - State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER)
United Kingdom - Medical Research Council (MRC)
Interested to sponsor the Forum?
Sponsoring the Fifth EDCTP Forum offers you an opportunity to raise your visibility through for instance supporting researchers from sub-Saharan Africa to attend the Forum and present their work, or to exclusively support one of the Forum’s social events. If you would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities for you organisation, please complete the sponsorhip interest form on the Fifth EDCTP Forum sponsor pages.
06/24/2009
Abstract: outcomes of review will be sent to submitters by 29 June 2009
Due to the large volume of abstracts that have been submitted for the Fifth EDCTP Forum, the outcomes of the review will be sent to those that have submitted an abstract by Monday 29 June 2009. This date replaces the date of 15 June which was communicated earlier.
05/29/2009
Satellite meeting ‘Universal standards for clinical trials in practice’
On Thursday 15 October, a satellite meeting on Universal standards for clinical trials in practice will be held. This meeting is organised by the "Switching the Poles" Clinical Research Network, and aims to address the challenges of setting and implementing appropriate standards in externally funded clinical research projects carried out in resource-constrained settings. The satellite meeting will be open to all interested participants of the EDCTP Forum. More information on this satellite meeting is available in the programme section on the Forum website.
05/28/2009
EDCTP Awards to Outstanding African Scientists now open to nominations
The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is inviting nominations for the 2009 EDCTP Awards to outstanding African scientists. These EDCTP-funded awards will recognise outstanding Africans scientists working on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Nominations are now invited for the first set of awards which will be extended at the Fifth EDCTP Forum in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 to 14 October 2009.
The awards are open to anyone working in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria within the scope of the EDCTP programme of clinical trials, capacity development, and networking. The award consists of a certificate of recognition together with a cash prize of 10,000 Euros for one junior scientist (under 30 years old) and 20,000 Euros for one senior scientist, and aim at fostering research activities of the winners. The funds could be used on activities such as: support for short study periods at other institutions, library research, collection of data for baseline studies or facilitation of travel for attendance of pertinent conferences or meetings.
Nominations: criteria and procedure
Selection of candidates for the award will be based on the following criteria:
- Senior awards
- Innovation/Intellectual Property
- Evidence of capacity building or mentorship
- Relevance, level of contribution and impact of research
- Publications in reputable scientific journals and books
- Advocacy for health relevant to EDCTP programme. - Junior awards (young scientists ≤ 30 years old)
- Innovation/Intellectual Property
- Relevance, level of contribution and impact of research
- Publications in reputable scientific journals and books
- Advocacy for health relevant to EDCTP programme
- Career progression.
Nominations must be submitted electronically. Applicants are requested to complete the online nomination form indicating the name and age of the candidate, and a summary statement outlining the candidate’s scientific record based on the criteria for nomination. Please note: a maximum of one nomination per award category will be accepted from nominating individual.
The completed nomination form should be sent to the EDCTP Secretariat before Monday 31 August 2009 through award[at]edctp.org. Please include ‘EDCTP award 2009’ in the subject line of your email.
Download the award nomination form
04/23/2009
Last call for abstracts Fifth EDCTP Forum (deadline 1 May 2009)
The Fifth EDCTP Forum Committee welcomes the submission of abstracts on clinical research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria for the Fifth EDCTP Forum which will take place from 12 to 14 October 2009 in Arusha, Tanzania. All accepted abstracts will be presented in roundtable and plenary sessions or as electronic poster. There will be a limited number of bursaries, especially for young researchers from Africa. In addition, the abstracts will be peer reviewed and successful ones published in the journal Tropical Medicine & International Health. Grantees with successful abstracts who wish to submit full papers may be considered for a limited number. EDCTP grantees and collaborators are especially encouraged to submit abstracts.
Abstract Categories and Deadline
Abstracts can be submitted in the following categories:
- HIV/AIDS
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Cross-cutting issues (including Capacity Development, Networking, Ethics & Regulatory Affairs).
The deadline for abstract submission is 1 May 2009.
Please visit the abstracts page for more information.
04/07/2009
Satellite meeting ‘Ownership of research outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa’
On Tuesday 13 October, a satellite meeting on Ownership of research outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa will take place. This meeting is co-organised by EDCTP and the Netherlands-African partnership for capacity development and clinical interventions against poverty-related diseases (NACCAP).
The meeting aims to address salient issues related to protection of intellectual property and outomes of research conducted by African researchers and institutions. Participants to the meeting are encouraged to review the current situation, identify challenges and solutions, and get agreement on the role that EDCTP, NACCAP and other partners can play in strengthening sub-Saharan ownership of research outcomes.
For more information on this satellite meeting please consult the Programme at a glance for time slots and the background paper for background and objectives of the meeting. More information on attending this satellite meeting will follow soon.
04/03/2009
Programme at a glance now available online
The Fifth EDCTP Programme is now available in an updated version. This ‘Programme at a glance’ makes it easy for those that are interested to attend the Forum to see what topics will be addressed during the plenary and parallel sessions and when these will take place. Person that wish to submit an abstract are also encouraged to consult the programme to get a good impression of the setup of the scientific sessions 2009 Forum. Please visit the Programme page for more information and a link to the programme at a glance.
03/06/2009
Deadline call for abstracts Fifth EDCTP Forum extended (1 May 2009)
Peer reviewed abstracts to be published in journal of Tropical Medicine & International Health
The Fifth EDCTP Forum Committee welcomes the submission of abstracts on clinical research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria for the Fifth EDCTP Forum which will take place from 12 to 14 October 2009 in Arusha, Tanzania. All accepted abstracts will be presented in roundtable and plenary sessions or as electronic poster. There will be a limited number of bursaries, especially for researchers from Africa. In addition, the abstracts will be peer reviewed and successful ones published in Tropical Medicine & International Health. EDCTP grantees and collaborators are especially encouraged to submit abstracts.
Abstract Categories and Deadline
Abstracts can be submitted in the following categories:
- HIV/AIDS
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Cross-cutting issues (including Capacity Development, Networking, Ethics & Regulatory Affairs).
The deadline for abstract submission is 1 May 2009.
Review and publication in Tropical Medicine and International Health
All submitted abstracts will be reviewed on EDCTP relevance and scientific quality by the Forum Scientific Committee. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of the review before 15 June 2009. Authors whose abstracts have been accepted will receive further instructions for presenting their abstracts during the Fifth EDCTP Forum.
Additionally, the accepted abstracts will be peer reviewed and successful ones published in Tropical Medicine & International Health. The abstract template that is on the Forum website complies with the Journal’s requirements so you do not need to submit an extra abstract. However we encourage you to visit the Journal’s website to consult the publication requirements before you submit your abstract to EDCTP.
In some cases the editors of the journal will request for full paper versions of the abstracts. All authors are requested to be prepared for such an event and be prepared to comply with the requests.
Please visit the Fifth EDCTP Forum the abstract page for more information on submitting your abstract.
12/17/2008
The Fifth EDCTP Forum is now accepting abstracts
The Fifth EDCTP Forum Committee welcomes the submission of abstracts on clinical research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Fifth Forum will take place from 12 to 14 October 2009 in Arusha, Tanzania. EDCTP forums are one of the major conferences in Africa on poverty-related diseases. The Fifth EDCTP Forum offers a unique opportunity for reviewing the ongoing clinical research on poverty-related diseases, networking and planning for future research. All accepted abstracts will be presented in roundtable and plenary sessions or as electronic poster. There will be a limited number of bursaries, especially for young researchers from Africa. EDCTP grantees and collaborators are especially encouraged to submit abstracts.
Abstract Categories and Deadline
Abstracts can be submitted in the following categories:
- HIV/AIDS
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Cross-cutting issues (including Capacity Development, Networking, Ethics & Regulatory Affairs).
The deadline for abstract submission is 31 March 2009. All submitted abstracts will be reviewed on EDCTP relevance and scientific quality by the Forum Scientific Committee. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of the review before 31 May 2009. Authors whose abstracts have been accepted will receive further instructions for presenting their abstracts.
10/13/2008
Fifth EDCTP Forum (12-14 October 2009): One World, One Partnership
First announcement
The Fifth EDCTP Forum will take place in Arusha, Tanzania from 12 to 14 October 2009. The theme of the Forum is Fighting HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: One World, One Partnership, and it will focus on the outcome and progress of EDCTP funding efforts in research and capacity strengthening activities in sub-Saharan Africa. It will be an important platform for everyone involved in research on the main three poverty related diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis) to establish or reinforce cooperation and synergy.
The programme
The forum programme will involve speakers from both the scientific and the political realm, and focus on advances and agenda setting for clinical research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The programme will contain a mix of the following:
- Keynote addresses by invited speakers
- Plenary and parallel sessions
- Roundtable discussions
- Oral presentations of EDCTP funded projects on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa
- Electronic posters sessions.
The venue
Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, located in Arusha, Tanzania. Forum participants can stay at the hotel. Additionally, a list of alternative accommodation will be made available.
Participating in the Fifth EDCTP Forum
EDCTP will invite prominent keynote speakers for the plenary and parallel sessions. In addition, abstracts will be invited for oral and poster presentations, preferably on EDCTP funded projects. EDCTP will publish a call for abstracts on its website soon and will circulate the information through a number of channels. A limited number of persons from sub-Saharan African working on EDCTP funded projects will be awarded bursaries. Details on how to submit an abstract and to apply for a bursary will be published together with the call for abstracts.
Forum updates and website
In the coming months, EDCTP will launch and maintain the Fifth EDCTP Forum website. This website will give regular updates on the programme and on opportunities to join the Forum. EDCTP will use various channels to announce the launch of this website and other updates on the Fifth EDCTP Forum, but for now please check the EDCTP website (www.edctp.org) regularly for any updates.