EDCTP

On behalf of EDCTP I am very much pleased to announce that the Fifth EDCTP Forum will be held at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania from 12 to 14 October 2009. The Forum that has rapidly developed into one of the major conferences in Africa on the main poverty-related diseases (PRDs) namely HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is presently held every two years. The theme of the forum – Fighting HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: One World, One Partnership reflects the global call for all partners and stakeholders to work in unison and synergy to contain and possibly rid the world the scourge of these diseases of poverty. Coming at the time when EDCTP is celebrating its sixth anniversary, the main focus of the forum will be to inform on the outcomes of the projects that have been supported by the Partnership in collaboration with all our partners. This will bring together and enable all stakeholders to take stock of what has been done to date and plan for the future. Therefore, the forum will not only offer a unique opportunity for reviewing the ongoing clinical research on poverty-related diseases, but also networking and planning for future research.

Besides the EDCTP grantees among the invited speakers and participants will be various partners from public private partnerships, product development partnerships, like-minded organisations working on PRDs, policy makers, programme officers and politicians from Europe and Africa. This will offer a great opportunity to discuss about the future strategies and to shape the research agenda on PRDs.

The forum will also offer a chance for young scientists to present their work. This will be in various formats including electronic posters, round-table discussions and plenary sessions. Additionally, there will be a series of keynote addresses on topical issues presented by various invited speakers from both the North and South. The focus will always be on real-life situations, experiences and practical examples.

Those intending to present their work, particularly from EDCTP funded projects are encouraged to submit their abstracts as soon as possible. There will be a limited number of bursaries, especially from young researches from Africa.
I look forward to seeing you in Arusha.

Charles S. Mgone
Executive Director