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The European Union's commissioner for research has called on African countries to mobilize their efforts to support a collaborative, EU-funded research program to tackle HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis—and has asked them to put a strong focus on training and supporting local scientists.
Philippe Busquin used a World Health Organization (WHO) regional meeting in Johannesburg on September 1st to tell the health ministers of 46 African states about the Europe Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, a €600-million ($650 million) project launched a year ago.
The program "is a unique opportunity for African and European researchers, from academia, the public sector, and industry, to join hands in fighting the world's worst epidemic and demonstrate real solidarity towards the populations that need it most," he told ministers at the meeting.
The partnership already has €200 million in funds from the EU central research budget and another €200 million on the table from EU member states and Norway, with the remainder of the cash expected to come from international charities and the pharmaceutical industry.
The ultimate aim is to develop new vaccines and treatments for the three diseases, which take a heavy toll in Africa. But at this point, the project is still finalizing its administrative structure.
Anne Degrand-Guillaud, the principal administrator for the program within the European Commission, told The Scientist that the first call for project proposals should be made later this year. That early call will focus on building local research capacity, an area that Busquin also highlighted in his presentation in Johannesburg.
"This is something which is major for Africa, because they have good scientists who train in Europe and America, but few of them go back to their own countries... because it is difficult to find good equipment and have a good career plan," Degrand-Guillaud said.
Busquin also urged African leaders to allow more laboratory staff, pharmacists, and physicians to complete specialist training in research. "This would make it possible to have more high level scientists coming from your countries to make a real career in their own country," he said in his speech, which was delivered in French.
The European instigators of this project are eager for it to be a real partnership with Africa. For example, the committee of scientists who will oversee it is evenly split between Africans and Europeans, and an African secretariat will also be formed in early 2004.
Also, the prime minister of Mozambique, Pascoal Mocumbi, is being talked about as a possible advocate for the project in Africa.
Mocumbi, who was a candidate in the recent election of the WHO director-general, is due to step down from his national post next year. It's hoped he will act as an ambassador for the project across Africa, garnering the crucial cooperation of African institutions and essential government support.
"The partnership between European countries and developing countries will make it possible to undertake clinical research in Africa, for Africans, and with African scientists," Busquin said in his presentation
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