The general objective of the second programme of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP2) is to contribute to the reduction of the social and economic burden of poverty-related infectious diseases in developing countries, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, by accelerating the clinical development of effective, safe, accessible, suitable and affordable medical interventions. Enhanced networking between health research scientists and institutions in Africa, and equitable North-South collaborations are required to protect local innovations and reduce attrition in scientific leadership in sub-Saharan Africa.
As scientific capacity can be limited by a lack of suitably qualified researchers, EDCTP’s strategy is to support researchers in sub-Saharan Africa at different stages of their careers. EDCTP has been a game changer in capacity development and North-South collaborations, through its comprehensive fellowship programme and Regional Networks of Excellence in sub-Saharan Africa. To date, EDCTP has funded 102 Fellows, from 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This growing critical mass of alumni from the EDCTP fellowship schemes presents an excellent platform for scaling up research leadership in sub-Saharan Africa.
