The East African Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR) is a capacity building Network comprising of 23 institutions from 6 countries in East Africa and 8 northern partner institutions from 5 northern countries and is funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). The network was established in 2009 with EACCR1 and had their award renewed in December 2016 as EACCR2. The EACCR2 consortium has its secretariat at the Ministry of Health-Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe. Activities of the EACCR2 are implemented in 23 institutions from 6 Eastern Africa countries that include: - Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan and Ethiopia in collaboration with 6 Northern partners
The EDCTP is a partnership between 14 EU countries, Switzerland and Norway, and 47 sub-Saharan African countries. It was established by the EU in 2003 in response to the global health crisis caused by the major three poverty-related diseases (PRDs) HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and the Neglected Infectious Diseases (NIDs). The aim of this partnership is to establish a research and development programme that would support the design of new or improve clinical interventions to combat the PRDs and NIDs. In 2016 alone grants amounting to about 156 million Euro were awarded. EDCTP supports 4 regional networks of excellence in Africa, of which EACCR is part.
EACCR2
EDCTP has supported the creation of regional networks of excellence (NoEs) to strengthen South-South collaboration, and to map and synergise research efforts. The East Africa Network is called The East African Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR) and is coordinated by Prof Pontiano Kaleebu at UVRI. The EACCR2 has five nodes (HIV, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Training, and Neglected Tropical, emerging and re-emerging diseases) which are located in the different member countries. HIV node is hosted in Uganda at the Uganda Virus Research Institute, where the secretariat of the network is located. The TB node is hosted at the National Institute of Medical Research in Muhimbili Tanzania; the Malaria node at Kenya Medical Resarch Insitute in Kilifi Kenya; the training node is hosted at the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute in Moshi Tanzania, and the Neglected, Emerging and re-emerging tropical diseases at University of Khartoum in Sudan.
EACCR2 was won a 3 year EDTCP grant to continue building capacity for internationally acceptable research in the member countries. Planned activities include conduct of intervention clinical trials to address endemic, neglected and merging diseases. Providing training to scientists and building infrastructure at identified institutions. Already in addition to the more than 3 million Euro provided to EACCR-2, additional funding has been awarded attached to this network, for example: ALERRT (African coaLition for Epidemic Research, Response and Training) combines the strengths of leading African and European partners in (Re-) emerging and Epidemic-Prone Infectious Diseases (REPID) 10M Euro (PI Peter Horby from Oxford); 2) PAN-AFRICAN NETWORK FOR RAPID RESEARCH, RESPONSE, RELIEF AND PREPAREDNESS FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES EPIDEMICS “ (PI Francine Ntoumi from Congo); 3) Scaling up Evidence Based Multiple focus Integrated Intensified TB Screening to End TB (EXIT-TB) in the East African region Euro 2,924,360 (PI Esther Ngadaya form Tanzania) and 4) A combination efficacy study in Africa of two DNA-MVA- or DNA-Env protein HIV-1 vaccine regimens with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) 14,999,755.50 Euro (PI J Weber, P Kaleebu co-PI).
We are pleased that the newly funded EACCR-2 which is being led by Uganda will be launched in January 2018.
