EDCTP 2 is back with new opportunities!
The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) was created in 2003 as a European response to the global health crisis caused by the three main poverty-related diseases of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. EDCTP aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa.
On 6 May 2014, the Council of the European Union (EU) approved the participation of the EU in the second phase of the EDCTP programme (EDCTP2). With an EU contribution of € 683 million for the 10-year programme period and additional contributions from Participating States and third parties, EDCTP2 will continue to support the clinical development of new or improved diagnostics, drugs, vaccines and microbicides against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.However, EDCTP2 will now support research on neglected infectious diseases (NIDs).
EDCTP2 will continue to promote and support:
* Multicentre projects that combine clinical trials, capacity building and networking
* Capacity development for clinical trials and clinical research in developing countries
* Fellowships
* Closer collaboration with industry, like-minded organisations, funders of global health research and development cooperation agencies.
The geographical focus of EDCTP2’s activities will remain on sub-Saharan Africa, although collaborative research with other developing countries outside sub-Saharan Africa could be envisioned when possible and desirable.
The first call 'Diagnostic tools for poverty-related diseases' has just been published at http://www.edctp.org/calls-and-grants/calls-for-proposals/diagnostic-tools-for-poverty-related-diseases/
As a result of the possibility to support research on neglected infectious diseases, the project anticipated with DNDi (see blog April 25th, 2013 ) will be revitalized and a meeting with DNDi is planned soon in Geneva.
Also, given the possibility to extend now collaboration with other developing countries out of Africa, the potential evaluation of a low-cost PCR-based TB diag tool designed by CTGen (see blog August, 2013) in Africa, is under consideration.
