The first decade 2003-2013
EDCTP celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2013 marking a decade of partnership. The Annual Report 2013 offers an overview of the ‘first decade’ of EDCTP while also looking ahead to the second programme (EDCTP2) that will start in the second half of 2014.

EDCTP is implementing a programmatic funding approach that focusses on clinical trials as the core activity and supports networking and capacity development integrated with the clinical trials.

By the end of its first decade, EDCTP had launched 65 calls and supported 246 projects with a total value of € 212.12 million. Of these projects, 54 are on HIV/AIDS research, 44 on tuberculosis research and 41 on malaria research, while the remaining 107 projects are not disease-specific.

Preparations for EDCTP2
In order to ensure the readiness of EDCTP for the second programme, the European Union awarded EDCTP a Coordination and Support Action Grant (nr. 304786). Under this grant various activities were supported to prepare for a flying start of EDCTP2. These activities included among others the bibliometric analysis and mapping of the EDCTP research areas including the new areas of neglected infectious diseases and health services optimisation research.

Moreover, five scientific stakeholder meetings were organised as part of the process to identify research issues and priorities, possible areas of research collaboration and partnerships, as well as obtaining recommendations to inform the workplans of the second programme. The meetings were focussed on HIV/AIDS; tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections, malaria and neglected infectious diseases as well as research ethics review and regulatory affairs.

Additionally, the grant was also used to evaluate the EDCTP research ethics grant programme, to continue supporting capacity development activities such as strengthening of selected laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa towards future international accreditation, and to strengthen the Executive Secretariat’s systems, processes and staffing.

At the policy level, the Second High-Level Meeting on EDCTP2 was held on the 21 October 2013 in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting was attended by government ministers from The Gambia, Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia as well as other African and European high-level representatives. The meeting gave a clear indication of the commitment of African governments to EDCTP and the strong willingness to be represented in the General Assembly of EDCTP.

This was a milestone year characterised by sustained political and financial commitment from the EDCTP participating states and aspiring members. By the end of 2013, the total financial commitment towards the second programme from European participating countries and the European Union was an estimated 1.366 billion.

EDCTP Awards
In November 2013, Professor Glenda Gray (Medical Research Council, South Africa) received the Outstanding African Scientist Award.

The achievements of Dr Graeme Meintjes (University of Cape Town, South Africa) were recognised with the Rising Star African Scientist Award.

Governance
The advisory structure of EDCTP was streamlined by the creation of one Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), which will serve both the current and the second EDCTP programme with advice on scientific and strategic matters.

Preparations for establishment of a new EDCTP legal structure, EDCTP-Association under Dutch law, were initiated to be finalised in the first half of 2014.

In November 2013, Dr Mark Palmer (Medical Research Council (MRC), United Kingdom) was appointed Chairperson of the EDCTP General Assembly, to assume duties at the beginning of 2014.

More information

• Annual Report 2013
• Decision Nr 556/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the participation of the Union in a second European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Programme
• EDCTP Strategic Business Plan
• Proceedings of the Second High-Level Conference on EDCTP2
• Reports of the EDCTP Stakeholder Meetings
• Strategic Advisory Committee
• EDCTP Awards