Global Health EDCTP3 funds additional research projects to combat mpox
After the timely launch in August 2024 of five research projects dedicated to combatting the current mpox outbreak in Africa, four additional research projects are being funded by Global Health EDCTP3 through its emergency call for proposals. The new projects have already commenced activities and are funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) of the United Kingdom (UK) through the EDCTP Association. This supplementary funding increases the DHSC UK contribution to this call to €6.35 million, doubling the initial Global Health EDCTP3 call budget to a total of €12.1 million and supporting twice the number of projects initially foreseen.
Global Health EDCTP3 currently supports nine research and innovation projects in response to the ongoing mpox outbreak. The nine projects total €12.1 million in grant funding from Global Health EDCTP3, comprising contributions from the European Union and the EDCTP Association. The EDCTP Association contribution consists of €6.35 million from the UK (DHSC) and €0.5 million from France (ANRS Maladies infectieuses émergentes (ANRS | MIE)), both of which are long-standing members of and contributors to the EDCTP programmes.
Funding decisions were already made prior to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declaring the mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) on 13 August 2024 and the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024. These announcements demonstrate the urgent need for and timeliness of Global Health EDCTP3’s additional investment in accelerating research and development efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent future epidemics.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of the international response to mpox. This crucial funding will develop our understanding of the disease, and hopefully develop new ways of protecting people at risk of this terrible disease - particularly mothers and their babies who are particularly vulnerable. It will also help protect the UK and improve our resilience to future outbreaks.”
United Kingdom Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron, Member of the House of Lords
“Scientific research can improve lives, and this vital funding will strengthen our international response to mpox. By building on our scientific expertise and collaborating with global partners, we can better prevent and control future outbreaks worldwide. This research will look into ways to protect vulnerable people, especially women and newborn children, who have been disproportionately affected by the mpox outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa. This work is crucial for advancing health equity and building more resilient communities.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
“I am delighted with the expansion of our collective efforts on mpox by funding these additional projects with the support of DHSC UK, which has played a critical role in Global Health EDCTP3’s response to the mpox crisis. This reflects our shared commitment to mitigating the current outbreak and enhancing preparedness for future epidemics.”
Dr Michael Makanga, Executive Director of Global Health EDCTP3
Global Health EDCTP3 has been at the forefront of this mpox outbreak response since day one and has been recognised by Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a key partner for research and innovation in the ‘Mpox Continental Preparedness and Response Plan’.
“This response to mpox plays out the key strengths of the strong partnership of Global Health EDCTP3. The reaction was quick, involved the key stakeholders, leveraged significant co-funding from the participating countries, and will contribute to building and sustaining an effective response. We are grateful to the UK DHSC for this excellent co-investment.”
Ms Irene Norstedt, Director, Directorate People: Health & Society, European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation and Chairperson of Global Health EDCTP3 Governing Board
“I am very happy that contributions from the EDCTP Association (UK and France) have effectively doubled the available funding for mpox research. This rapid response is supporting collaborative research to develop tangible solutions for the tracking, prevention and control of mpox in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Dr Henning Gädeke, Chair of the Board of the EDCTP Association and Vice-Chair of the Global Health EDCTP3 Governing Board
All nine projects feature cross-border collaborations bringing together 43 participating entities from 9 African, 13 European, and 2 North American countries. Among them, there are three DRC-based participating entities that are actively involved in all nine grants and that have earmarked 35% (€4.2 million) of the €12.1 million total Global Health EDCTP3 grant value.
Global Health EDCTP3 is working to bring together all the projects, to facilitate linkages and ensure coordination and synergies with other partners active in the outbreak response. On 27-28 November 2024, a meeting on “Communities at the center of the Mpox emergency response: driving local level impact through social and behavioural science” was held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Co-convened by the WHO, Global Health EDCTP3, Elrha, Africa CDC and hosted by the Ministry of Health of the DRC, the meeting aimed to take stock of the research being conducted and planned and identify evidence gaps regarding social and behavioural aspects of mpox outbreaks. More than 70 participants representing funders, public bodies, researchers, civil society and humanitarian organisations attended the meeting. Researchers in attendance included Investigators implementing the mpox studies supported through the Global Health EDCTP3 Emergency Funding Mechanism.
Overview of the projects
Collectively, these nine research and innovation projects are covering vaccines and therapeutics, as well as surveillance strategies and epidemiological studies.
JUA KIVU: Joint Understanding and Analysis of clade I monkeypox epidemiology, evolution and immunology in South Kivu
Grant amount: €1,250,000.00
Coordinator: Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
Scientific Lead: Stansile LTD (Rwanda)
In collaboration with entities from Denmark, Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Spain.
MOVIE-TRACE: Addressing Critical Gaps in mpox epidemiology in DRC – The MOVIE and TRACE studies
Grant amount: €1,430,875
Coordinator: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Royal Charter (United Kingdom)
Scientific Lead: Institut national de recherche biomédicale du Zaïre (Democratic Republic of Congo)
In collaboration with entities from Spain, and the United Kingdom.
MpoxVax AFRIVAC: Expanding a prospective, clinical trial examining the immune response of participants receiving Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine to Africa
Grant amount: €1,371,783.75
Coordinator: University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin (Ireland)
Scientific Lead: Makerere University Lung Institute (Uganda)
In collaboration with entities from Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
MPOX-PROBE: Strengthening epidemiological, genomic and community surveillance of Mpox virus (MPXV) at the Congo River border for DRC and RoC
Grant amount: €1,299,993.75
Coordinator: R-Evolution Worldwide Srl – Impresa Sociale (Italy)
Scientific Lead: Fondation congolaise pour la recherche médicale (Congo)
In collaboration with entities from Spain, Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo.
DECIPHER-MPOX: Deciphering host genetics and viral determinants of MPOX epidemiology in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Grant amount: €1,260,000.00
Coordinator: National Health Laboratory Services (South Africa)
Scientific Lead: Makerere University (Uganda)
In collaboration with entities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
MBOTE-SK: Tackling and investigating the South-Kivu Mpox outbreak
Grant amount: €1,263,076.25
Coordinator: Instituut Voor Tropische Geneeskunde (ITM, Belgium)
Scientific Lead: Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale du Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
In collaboration with entities from France, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States.
ODIN-MPox: Implementing wastewater and environmental surveillance for Mpox in Sub-Saharan Africa
Grant amount: €1,378,272.50
Coordinator: Lunds Universitet (Sweden)
Scientific Lead: Universite de Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
In collaboration with entities from Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
PREGMPOX: Impact of MPXV infection on pregnancy outcome and newborn health
Grant amount: €1,250,000.00
Coordinator: Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium)
Scientific Lead: Universite Catholique de Bukavu (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
In collaboration with entities from Uganda and Germany.
PregInPoxVac: Maternal and infant safety and immunogenicity in a Phase 3, open-label, randomised, vaccine trial of a two-dose Mpox vaccine
Grant amount: €1,599,327.50
Coordinator: Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium)
Scientific Lead: Université de Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
In collaboration with entities from Kenya and Italy.
Background information
On 14 May 2024, in light of the rising numbers of mpox cases being reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the high public health risk, Global Health EDCTP3 activated its emergency funding mechanism, by launching an emergency call for proposals with an initial total budget of €6.75 million. This budget included an EDCTP Association contribution of €1.0 million from the UK (DHSC) and €0.5 million from France (ANRS Maladies infectieuses émergentes (ANRS |MIE)).
By the call deadline of 29 May 2024, 17 project proposals had been received involving 77 partners from 35 countries. Five projects were selected for funding and started their operations in August 2024, shortly before the WHO declared the rapidly escalating mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Given the global imperative for accelerating research and development efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent future epidemics, the UK DHSC committed to support another four projects on the Global Health EDCTP3 reserve list with an additional financial contribution of €5.35 million, doubling the original call budget to €12.1 million in total.
On 10 September 2024, Africa CDC and WHO published the Mpox Continental Preparedness and Response Plan for Africa. The Plan mentions Global Health EDCTP3 as a key partner for pillar 8 – Research and Innovation.
About Global Health EDCTP3
Building on the first and second European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) programmes, Global Health EDCTP3 invests in global health through funding collaborative research and innovation projects tackling infectious diseases and supporting activities for research capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa.
Further information on the Global Health EDCTP3 annual strategy and funding opportunities can be found in the dedicated annual Work Programmes.
All calls for proposals are published on the European Commission’s Funding and Tender opportunities portal.
About the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom (UK) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research
This research is funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR Global Health Research portfolio supports high-quality applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, using international development funding from the UK Government.
The mission of the NIHR is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- funding high quality, timely research that benefits the National Health Service, public health and social care
- investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services
- partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research
- attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges
- collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system
- funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low- and middle-income countries.
About the EDCTP Association
The mission of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is to reduce the social and economic burden of poverty-related diseases in developing countries, in particular sub-Saharan Africa, by accelerating the clinical development of effective, safe, accessible, suitable, and affordable medical interventions for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected infectious diseases, lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhoeal diseases and infectious diseases of epidemic potential, including Ebola and COVID-19. EDCTP is supported by the European Union under Horizon 2020, its Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.