Acronym: ACT-PREP
Project Title: Advancing Clinical Trials and Epidemic Preparedness Research Capacity in Africa
Project period: June 2026 – May 2031
Principal Investigators: Prof Moses R. Kamya and Dr Joaniter Nankabirwa
Project Goal: The project aims to enhance and institutionalise capacities for clinical trials and other research in preparedness and response to disease outbreaks and other infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa through strategic and equitable partnerships.
Project Summary: Research during epidemics is often conducted in isolation from national response structures, limiting its translation into timely, evidence-informed action during the outbreaks. Deliberate efforts are needed to strengthen the capacity to institutionalise research during epidemics within the Ministry of Health disease response structures and strategies. This project proposes an ambitious, institutionalized, and sustainable approach to rapidly expand and sustain clinical trial capacity during outbreaks. This will be through collaborative capacity-strengthening efforts targeting human resources, laboratory infrastructure, systems, and regulatory frameworks across the One Health sectors.
Within this consortium, IDRC provides leadership and oversight for the clinical research capacity-building component of ACT-PREP. IDRC coordinates the development and delivery of scalable clinical research and clinical trials training, mentorship, clinical trial monitor programmes, and collaborative learning platforms. IDRC also leads efforts to institutionalise and sustain clinical research capacity by supporting the integration of training into academic curricula, national epidemic preparedness and response frameworks, and research systems. Through ACT-PREP, IDRC will contribute to strengthening Africa’s clinical research workforce and preparedness to conduct high-quality clinical trials during epidemics and beyond.
Partnerships: IDRC is working with a consortium of partners including Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH), Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Karolinska Institutet (KI), Somali National University (SNU), Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Bernhard-Nocht Institut fur Tropen Medizin (BNITM)
Project Funder: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)
