EGHRIN newsletter issue 3
Our bi-annual newsletter provides a summary of network activities, including key achievements by member institutions. The newsletter will be mailed to members and available for public download from EGHRIN's website.
Recent activity
During this year's annual General Assembly, a new Executive Committee (EC) was elected as the mandate of the previous one came to an end. In its first meeting, the new EC members elected Prof. Jolene Skordis (UCL, United Kingdom) as its chair, replacing its first holder, Antoni Plasència. You can see her views on EGHRIN’s direction and the current context for Global Health in this short conversation.
The General Assembly also initiated the process for modifying the bylaws to include the lessons learned after three years and welcomed 3 new members: NOVA University of Lisbon, University of Porto (both in Portugal) and French Research Institute for Development (IRD).
EGHRIN’s internal discussions also led to some of its members publishing Transferable data exclusivity vouchers are not the solution to the antimicrobial drug development crisis: a commentary on the proposed EU pharma regulation. Up to three other articles are in the peer review phase.
A second EGHRIN Seminar took place in April on the topic of Decolonialisaton of the Global Health Curricula. Following the success a third Seminar is planned this year.
What's coming up?
As last year, EGHRIN will have an active participation in the World Health Summit, this year thanks to the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA), together with we are preparing a workshop on Turning Strategy into Action: Global Health Research in the light of the EU Global Health Strategy.
The announced second EGHRIN Seminar will be on the EU Pharma Package currently at the final stage of negotiations between European co-legislators.
The first meeting of the EGHRIN Advisory Board announced in the previous newsletter will take place after summer.
Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (EDCTP3)
EDCTP3's budget recently increased from EUR 1.60 to 1.86 billion, partly related to the United Kingdom becoming associated with Horizon Europe. It now has EUR 0.91 billion contribution from the European Union and EUR 0.55 billion from the EDCTP Association, while efforts are ongoing to raise EUR 0.40 billion contribution from philanthropies and industry.
Over the period 2022-2024 EDCTP3 has committed EUR 370M for 20 calls for proposals launched to date. Through the 2022 Work Programme (WP), the year for which this information is complete, 27 projects were funded for a total amount of EUR 103M, including 19 grants (total 95.4M) supporting R&I projects including clinical trials and other clinical research activities conducted by European-African consortia (known as Research and Innovation Actions: RIAs) and 8 grants (total 7.6M supporting coordination and strengthening institutional capacities and the enabling environment for conducting clinical trials and clinical research (known as Coordination and Support Actions: CSAs).
EDCTP3 is currently executing its 2024 WP that was shared with EGHRIN members early this year. The 2024 WP, with a total budget of EUR 140M, includes 8 calls: 6 RIAs (novel HIV therapeutics; malaria vaccines; therapeutics and non-pharmaceutical interventions against neglected tropical diseases; novel and existing antimicrobials to tackle AMR; vector control; and digital health), one CSA (academia/industry fellowship) and an emergency RIA call (MPox outbreak response). All calls are now closed.
The 2025 WP is currently under development, to be approved and published by the end of this year. It is based on the 2024 Annual Research Innovation Agenda (ARIA), a new type of document that translates EDCTP3's broad Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) into more concrete research and capacity-strengthening priorities. In addition, EDCTP3 is in the process of updating its SRIA to include the latest information and insights on EDCTP-relevant research priorities. Both the ARIAs and the update of the SRIA receive broad stakeholder input.
Member's space
Here you will find information on a different EGHRIN member institution in every issue by alphabetical order:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
The LMU Munich is actively strengthening its Global Health profile through the Pettenkofer School of Public Health (PSPH), and the CIHLMU Center for International Health.
The CIHLMU has been founded in 2009 as an interdisciplinary entity with the aim to empower health professionals in low- and middle-income countries through targeted teaching and training interventions. Among the core areas that are addressed at the CIHLMU, are the working groups on Global Mental Health, Child Health, Environmental and One Health, Medical Education, Infectious Diseases, and Humanitarian Aid. The CIHLMU is supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2009.
The PSPH pursues a broad public health approach and emphasis on determinants of health locally, nationally and internationally. Core global health research themes, undertaken with partners in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, are violence against women and children, healthy food environments, the prevention of non-communicable diseases and road traffic injuries, as well as, broadly, maternal and child health, environmental health, planetary health and implementation science. At the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, the PSPH also hosts a WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-based Public Health.
For more information, visit the websites of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health, the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research and the CIHLMU.
Announcements
Here you will find short announcements provided by members on topics related to open post-graduate opportunities, training and offers. For adding yours to the next newsletter email a.rocamora@aighd.org
Master in Global Health at MACH (Centre for Multidisciplinary Research in Health Science)
The Master in Global Health (MGH) is a 1-year hybrid and mainly online postgraduate programme offered by the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research in Health Science (MACH) of the University of Milan, in close collaboration with 70 experts and teachers from 43 institutions, including different faculties of the University of Milan, and other important universities, academic and research institutions and organizations from Italy and abroad
The MGH is an international master open to graduates of any nationality holding a Master’s degree in any discipline. The programme is delivered in English and is fully online, except for a 1-month field internship in primary care settings in a country of choice currently among eSwatini, Guatemala, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Classes will be held between November 2024 and June 2025, and include pre recorded lectures, webinars, individual and group works. From July to October 2025 students will conduct their field internship and work on their final paper. The master will end in October 2025.
Registration deadline is on 3/10/2024 at 11:59 PM (CEST). Selection will be held on 15/10/2024 and will be based on a motivational letter by the candidate. Results will be published by 18/10/2024. Admitted students will have to enrol by 25/10/2024.
Enrolment fees are € 6,500 for the entire course. Scholarships are available based on the performance at a test and a short essay. Evaluation will be conducted in January 2025. Normally, scholarships will consist of 5,000 EUR for the top 3 performers and of 2,500 EUR for another 2 students.
Info: https://machresearch.it/mgh/
New PhD Global Health launched
The structured PhD Global Health is a joint doctoral program hosted at the Charité. It brings together the outstanding expertise in Global Health of the following seven cooperating partners (in alphabetical order):
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin (FU)
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU)
Robert Koch-Institut (RKI)
Technische Universität Berlin (TU)
Universität Potsdam
Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB)
PhD candidates are enrolled at the Charité. The degree awarded upon completion of the three year program is PhD in Global Health. The program requires participants to complete 30 ECTS of coursework divided over the 6 semesters and work on a research project (equivalent to 150 ECTS / 5 Semesters) that will result in publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals (doctorate by publication). The program concludes with an oral defense.
The thematic focus of the doctoral program is based on the health-relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The topics we wish to address include communicable and non-communicable diseases, the prevention and control of disease outbreaks, global health security, migration and health, universal health coverage, the role of climate and the environment as determinants of health, One Health, governance and health policy, health economics, community engagement as well as digitalization in healthcare. The doctoral program approaches research topics from an interdisciplinary perspective and incorporates a variety of methodological and conceptual approaches. Through the close exchange between teachers, supervisors and doctoral students, we support the critical examination of institutional and political constellations in the field of global health.
https://bsph.charite.de/en/academic_programs/phd_programs/phd_global_health/
Applications are accepted from June 20 to August 20, 2024!
Lusophone Platform for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (PLICIB): A Strategic Milestone for IHMT NOVA that Enhances Scientific Competitiveness in PALOP
On the 26th June, the EGHRIN member Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of NOVA University Lisbon (IHMT NOVA) hosted the lauching event of the Lusophone Platform for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (PLICIB), an initiative of enormous strategic importance for IHMT NOVA, which will assume the scientific coordination of the platform. The initiative will strengthen and promote scientific collaboration and enhance health research and innovation among Lusophone countries.
PLICIB is a programme of the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and co-financed by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP3). Its main objective is to promote proactive intervention by the Portuguese scientific community in the African Portuguese-speaking countries (PALOP) and neighbouring countries.
The launch of the platform was attended by various national and international academic and scientific personalities, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps from several PALOP countries. The event culminated in the signing of a Declaration of Commitment by various members of the PLICIB Scientific Council.
Professor Filomeno Fortes, Director of IHMT NOVA, highlighted the challenging role of the scientific coordination of the Platform, stating that "(...) this is a significant milestone for strengthening our institutional capacities and promoting quality health through innovation and translational research."
Dr. Maria de Belém, President of the IHMT NOVA Advisory Council, also attended the event and emphasized that "health is our main asset and most important resource, and PLICIB will attract funding to develop projects that will provide healthcare professionals with the necessary tools to conduct scientific research that serves our people."
The declaration recognizes the need to enhance scientific competitiveness at national and international levels, identifying structural opportunities for the development of transatlantic collaborative projects resulting from European initiatives within the framework of the African Union-European Union dialogue.
ISGlobal’s sponsored event on chronic liver diseases - MASLD/MASH:
The event "MASLD and MASH: prioritizing a global public health threat" will take place in New York on September 23rd, during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) week. The event is organised by The Economist Impact, and is sponsored by ISGlobal. Registration is open HERE.
Topics include:
What are the social and economic consequences of leaving MASLD and MASH unaddressed?
How could awareness around MASLD and MASH be improved to encourage more action by governments, healthcare providers and civil society?
How can a more cohesive community of practice around MASLD and MASH be developed, nurtured and supported?
What type of policies can be put in place to reduce the environmental, social, economic and human contributors to MASLD?
Programme:
08:00 Registration opens
08:30 Opening remarks and research findings by Economist Impact
08:40 Panel session
09:25 Closing remarks
09:30 Networking and light refreshments
10:30 Event concludes
Confirmed speakers:
Vanessa Garcia Larsen, Unit Chief on Risk Factors and Nutrition, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, Pan American Health Organization
Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Head of Public Health Liver Group, ISGLOBAL; Professor of Global Health, CUNY SPH; Chair, Healthy Livers Healthy Lives coalition
Arun J. Sanyal, Director, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
