The EU–Africa Partnership is providing more than €64 million to fund five networks aimed at speeding up clinical trials during epidemics

Five research networks in sub-Saharan Africa are receiving more than €64 million in funding through Global Health EDCTP3 to reduce the time between the emergence of an epidemic and the start of clinical trials. The EU–Africa Partnership presented this generation of projects on 29 October; they prepare laboratories, staff and protocols before a health emergency. Their capacities are already being assessed for possible in-kind support for research into vaccines against Bundibugyo ebolavirus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In brief, Global Health EDCTP3, the research partnership between the EU and African and European countries, is supporting five networks with approximately €64.11 million. The projects began between May and July 2026. The networks aim to prepare laboratories, staff and research protocols in advance, so that clinical trials can begin more quickly when an outbreak occurs. The funding already includes CEPI’s €6.83 million contribution to four networks and UK support for WANETAM-4. These amounts are not added to the total again. The projects cover Central, East and West Africa, alongside consortia with continental coverage. They combine disease surveillance, laboratory modernisation and researcher training. EDCTP3 is mapping the networks’ capacities for possible in-kind support for the Tumaini study, which began in Bunia on 23 October. The study is testing vaccines against Bundibugyo ebolavirus; their efficacy against it has not yet been demonstrated.

The aim is to enable researchers to evaluate vaccines, treatments or diagnostic methods when the data are most urgently needed. A clinical trial cannot begin simply by bringing a product into an affected area. It requires trained teams, functioning laboratories, information about the local population, secure data-management systems, and ethical and regulatory approvals. If all these elements are prepared only after an outbreak begins, valuable research time is lost.

SINCEP-Africa, PRESERVE, EACCR4, ACT-PREP and WANETAM-4 were selected through the 2025 EDCTP3 call for regional networks of excellence and epidemic-preparedness consortia. They continue or expand collaborations built through previous EDCTP programmes. Between outbreaks, the centres remain active in research on diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV, maintaining the staff and infrastructure that could be mobilised in an emergency.

The fact sheets for the five projects indicate a combined total of approximately €64.11 million. The funding comes from the partnership’s joint mechanism, which combines European resources with contributions from other partners. The announcement does not indicate that the entire amount has already been paid to beneficiaries.

CEPI, the international organisation supporting the development of vaccines against epidemic threats, is contributing €6.83 million, included in the funding for EACCR4, ACT-PREP, SINCEP-Africa and, partially, PRESERVE. WANETAM-4 is supported by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, DHSC, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, NIHR. The statement presents other partner co-investments separately; these should not be confused with contributions already included in the EDCTP3 total.

SINCEP-Africa is receiving approximately €13.37 million and builds on the INDEPTH demographic and health surveillance network. The project includes 14 existing centres and two new ones in Côte d’Ivoire and the DRC. It aims to turn information collected continuously in communities into a basis for rapid research during epidemics. Approximately 500 researchers and support-team members are expected to receive training, and at least five laboratories are expected to be accredited. Electronic surveillance systems using artificial intelligence for data analysis are also planned.

In Central Africa, PRESERVE is receiving approximately €12.48 million and focuses on the links between human, animal and environmental health, known as the One Health approach. The project aims to strengthen laboratories and surveillance, as well as prepare adaptable tools and protocols for clinical trials. Scientific leadership lies with Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale, in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Cross-border cooperation is important for infections that can spread between species and countries.

EACCR4, funded with approximately €12.75 million, is developing clinical research in East Africa through a consortium comprising institutions from 13 countries. The DRC, Somalia and Zambia have joined the network to strengthen their research capacities. The project provides for the modernisation of at least two clinical centres, support for laboratory certification and training for early-career researchers. Epidemic preparedness includes genomic surveillance and mobile laboratories in the DRC and Zambia, alongside research on tuberculosis, HIV, malaria and drug resistance.

ACT-PREP, with approximately €12.75 million in funding, aims to integrate clinical-trial preparedness into national public-health systems. The project includes advanced training for more than 700 researchers, the modernisation of at least five laboratories and the development of standardised protocols. Workshops for ethics committees and regulatory authorities seek to enable more efficient trial assessment while maintaining safeguards for participants. Administrative and scientific preparedness is therefore part of the response to outbreaks, alongside equipment.

In West Africa, WANETAM-4 is receiving approximately €12.75 million and brings together institutions from 12 sub-Saharan countries, including English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking countries. The network continues research on tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and neglected tropical diseases, while also preparing for epidemics. A dedicated surveillance and preparedness programme will involve 30 researchers and public-health specialists from 13 national institutes. Training and joint studies aim to reduce institutional and linguistic barriers between centres.

The usefulness of these connections is being tested by the Bundibugyo outbreak in the DRC. According to the EDCTP3 statement, the organisation is mapping the expertise, centres and infrastructure of the five networks to identify opportunities for in-kind support for the Tumaini study. The study began in Bunia on 23 October, when the first participant was vaccinated, according to the World Health Organization and the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. The phase 2/3 study is led and co-sponsored by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale of the DRC and the University of Antwerp, as part of the response coordinated by the Congolese authorities.

Tumaini aims to assess the safety, immune response and efficacy of candidate vaccines against Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The start of the study does not amount to proof of efficacy, and identifying available capacities within the networks does not confirm that all of them are already participating in the study. The example nevertheless shows the practical link between funding laboratories during normal periods and the ability to organise research during an epidemic.

Global Health EDCTP3 is a European and African partnership organised as a joint undertaking of the EU and the EDCTP Association, bringing together European and African countries. It funds research through the Horizon Europe programme, with contributions from members and other partners. The five projects began between May and July 2026, and their implementation periods end in 2030 or 2031. The collective announcement in October should be read within this timeline and should not be confused with all grants being awarded on the same day.

Results will depend on the centres’ ability to maintain teams, laboratories and collaborations over time and to use them for studies relevant to local populations. For the networks, the practical test will be moving from infrastructure and training to research that can be activated on time, while ensuring participant safety and generating data useful for public-health decisions.