PRINT

From the first vaccines against malaria to the first WHO-approved primary clinical trials registry in Africa: the AU-EU R&I Cooperation delivering in Public Health

Ahead of the II AU-EU Ministerial on Research and Innovation (R&I) (see), scheduled to 27 October 2026 in Addis Ababa, we review some of the main achievements of the African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). Under one of its priorities, Public health, sixteen innovations supported by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) programmes have reached patients, including the first vaccines against malaria, piloted in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi, which reduced child mortality by 13% and malaria illness by more than half. 25 African countries have included them into their routine immunisation.

Watch an example of impact here Instagram | X | Facebook

The EDCTP partnership has invested more than €1.7 billion in grants across 840 projects in 74 countries, supporting over 1,000 organisations. Its core mission is to support excellent global collaborative research that develops biomedical solutions to infectious diseases, while strengthening Africa's capacity to conduct clinical research. The partnership's success rests on three foundations: scientific excellence, trusted partnerships and an unwavering focus on sustainable impact, translating research into innovation, stronger capacities and more effective health policies that strengthen health security and resilience while supporting shared prosperity. 

Since 2022, Global Health EDCTP3, a partnership between the EU and the EDCTP Association, has continued the work of the EDCTP partnership under Horizon Europe. The EDCTP Association comprises 49 member countries: 16 European and 33 African. 

EDCTP

©Global Service Facility, 2026

Other concrete achievements include advancing critical paediatric innovations, including next-generation HIV regimens for pregnant mothers and lactating infants, a highly effective paediatric medicines for multiple worm infections, the first antimalarial medicine for newborns that cannot yet be vaccinated, and the first child medicines for schistosomiasis and river blindness, as well as portable TB diagnostics enabling earlier detection and response, among others.

As impact is built on systems, not individual projects, five networks of excellence, spanning 100 institutions across 32 countries in four African regional economic communities, keep clinical and epidemiological capacity ready for outbreaks in Africa and have been deployed in Ebola, mpox and COVID-19 responses. The EDCTP partnership also supported the creation of the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, the first WHO-approved primary clinical trials registry in the continent, and the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum, strengthening national regulatory and ethics capacity across 37 African countries. Global Health EDCTP3 is committed to supporting the operationalisation of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and has formalised strategic partnerships with Africa CDC, WHO AFRO and other key regional actors.

Finally, investments by the wider EDCTP partnership are also strengthening research capacities across Africa: nearly 3,000 researchers and health professionals have received EDCTP support, with 71% of projects between 2014-2023 led by African researchers.

Discover More: 

Read more about the II AU-EU Ministerial on Research and Innovation (R&I) and achievements on the other priorities under the AU-EU Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation here