Strengthening the partners' institutional and scientific capacity in research, education, and policy translation, and becoming centres of excellence

Duration

2022-2026

Lead institutions

Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM)

Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB)

Ecole de Santé Publique de Kinshasa (ESP)

Centre de Recherche en Santé de Kimpese (CRSK)

Academic partners

Jakke Van Den Abbeele (ITM)

Lenka Beňová (ITM)

Jean-Jacques Muyembe (INRB)

Albert Mwembo Tambwe (ESP)

Project status

Ongoing

General objective

The objectives of this programme revolve around strengthening of the partners’ institutional and scientific capacity in research, education and policy translation and becoming centres of excellence.

Summary

The programme aims to strengthen INRB as a National Reference Laboratory and centre of expertise in tropical infectious diseases. It focuses on enhancing diagnostic, clinical, and epidemiological capabilities, developing new tools, expanding research, and improving public health assessments. Additionally, the programme builds a One Health platform for addressing issues like cysticercosis and antimicrobial resistance, while improving institutional capacity, training, research management, and communication for better policy impact and outbreak response.

Apart from its institutional role in the education of master and PhD students in public health, ESP aims to become a subregional pole of excellence in multidisciplinary research, innovation and policy support on health and urbanisation. Key activities include improving education and research through curriculum development, accreditation, scholarships, and the creation of internships and learning sites for students to engage in collaborative, community-based research. The programme also aims to strengthen the governance and financial sustainability of the platforms, enhance knowledge management, and foster multidisciplinary urban health research, culminating in the launch of the Centre d’Excellence en Santé Urbaine à Lubumbashi (CESUL) and a multi-country research project on maternal health care.

CRSK aims to become a reference centre in operational research, being very close to the field, in order to be able to develop models and longitudinal research suitable for disease surveillance and tackle environmental issues. The programme focuses on increasing institutional and individual research capacities, supporting epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and community interventions, and enhancing the HDSS platform to attract new research opportunities and funding. Through synergies with national stakeholders like the Ministry of Health and external partners, CRSK will contribute to evidence-based health interventions and policy influence, ultimately improving health outcomes in DRC.