Cluster

GenPath Africa is part of a cluster consisting of ten genomic epidemiology projects, which were selected for funding by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU), in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The aim of this research cluster is to leverage the genomic sequencing capacity being built in Africa to support epidemiology and surveillance of endemic and epidemic pathogens.

The cluster consists of the following projects:

  1. GenPath Africa

  2. ODIN

  3. PANGenS

  4. EpiGen Ethiopia

  5. GREAT-LIFE

  6. NGS4Public Health

  7. PHA4GE

  8. NGS Academy

  9. Africa PGI

  10. The Global Health Network

Funding

GenPath Africa is a research project funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and will receive nearly €5 million over the duration of four years, starting from May1, 2023.

Global Health EDCTP3 JU

The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (Global Health EDCTP3) builds on the first and second EDCTP programmes and is a partnership between the EU and the EDCTP Association, whose members are several European and African countries. Established in 2021, the partnership aims at delivering new solutions for reducing the burden of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and strengthening research capacities to prepare and respond to re-emerging infectious diseases in this region and across the world.

Global Health EDCTP3 targets the major infectious disease threats facing sub-Saharan Africa, including HIV, TB, malaria, neglected infectious diseases, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

The programme supports all stages of clinical evaluation, but particularly later-stage (phase III and phase IV) studies and has a specific focus on vulnerable population groups, including children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, older persons, and people with co-morbidities (including non-communicable conditions).

Global Health EDCTP3 JU is governed by a Governing Board, in which both the EDCTP Association and the European Commission, representing the Union, have equal votes. The programme is advised by a Scientific Committee and a Stakeholders Group and implemented through a Programme Office based in Brussels.

Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the ninth European Union's framework programme for research and innovation. It is the successor to the Horizon 2020 programme and spans from 2021 to 2027. Horizon Europe is designed to support and promote scientific research, technological development, and innovation across various disciplines and sectors.

The primary goal of Horizon Europe is to drive economic growth, address societal challenges, and strengthen Europe's scientific and technological competitiveness on a global scale. It aims to achieve this through funding research projects, fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and other stakeholders, and promoting the transfer of research outcomes to the market.

Horizon Europe has a budget of €95.5 billion and supports a wide range of research and innovation activities, including fundamental research, applied research, innovation projects, and support for research infrastructures. It covers various thematic areas, such as health, climate change, clean energy, digital technologies, transport, agriculture, and many others.