GCRF-Crick African Network

The extreme poverty faced by many people in Sub-Saharan Africa contributes to very high rates of infectious diseases, as well as to chronic diseases linked to these. Scientific research is needed to address these challenges, however, Africa also faces a shortage of knowledge, skills and research facilities, which compounds the problem. Our strategy to tackle this problem is to identify a group of African scientists who already have PhDs and show outstanding talent, and intensively develop their careers via targeted, high-level training and mentorship. The idea is to foster the next generation of leadership at key African research institutions that are well-positioned to advance science on the continent. The ultimate aim is to improve the health of the people of Africa and beyond. To achieve this, we will establish a new initiative, the 'Crick African Network' (CAN), which involves collaboration between the UK and Africa. The network's goal will be to help build capacity in African institutions to conduct research into infectious diseases that occur in poverty-stricken areas. The network will formally link the Francis Crick Institute (Crick) in the UK with a select group of African-based research organisations, namely: the Universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town, South Africa, MRC Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), the University of Ghana, and the West African Global Health Alliance (WAGHA) that includes MRC Gambia and University Cheikh Anta Diop, Sénégal. These partners will together provide an 'African Career Accelerator' programme that provides high-level training for talented African scientists. The programme will offer competitive fellowships that allow the scientists to spend time at Crick in the UK, receiving advanced training, with access to state-of-the-art Science Technology Platform (STP) facilities and expertise. It will then help them to re-establish their research portfolios back at their African institutions. We envisage ongoing mentorship of, and collaboration with, these future research leaders to encourage lasting, mutually beneficial, scientific partnerships. In conjunction with this, the network will host introductory workshops in key African locations, to inform and inspire infectious diseases researchers from those regions. It will also hold annual scientific meetings for the four-year duration of the programme to encourage exchange of scientific learning, grow collaborations and engage with relevant health sector stakeholders. By intensively developing this select group of up-and-coming researchers, connecting them internationally, supporting them with world-class expertise and positioning them in strong African institutions that can serve as hubs of scientific excellence within the continent, we hope they will become a powerful cadre of internationally connected research professionals with the expertise and experience needed to tackle Africa's infectious disease challenges. The UK-African network formed will also be well positioned to respond, through biomedical research, to pressing poverty-related health needs affecting the welfare and economic development of Africa.