EU-AFRICA PerMed launching event: Building links between Europe and Africa in Personalised Medicine

A kick-off meeting of the EUAfrica PerMed project (https://www.euafrica-permed.eu/), funded under Horizon 2020, the European framework programme for Research & Innovation, was held in 4th March 2021
The EU-Africa PerMed project has the overall objective of integrating African countries into ICPerMed (https://www.icpermed.eu/) activities as a means to contribute to a successful implementation of Personalized Medicine (PM) in the global context; fostering joint PM projects and programmes between Europe and Africa,; and strengthening bilateral science, technology and innovation relations in the area of health.

The International Consortium of Personalised Medicine, ICPerMed, initiated in 2016, provides a platform to support research in personalised medicine. It is formed by more than 40 funding bodies from EU member states and beyond, including public and private not-for-profit health research funding and policy organisations.
The project, conceived and designed in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak, also responds to the necessity of global approaches when facing global threats.

EU-Africa PerMed is distributed in 6 Work Packages and it focuses on identifying and engaging relevant health-related organisations and fostering integration of funding structures and policy organisations in ICPerMed.

Further, it will l focus on seeking synergies and align with activities of ongoing EU-Africa research programmes and other bi-regional policy actions.
During the next 4 years, EU-Africa PerMed project will be developed by 13 organisations from both Europe (6 partners) and Africa (7 partners). The role of the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) in the project, is to develop communication materials and disseminate all information products pertaining to the Eu-Africa PerMed project. ECSA-HC will also support the other work packages (WP 2-Mapping of personalized medicines in Africa; WP3-Cross border collaboration and identification of future actions in personalized medicine between Africa and Europe as well as WP 4- Translating Science to policy).

The kick-off meeting allowed the participants to virtually share and plan the first steps to be taken for launching the action. The meeting was attended by the Project Officer from the European Commission and the members of the External Advisory Board, composed of 5 renowned experts. The meeting highlighted the opportunity this project brings to join forces, build on existing efforts at African level, and foster a dialogue between initiatives. Participants also underlined the importance of sharing common approaches to PM and demonstrating the added value PM may bring to health issues in the continent.
For more information, please visit https://www.euafrica-permed.eu/ and follow us on @EU_AfricaPerMed.