East African countries are strengthening their ability to conduct clinical research and respond to emerging disease threats through a new regional network that will invest in laboratories, data systems and the next generation of scientists.

The four-year Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research Phase Four (EACCR4) was launched on 10th September 2026, in Uganda with a €12 million investment aimed at building regional capacity to research HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and emerging infections.

Led through the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), the programme brings together 23 partner institutions from 13 countries across Africa and Europe. It builds on 16 years of support from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, but places greater emphasis on strengthening research capacity within East Africa.

UVRI Director Professor Pontiano Kaleebu said the consortium reflects growing African leadership in health research by enabling universities and research institutions in the region to conduct high-quality clinical trials, train scientists and work collectively on regional health challenges.

The network comes as East Africa continues to face infectious disease outbreaks that can cross borders rapidly. Kaleebu pointed to responses to Ebola outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as examples of the need for regional scientific capacity that can support faster responses.

EACCR4 Scientific Lead Dr Bernard Kikaire said the programme would take a broad approach to research infrastructure, supporting clinical sites and laboratories while strengthening accreditation, information technology and data systems.

A central data centre will coordinate participating institutions, creating a shared infrastructure for research and evidence generation across the network. The programme aims to produce evidence that can be used by ministries of health to inform policy and respond to epidemics and outbreaks in real time.

Developing scientific talent is another major component. EACCR4 plans to support between 10 and 15 PhD candidates, 30 master's students and 10 postdoctoral fellows during the four-year programme.

The investment could help address a longstanding challenge in African health research, where scientific expertise and research infrastructure are often concentrated in a limited number of institutions and countries. By linking laboratories, universities, clinical sites and researchers across borders, the consortium is designed to create a more connected regional research ecosystem.

Uganda’s State Minister for East African Community Affairs James Magode Ikuya described the initiative as a step towards greater scientific independence, arguing that stronger local capacity would allow the region to address emerging health threats using expertise and infrastructure developed within East Africa.

The consortium also strengthens UVRI’s role as the East African Community Centre of Excellence for Virology, giving the institute a regional platform for collaboration and training.

For East Africa, the significance of EACCR4 extends beyond the diseases it will study. Its long-term objective is to leave behind stronger institutions, better-connected research systems and a larger pool of African scientists capable of generating evidence when the region faces its next health emergency.

Article by Jed Mwangi

photo courtesy:Google

https://www.uvri.go.ug/news/press-release-eaccr-4-project-launch