Control of soil transmitted helminths (STH) and Schistosomiasis (SCH) has been part of routine programmes for many years, yet, the efficacy and effectiveness of these programmes is challenged by low and failing drug efficacy and growing concerns of anthelmintic resistance, calling for a revision of the MDA-drug strategies. In this regard, the novel fixed-dose co-formulation (FDC) including albendazole and ivermectin has proven to be safe and to overcome most of the challenges in drug efficacy for STH. For T. solium the situation is very different from STH and SCH as currently there are no countries routinely implementing control. 3SI-CONTROL will assess the safety and cost-effectiveness of the FDC co-administration with praziquantel in reducing the prevalence of T. solium, STH and SCH, in a randomised controlled trial embedded in solid implementation research. Results from 3SI-CONTROL will thereby provide a scientific evidence base on the safety and effectiveness of integration of T. solium control with STH and SCH, considering the One Health approach. Beyond this, the substantial implementation research component will enable bridging the gap between the evidence-based practice (results on safety and effectiveness) and the actual implementation in the routine, real-world setting. These results, joined by a comprehensive dissemination and advocacy plan, will provide leverage to stimulate uptake of T. solium in the existing routine NTD control programmes, enabling the implementation of a safe and integrated control strategy with a higher effectiveness, tackling three top ranking NTDs. By harnessing advanced concepts in One Health, implementation research, and pharmacovigilance, our project aims to deliver transformative impacts in NTD control, reducing the individual, social and economic burdens of resource poor rural populations.

The SUPPORT project aims to strengthen health research systems in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries affected by poverty-related pediatric infectious diseases. This goal will be achieved through a comprehensive fellowship program designed to train and mentor early and mid-career researchers. The consortium comprises clinical research institutions, academia, and stakeholders from both SSA and Europe. Makerere University in Uganda will act as the scientific leadership hub, with fellows stationed at leading SSA research institutions, fostering South-to-South collaboration. Additionally, short-term internships at European institutions will complement their training. The selection of target host countries, including Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Senegal, was based on their research capacity needs and disease burden, encompassing Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone nations. The impact of SUPPORT will be the establishment of a competent and innovative community of scientists and healthcare professionals equipped to actively investigate and address pediatric infectious diseases, including epidemic management, in SSA. By strengthening research capacity and promoting collaboration, the project contributes to long-term improvements in morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases in children from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). SUPPORT will train 8 early-career fellows and 5 mid-career fellows, developing a new collaborative clinical study based on two ongoing EDCTP projects, EMPIRICAL and UNIVERSAL. The fellows will undergo a rigorous training program that combines online and face-to-face components to develop essential research skills. This training will be integrated with their individual research projects, which address critical research questions related to pediatric infectious diseases in SSA. The fellows will take the lead on these projects with guidance and support from mentors affiliated with African and European institutions.

New environmental, economic and societal requirements in the EU’s transition to a low-carbon and digital economy call for innovative methods, technologies and techniques to be developed and applied in mineral exploration. To unlock the CRM potential in Europe, AGEMERA will conduct local state-of-art geological and geophysical surveys over a total of ~4,700 km2 in order to detailly map CRM resources in 6 EU countries and 1 third country (Zambia). The geophysical field trial surveys will demonstrate three novel non-invasive survey methods (at up to a TRL5) based on remote sensing and related data analysis: 1) passive seismic methods, 2) multi-sensing drone system combining magnetic, radiometric and electromagnetic sensing, and 3) muon-based multidetector density detection system. The project will use data from open-access databases (e.g., European Geological Data Infrastructure, EGDI), the data collected from the field by project geoscientists, and various geophysical survey methods to refine and improve the genetic mineral system models of the various deposit types known to contain lithium, cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium, PGMs, niobium, tantalum, bauxite and REE. The project will introduce the existing guidance for the application of UNFC for mineral resources to the partner countries through stakeholders, courses and public events. The project will survey citizens in the project countries, create a CRM educational package targeting schools and universities, publish an online CRM serious game, organise public events, as well as online news flashes, with the aim to reach 5,000,000 citizens by 2030. The project will create an open-access SoftGIS analysis and database on people’s social, cultural, environmental and economic concerns related to mining and mineral exploration. These data enable the creation of socio-economic potential maps to be used in parallel with the geological potential maps, consequently ensuring a basis for socially accepted and sustainable mining.