Promotion of Infectious
Disease Research
Cooperation between
Africa and Japan

Aim

Japan is committed to the development of countermeasures against infectious diseases, including Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), in African countries. As a biomedical funding agency, AMED supports international research programs, including the international Collaborative Research Program for Tackling NTDs Challenges in African Countries (ICREP-NTDs)^*1, and Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS)^*2, among others.

Since its establishment in 2015, AMED has supported research projects addressing important needs in Africa, with social implementation as its ultimate goal. Furthermore, through the fostering of equal partnerships, researchers in early career stages have been actively involved and trained in those projects. Regional centers for Africa-Japan research cooperation have also been established, which will function as hubs in a Science, Technology and Innovation network, specifically targeting the control of infectious diseases.

This symposium has two aims: 1) to provide information about collaborative research activities between African countries and Japan in the field of infectious diseases to relevant stakeholders, including researchers, government officials, international organizations and African countries; and 2) to expand the Pan-African-Network for infectious disease research across projects, programs, and countries. In order to facilitate the promotion of research cooperation for science, technology and innovation between Africa and Japan in the area of infectious disease research, we have invited speakers of past and ongoing projects from the programs supported by AMED, such as the SATREPS, ICREP-NTDs and research program on the challenges of Global Health issues. and it is our hope that all participants will broaden their collaboration to extend beyond the boundaries of projects, programs, and countries thorough this symposium.

*1 International Collaborative Research Program for Tackling NTDs Challenges in African Countries (ICREP-NTDs) was established in response to the Leaders Declaration on "NTDs" at the G7 Summit in 2015, and subsequently, was proposed by the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, at the 4th Annual Meeting of the Global Research Council in Tokyo. This program aims to obtain and implement useful research outcomes for society, and to facilitate cooperation between Africa and Japan.

*Principal Investigators of on-going projects :

• SUZUKI Koichi, Professor, Teikyo University (Japan) / Bamba Vagamon, Director, Raoul Follereau Institute (Republic of Côte d'Ivoire)(selected in FY2017 ICREP-NTDs Invitation for Research Proposals)

*Program Supervisor, Program Officers :

• WATANABE Haruo, Program Supervisor
• NISHIGAKI Takashi, Program Officer

*2 Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) is a Japanese government program that promotes international joint research. This program is structured as a collaboration between the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), which provides competitive research funds for medical research and development, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which provides development assistance (ODA). Based on the needs of developing countries, the program aims to address global issues and lead to research outcomes of practical benefit to both local and global society.

*Principal Investigators of on-going projects :

• KIYONO Hiroshi, Professor, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (Japan) / Abraham Kwabena Anang, Director, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) of University of Ghana (Republic of Ghana) (selected in FY2015 SATREPS Invitation for Research Proposals)
• YASUDA Jiro, Professor, Nagasaki University (Japan) / Bertrand Lell, Director, Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL) (Republic of Gabon) (selected in FY2015 SATREPS Invitation for Research Proposals)
• TAKADA Ayato, Professor, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control (Japan) / Edgar Simulundu, Assistant Dean School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia（Republic of Zambia）/ Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Director, National Institute of Biomedical Research (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (selected in FY2018 SATREPS Invitation for Research Proposals)
• KANEKO Akira, Professor, Osaka City University (Japan) / GITAKA Jesse, Senior Researcher, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Mount Kenya University (Republic of Kenya) (selected in FY2019 SATREPS Invitation for Research Proposals)

*Program Supervisor, Program Officers :

• WATANABE Haruo, Program Supervisor
• YAMADA Akio, Program Officer
• KITA Kiyoshi, Program Officer