Kaduna (Nigeria) — Merck, a pharmaceutical and Chemical company in partnership with UNESCO, Cambridge University and University of Rome have concluded plans for the 2015 Africa Research Summit tagged MARS, which will be held on the 19th and 20th of October in Switzerland.
The UNESCO-Merck Africa Research Summit- MARS aims to bring together researchers from across Africa to discuss the generation, sharing and dissemination of research data and to prepare for the road ahead in Africa’s development as an international hub for research excellence and scientific innovation.
African researchers specialized in HIV and Ebola are encouraged to apply and submit abstracts about their latest research with regards to HIV and Ebola to be eligible for sponsorship to attend the summit and to win one of the Summit – MARS awards.
Up to 100 scientists / researchers will be fully sponsored to attend the Summit and benefit from the scientific program and development opportunities that will accelerate access to innovative health solutions and sustain innovation in Africa.
Their selection will be based on their abstract submission with dead line 30th of July.
The annual Summit aims to contribute to building research capacity in the African research community, with special focus on Ebola and emergent infectious diseases.
The Summit will also showcase innovative research taking place in projects, programs and initiatives across African universities, and by the wider African research community. It also aims to Identify Scientific Research Priorities for Evolving Health Needs, and identify opportunities to capitalise on HIV Research Capacities for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Africa such as Ebola.
The annual Summit – UNESCO-MARS will address the vital role of research in the improvement and sustainable development of population health with specific emphasis on how to translate knowledge into action – the ‘know-do gap’ – to improve health and make an impact on society.
It will provide a networking platform for dialogue on improving global cooperation on health research and narrowing the disparities in health systems performance between developing and developed countries. It will create an African researchers’ network where there will be exchange of experience, knowledge, best practice (especially in Ebola management) and cooperation in future research and development projects.
In 2015, the inaugural Summit will have a special focus on HIV and Ebola, highlighting how experience gained from investigating the former could inform and drive the rapid understanding of the latter in the recent crisis in West Africa.
Diverse sets of speakers from Academia, Research institutes, major funding organizations of health/medical research, Chairs of Medical Research Councils, NGOs, Industry, established and emergent researchers, policy makers, ministries of health and editors of scientific / medical journals, etc., will be participating.
Source: African Press Organisation
