ITM and six partner institutes celebrate 20 years of fruitful collaboration

In 2019, ITM celebrated the 20th anniversary of the ‘ITM-DGD Framework Agreement’, a capacity strengthening programme funded by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development (DGD). Within it, ITM is responsible for a comprehensive programme that includes medical, veterinary and scientific training, and research and capacity building. In the current 4th Framework Agreement we collaborate with 18 partner institutes in ten countries around the globe. In five of those countries the partnerships began 20 years ago.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) our long-standing partner is the Institut Nationale de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB). Together we are striving to eliminate sleeping sickness by 2030 and we have pioneered research in antibiotic resistance. In addition, there are ongoing projects in the fields of vector control and One Health.

In Cuba, two institutions, the Instituto Nacional de Higiene, Epidemiología y Microbiología (INHEM) and the Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí (IPK) honoured our collaboration. Our greatest achievements are our joint studies on tuberculosis (TB) and dengue. In the fight against dengue, we developed a community participation project that was an eye-opener for the government, leading to health policy reforms and innovative disease control approaches.

We also celebrated a 20-year partnership with the Laboratoire de Référence de Mycobactéries (LRM) in Benin. Thanks to continuous support and training from ITM, LRM has become a well-functioning lab network for the diagnosis of TB and Buruli ulcer. LRM even became the first World Health Organization (WHO) supranational reference laboratory in West-Africa.

ITM also collaborates with the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE) in Vietnam. Hand in hand, we generated evidence for better disease control approaches and we have strengthened research capacities in biomedical sciences, epidemiology and medical anthropology in order to support national control efforts for malaria and cysticercosis.

Our ally in Peru is the Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alexander von Humboldt” (IMTAvH). Together, we strengthened the capacity for research on leishmaniasis, malaria, TB and HTLV-I. Over time, this included the implementation of PCR-techniques, which allow scientists to amplify small DNA samples to enable detailed study.

Laboratory work in Benin.