Press Release: EACCR 4 Project Launch
Event date: 9-10th September 2026
Time: 9am-5pm
Venue: Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Main campus Training room, Entebbe
Who is Involved: UVRI, MoH, UNHRO and EACCR Consortium partners
Guest of Honor: Hon. Magode Ikuya
The objectives of this event are;
1. To ensure a shared understanding of the EACCR4 vision, objectives, work packages, and expected outcome.
2. To establish effective governance and coordination by clarifying consortium roles, responsibilities, and collaboration mechanisms.
3. To align partners on implementation priorities and agree on key milestones and deliverables for the first 18 months of the project.
Why the event?
Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR) and the Uganda National Health Research Organisation (UNHRO), will be hosting the official launch of the EACCR4 Project. The launch will take place on the 9th to 10th September 2026, at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe, Uganda.
Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is a government research institute with a mandate to engage in health research about human infections and disease processes associated with or linked to viral etiology and provides expert advice and communication. Established in 1936, the mission of UVRI is to conduct scientific investigations on viral and other communicable diseases to contribute to knowledge, policy, and practice and build capacity while promoting institutional sustainability. The institute also serves as a center for training and education.
The Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR) is a regional collaborative network that provides comprehensive clinical research ecosystem capabilities to support research efforts addressing poverty-related diseases and epidemic outbreaks across Eastern Africa. The overall objective of the EACCR4 is to be the leading network with comprehensive clinical research eco-system capabilities to support clinical research in response to poverty-related diseases, and epidemics and outbreaks in the Eastern Africa region.
The EACCR4 network consists of 22 partners (SSA:12; North:10), excluding EDCTP, from 13 countries with 7 SSA including DRC, Somalia and Zambia as new members. Eleven (11) of the partners are new to the network. We shall achieve our objectives through 10 work packages which are grouped into four platforms:1) Clinical and Laboratory; 2) Ethics, Training, and Stakeholder engagement; 3) Epidemics Research and Response 4) Research Support and coordination.
Our strategy will be to build capacity for ICH-GCP research in the region by leveraging the expertise and experience of centers of excellence to build the capacity of the institutions and partners with low capacity for research. Special focus will be laid on building capacity for research on epidemics and outbreaks which are very common in the East African Region. We shall work with the national institutes of public health to establish an acute febrile illness surveillance system that will enhance the capacity for research in event of an outbreak.
We propose to establish a training and mentorship platform that will support scientists to become global research leaders conducting cutting-edge research responsive to the needs of the region. The network will increase the volume of clinical research to inform policy, providing solutions to health challenges, and contributing to achieving health for all SDG3 goal in Eastern Africa.
The launch will bring together consortium partners, institutional leadership, government representatives, and other key stakeholders to introduce the project, its objectives, work packages, implementation strategies, and expected outcomes. The meeting will also provide an important platform for strengthening collaboration and coordination among the different institutions and stakeholders involved in the project.
“We need to do more partnerships, do more grants, do more research and go away with just building capacity for research to actually start conducting actual research in the EDCTP partnerships. We need to begin answering pertinent questions that you know respond to the needs of Africa.”
-Dr Bernard Kikaire -Overall Project Lead- EACCR4
