| Project Detail |
The future of digital diagnostics in Africa Africa is struggling with a massive health burden due to infectious diseases. There is also a wide gap between diagnostic need and provision. Large proportions of the population in many African countries do not have access to healthcare facilities with high-quality diagnostics. In this context, the EU-funded DI-DIDA project will boost Africa’s technology development in diagnostics and digital technologies that bring the laboratory to the point of interaction. Digital diagnostics can provide rapid, cheap, connected point-of-care tests. Bringing together partners from four sub-Saharan African countries (Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda) and the EU, the project will design an innovative low-cost diagnostic and digital/mobile health decision-support technology and integrate it into existing African digital health infrastructure. Work will include fundamental research and 16 PhD students. The DI-DIDA projects overall objective is to tackle poverty-related infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa by i) strengthening the African research capacities, ii) enhancing technology development in diagnostics and digital technologies in Africa, and iii) encouraging adoption of innovations by sub-Saharan health authorities, clinicians, businesses, and patients. For that, the consortium includes leading partners from four sub-Saharan African countries (Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda) and the EU. To reach our objectives, we will implement a combination of complementary actions: - Joint research projects on infectious diseases co-morbidities, human-livestock interactions, infectious diseases diagnostic technologies, digital health solutions for Africa, and socio-economic factors of innovation adoption by African people. - The co-development of an innovative low-cost diagnostic and digital/mHealth decision support technology and its integration into existing African digital health infrastructure. - Clinical trials. - A PhD fellowship for students in Africa with joint PhD awarding by EU counterparts. - Research capacity building (management, grant writing, publications etc.) - Staff exchanges. - Training. - Organisation of citizen and brokerage events targeting businesses and policy makers. - A comprehensive dissemination, exploitation, and communication action plan. The impact of this project will be: - Improved research / technology development and manufacturing / clinical trials capacities in sub-Saharan Africa. - New knowledge gained on several topics related with poverty-related infectious diseases. - Increased international networks and reinforcement of the collaboration between Africa and the EU. - A new low-cost diagnostics and decision support technology developed and its adoption fostered by dedicated studies and collaboration with health authorities. - Better informed sub-Saharan populations about to infectious diseases. |
