Dear colleagues, 

On behalf of the Forum Organising, Scientific programme and Local committees, we warmly welcome you to this Tenth EDCTP Forum to be held virtually and via a link to Maputo in our host country Mozambique. This Tenth Forum, our first virtual Forum, is an opportunity for participants working in global health research around the world, to join with us in diverse Forum activities anchored in a compelling scientific programme. Although the online format precludes face-to-face in-person contact for most participants, it offers opportunities for active participation by everyone who is unable to travel to Maputo during the pandemic.

The Forum theme - Equity in research for health – is at the core of the EDCTP mission. The second EDCTP programme, EDCTP2, has seen increasing participation from across Africa and Europe in our projects. Nevertheless, gender and geographical disparities remain. We welcome your engagement and your input in discussions at the Forum about successes and challenges in achieving equity in research, and how best to ensure that research processes and outputs address health inequities.The Forum objectives reflect the need for global research partner cooperation in preparedness and response to disease outbreaks, in public health emergencies, and in strengthening health systems. Awareness of this need has never been greater than it is now. The online Forum, linking to our hosts in Mozambique, presents a platform to take stock of the impact and achievements of currently operational Europe-Africa research and capacity building partnerships. We will examine how their work is contributing to stronger clinical research environments in African countries on the road to meeting the sustainable development goals. 

EDCTP is proud of its record in supporting the career development of African scientists, with more than 240 postgraduate students and 196 fellows supported under EDCTP2, many of whom will attend the Forum and contribute to its programme. 

We gladly acknowledge the support of our partners and hosts for the Forum, the National Institute of Health of Mozambique and the Manhiça Health Research Centre. EDCTP and our Mozambican hosts look forward to meeting you in Maputo or online.