The goal of the TRUST Project is to catalyse a global collaborative effort to improve adherence to high ethical standards around the world. Achieving equity in international research is one of the pressing concerns of the 21st century. Many international groups and organisations are working on governance frameworks and standards to guide research activities after progressive globalization. However, their efforts are disparate and lacking a guiding vision. In an interdisciplinary collaboration between multi-level ethics bodies, policy advisors, civil society organisations, funding organisations, industry and academic scholars from a range of disciplines, this project combines long-standing, highly respected efforts to build international governance structures with new exciting network opportunities between Europe, India, Sub-Saharan Africa, China and Russia. TRUST will open up new horizons in improving adherence to high ethical standards in research globally. The project's strategic output are three sets of tools based on participatory engagement covering all continents: (1) a global code of conduct for funders, (2) a fair research contracting on-line tool and (3) a compliance and ethics follow-up tool, which takes limited resources into account.

This proposal is in response to the GH EDCTP3 call for support to EDCTP Africa Office (AO), which is part of the EDCTP Association Secretariat, based in Cape Town and hosted by the South African Medical Research Council. The aim of the proposal is to provide support for the operation of the AO to ensure optimal implementation and visibility of the GH EDCTP3 programme in SSA. The AO will provide technical support, promote networking activities (South-North, South–South), ensure alignment of the funded activities, strategic partnerships, and increase visibility of the GH EDCTP3. This aim of the project will be achieved through several activities that include technical support for the design, implementation and monitoring of capacity developing activities, monitoring funded projects, organising workshops, and facilitating dialogue between African and European research entities and stakeholders. The expected impact is a strengthened and improved delivery of the GH EDCTP3 programme in SSA. The implementation of this proposed project will be structured into four work packages (WP) called Project management (WP1), Capacity development and networking (WP2), Strategic Partnerships (WP3) and Conferences, forums, and meetings (WP4). Through this grant the AO will contribute to the following impacts: Accelerated product development for fighting target infectious diseases; Facilitated preparedness against public health emergencies in line with One Health; Increased visibility of AU-EU partnership in science; Ensured close alignment with SSA national research programmes and activities on target diseases and R&I; Increased participation of SSA countries in GH EDCTP3; and Increased participation of industry and private entities in product development and clinical trials in SSA. To implement the project fully the AO will need a competent Project Coordinator, four Project Officers, a Senior Administrative Officer and an Office Manager. The project will be 2,953,000 euros.

The overall goal of the PREPARED project is to develop an operational ethics and integrity framework, which safeguards key ethical values, supports a rapid and effective research response to crises and improves overall pandemic preparedness. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen outlined plans to cope with "an era of pandemics" by developing "Europe-wide fast-reaction system designed to respond more quickly to emerging medical threats". Fast reaction systems, including accelerated research, are likely to face significant ethics and integrity challenges. The PREPARED project will create an international network of research funders (private and public), researchers, policy makers, publishers and citizens (a) to identify, analyse and validate the emergent research ethics and integrity challenges in the context of sudden, unexpected and global crisis, (b) to facilitate bottom-up, solution-focused, participatory dialogue, (c) to develop a values-based framework for research ethics and integrity in a global crisis which supports rapid and effective decision-making whilst maintaining scientific reliability and avoiding short-cuts in the protection of research participants, (d) to propose policy options at the EU level and tailored support for relevant stakeholders in the form of operational guidelines and short complements to existing codes and (e) to achieve influential strategic engagement through high-level synergy building and the provision of engaging training material to ensure uptake of the project's outputs so as to improve overall preparedness for global crises. Given that this is a Coordination and Support Action, the high-level consortium consists to 47% of research institutions (given that this is a CSA) and to 53% of organisations which can significantly contribute to and then leverage results (e.g. UNESCO, EDCTP, RIS).