With chest X-ray and molecular tests virtually absent at the primary healthcare care level, where most patients with presumptive TB present in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is a need for accessible, affordable and scalable diagnostic tools for TB triage. CAD LUS4TB represents an interdisciplinary partnership spanning across Western (Francophone) and Southern-African regions with EU countries, aimed at enhancing access to effective TB triage to rule out TB disease among symptomatic adult patients presenting at the primary healthcare level. This initiative focuses on generating population-tailored evidence and advocating for the integration of computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) using artificial intelligence (AI) to support the implementation of lung ultrasound (LUS) into healthcare policy. Unlike typical vertical triage tests, US has multiple other existing AI-assisted diagnostic tools and can facilitate a multi disease approach after TB exclusion, including for pneumonia and cardiovascular assessment. We propose to externally validate and deploy a novel digital technology adapting image-based analysis tools and software for mobile phone ultrasound applications. AI technology sharing serves as one of its key pillars. The adoption of CAD-LUS requires a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, translational approach to clinical research. Our consortium comprises these key fields, including clinical research, diagnostics, implementation science, social science, health economics and policy translation, as well as data/computer science. It addresses all expected outcomes and contributes to several specific expected impacts of this call. Evidence on the integration of CAD-LUS is expected to accelerate adoption of accessible triage tools for TB in SSA and support achieving target 3.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. The CAD LUS4TB tool is anticipated to achieve a high diagnostic yield due to its user-friendliness, scalability and possibility to address multiple diseases.

Benin's economy is largely dominated by agriculture (70% of the working population and 33% of GDP). Densely populated and located on a growing traffic axis between Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, Southern Benin benefits from an environment which is favourable to innovation in agricultural intensification and bioproducts valorisation. Stakeholders in the flagship sectors (rice, pineapple, cashew) promoted by the Beninese government and in orphan crops with high potential (shea, fonio, miraculous berry or sisré), associated to the Biovalor project, have already identified their needs in terms of skills and scientific obstacles to the development of their sectors. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Aboméy Calavi (FSA-UAC) has become aware of the need to make the content of its training programmes consistent with the needs of the targeted sectors and the government's action programmes. Thus, the FSA-UAC, the Institut Agro-Montpellier Sup Agro, the CIRAD and the University of Lorraine (ENSAIA-IUT) have chosen to respond together to the ANR PEA call for projects, in order to take up the challenge of a better professional integration of students in the development of the bioeconomy and the targeted sectors. Focused on the valorisation of bioresources, bioprocesses and bioproducts, the BIOVALOR project aims to: - implement the skills approach in the L, M and D training courses of the FSA-UAC. The aim is to revisit the targeted training courses by applying the principles of the skills approach, which successively associates (i) the definition of the targeted professions in conjunction with the professional actors, (ii) the skills required, (iii) the adaptation of the educational pathways to reduce the gap between the skills required and those available, and (iv) the evaluation of the acquired skills. - promote entrepreneurial culture and the spirit of innovation. The aim is to encourage students to try their hand at entrepreneurship around a project of their choice and to strengthen the existing innovation competition supported by the Mastercard Foundation by building on the experience of the French competition Ecotrophelia. This entrepreneurial experience should above all allow the development of skills in action that can be used for professional integration, - promote bilateral mobility of students and teachers-researchers. Indeed, the acquisition of scientific and technological skills mentioned above will take place through short mobilities for teacher-researchers or longer mobilities in the context of student training. The rapprochement of the FSA's training courses and its partners will be perpetuated through academic mobility and internship co-supervision agreements, - the creation of an entrepreneurial village (VE) bringing together several laboratories and equipped with a technology transfer platform and the resources of the FSA-UAC farm. The VE is an interface that will offer technical support to students, teachers, researchers and professionals. It will contribute to (i) the practical training of students, (ii) the capacity building of professionals, (iii) but also to the maturation of innovative projects, (iv) the creation of start-ups, and (v) in fine, it will promote the development of research and development action models. The BIOVALOR project has been built on the quality approach permeates all the actions envisaged with the aim of planning and implementing the monitoring, measurement, analysis and improvement activities necessary to (i) assess the satisfaction of the needs and expectations of the beneficiaries (students, teachers, professionals), (ii) guarantee the smooth running and achievement of the objectives targeted by the project and (iii) constantly improve the efficiency of the organisational system put in place For each of the actions, the project BIOVALOR is considered as a lever that will be accompanied and followed by complementary funding to ensure their sustainability.

Maternal and neonatal infections are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in Benin. One major cause of peripartum infections is poor hygiene in healthcare facilities. Healthcare professionals are unaware or do not follow good hygiene practices, allowing multidrug-resistant bacteria to spread in hospitals and cause infections. Our Mimin project will address this poor hygiene practice in hospitals and also in remote communities among women who are pregnant or have recently given birth. We will identify key gaps in healthcare practices and current curricula for midwives, nurses, and physicians. Based on our analysis, we will design new education modules that will improve the hygiene training of all healthcare professionals. One module will specifically be designed for the continuing education of professionals already in employment. The second module will apply the Internationalization at Home e-learning approach to create co-education for midwifery students from two different countries. Newly trained professionals will be involved in creating an improved Hospital hygiene and infection prevention programme at six pilot hospitals, including the strengthening of an online technical platform for infection surveillance. In addition, outreach activities will be piloted in six disadvantaged communities to raise awareness of good hygiene practices and neonatal care among mothers. In order to achieve sustainable impact, a new national reference laboratory will be set up to enable the diagnosis and monitoring of pathogens causing blood-borne infections, during the project and in the future. The impact of all our activities will be assessed and the information will be shared with relevant stakeholders and policy makers. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Health have been involved in project planning since the beginning, and thus our results will enable evidence-based decision-making in the design of new health and education policies.