Results and milestones

Since 2008, the CRDF scheme has trained 91 fellows from 31 LMICs, which includes the 18 fellows selected in 2017 who are currently undergoing training.

An external review from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) of TDR’s career development fellowship has found the program has an impact on a broad range of factors, with ample future potential for continued growth and extension. Altogether, 95% of survey respondents think that their skills and competencies in good clinical or laboratory practices were “better” or “much better” at the end of the program.

TDR and EDCTP launched their first joint call on 31 October 2014. 20 product development organizations offered to host fellows in 2015, including Astellas, Bayer, GSK, Novartis, Merck, Sanofi and Sanofi Pasteur. The host organisations trained scientists – for a period of up to 24 months – to develop specialist product development skills not readily taught in academic centres or public research institutions. On returning to their home organizations, the fellows are expected to become an important resource for institutional capacity development to undertake and manage clinical research in accordance with international regulatory requirements and standards.

CDF fellows have come from 19 African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, The Gambia, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Others have come from China, Colombia, Peru and Vietnam.

A second joint call was launched on the 22 October 2015 and a third joint call was launched in October 2016, for which Merck is confirmed as new host organization.

Throughout these calls, Novartis has had multiple active clinical development fellowship engagements with the EDCTP. In 2019 and 2020, Novartis announced two 3-year commitments to support Career Development Fellowships on maternal and child health in sub-Saharan Africa. Novartis is funding fellows that conduct research in the field of maternal and child health, focusing on the interaction between poverty-related infectious diseases and noncommunicable diseases.

Up until 2013, Eisai also participated in the EDCTP-TDR Clinical Research Development Fellowships. Eisai had TDR program twice: once in 2010-2011 and then 2011-2012.

Other companies previously involved include Pfizer & Roche.