The funding has been given by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), which is focused on accelerating Phase II and III trials of drugs for treating diseases affecting sub-Saharan Africa.

To achieve this goal the Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria for the conduct of clinical trials (CANTAM) has been set up, bringing together research institutions and political partners from Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Tanzania and Germany.

CANTAM will use the funding to promote good clinical and laboratory practice (GCP and GLP), data management, quality control and ethics in clinical trials.

By doing this CANTAM believes it can ensure there are sufficient well equipped and staffed clinical trial centres to cope with the rise in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria research conducted in the region.

The project will be coordinated by the secretariat coordinator of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, who will collaborate with the research institutions. Organisation de Coordination pour la lutte contre les Endémies en Afrique Centrale (OCEAC) will provide guidance and political goodwill.

Plans are in place to establish networks performing a similar role in eastern, western and southern Africa. EDCTP will also provide funding for these through its Networks of Excellence grant programme, which hopes to link African clinical trial sites to create the capacity needed to design and conduct large multi-centre clinical trials.