Global collaboration action on climate and health in sub-Saharan Africa

Expected Impact:

Expected Impact

Projects funded under this topic should contribute towards the reduction of the burden of disease in SSA and thus contribute to achieving SDG 3 ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and SDG 13, ‘Climate Action’ through increased international cooperation among researchers and funders, catalyse research synergies, and leverage resources and investment.

Proposals are expected to include the effective in-kind and/or financial contribution of contributing partners, in order to produce more meaningful and significant effects enhancing the impact of the related research activities.

Applicant consortium

The contributions from contributing partners should correspond to the amounts they have committed in the letter of endorsement requesting to become a contributing partner (Article 9 Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085^[1]). Their contributions can consist of financial contributions and/or in-kind contributions. Applicant contributing partners must submit a first draft of the endorsement letter to the Programme Office before the deadline for submission of the second-stage applications^[2]. For details on the process on becoming a Global Health EDCTP3 contributing partner, please consult the Guide for contributing partners.

In case of in-kind contribution (even combined with financial contribution), contributing partners become a part of the applicant consortium and participate in the project, as appropriate i.e. as beneficiaries or affiliated entities in the meaning of Article 8 of the Horizon Europe model grant agreement. Also, Global Health EDCTP3 contributing partners can be a country, an international organisation or any public or private legal entity, other than the Global Health EDCTP3 members or their constituent or affiliated entities (please consult the Guide for contributing partners).

Expected Outcome:

Background

Research shows that 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Climate change is expected to cause worldwide approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress between 2030 and 2050^[3].

Despite its low contribution to the drivers of climate change, Africa will bear high consequences of the changing climate, indicated by rising climate-related health emergencies accounting for more than half of public health events recorded in the region over the past two decades^[4]: Out of the 2100+ public health events recorded in the African region between 2001 and 2021, 56% were climate-related. The region is witnessing an increase in climate-linked emergencies, with 25% more climate-related events recorded between 2011 and 2021 compared with the previous decade. More particularly, water-borne diseases accounted for 40% of the climate-related health emergencies over the past two decades ^[5]. Vector-borne diseases, notably yellow fever, accounted for 28% of the climate-related health emergencies, while zoonotic diseases, specifically Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever, being the third most prevalent ^[6]. Where appropriate, a “One Health” approach is recommended to address climate-related public health events. The approach is based on the premise that human, animal and ecosystem health is interconnected and requires a coordinated approach to tackle and resolve the challenges.

In addition, vulnerable populations in Africa, particularly the low-income households, women, children, and rural communities, are disproportionately affected by climate change because they face higher exposure to extreme weather, depend heavily on climate-sensitive agriculture productivity, and have limited resources and institutional capacity to adapt, which deepens poverty, food insecurity, health risks, and displacement.

Changing climate conditions (such as temperature, humidity and precipitation levels) have an impact on the geographical and seasonal distribution of infectious diseases, with weather affecting the timing and intensity of disease outbreaks. This results in particular disease-carrying vectors becoming of relevance for Europe. In addition to climatic factors, regional disease risks are also affected by factors such as land use, vector control, human behaviour, global trade and travel, and public health capacities^[7].

Climate change is also increasing Europe’s risk to water-borne diseases by degrading water quality through flooding, heatwaves, and droughts, thereby heightening risks of gastrointestinal infections and other health issues, especially when sanitation and infrastructure are inadequate ^[8].

With this, the European Commission’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda on Health and Climate Change^[9] – launched in mid‑2025 – sets out a comprehensive R&I roadmap with cross‑cutting priorities including climate‑driven health inequalities, inter‑sectoral data systems, climate adaptation in healthcare systems, and the development of transdisciplinary, global knowledge partnerships (HERA, EC DG RTD, SRIA 2025). This prioritisation underscores the alignment between the EC’s SRIA and Global Health EDCTP3 objectives, emphasising the need for integrated, equitable, and internationally cooperative research efforts addressing climate-change driven infectious diseases.

Together, these frameworks and epidemiologic trends demonstrate the urgent need for Global Health EDCTP3 to fund research on climate-sensitive water- and vector-borne diseases – with a potential dual focus on sub‑Saharan Africa (SSA), where the burden is high and rising, and Europe, where endemic risk is rapidly emerging. In this effort, vulnerable populations in SSA should not be left behind.

Investments in surveillance, climate-adaptive early warning systems, diagnostic and genomic capacity, vector control innovations, One Health approaches, and health system resilience are essential. Aligning with Africa CDC/AU and EC SRIA targets, Global Health EDCTP3 can catalyse cross‑continental innovation, strengthen global health security, and mitigate an escalating threat to relevant vulnerable populations.

Expected Outcomes

Proposals submitted under this topic should aim to deliver results that are contributing to improved health outcomes related to climate sensitive vector- and water-borne pathogens in the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3 SRIA^[10] in SSA.

In addition, proposals are also expected to lead to:

1. Improved health outcomes related to climate sensitive vector- and water-borne pathogens in the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3 SRIA with dual focus on SSA and Europe, and/or
2. Enhanced evidence-based decision-making related to mitigating the impact of climate change on the health of SSA populations based on study data, and/or
3. Increased community and primary health care engagement towards lowering the burden of climate-sensitive vector- and water-borne diseases in the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3 SRIA.

Scope:

Scope

Proposals under this topic should include:

A/ Minimum one of the following:

1. Conduct a phase IIb or III clinical trial, or post-authorisation effectiveness (phase IV) trial developing a preventive or therapeutic medicine, or vaccine against the pathogens in scope, OR
2. Conduct large-scale implementation research on a validated (corresponding to Technology Readiness Level 8) medical device or novel vector control intervention for pathogens in scope in the context of integrated disease control interventions (which may include surveillance systems, early warning tools, diagnostics, and vector control innovations).

B/ In addition, proposals should address ALL of the following:

1. Where appropriate, integrate the OneHealth aspect in the research, the cross-over between human health with environmental and animal health (guidelines EU for OneHealth incorporation in climate and health). Package interventions could also be considered here.
2. Encompass primary health care systems, community health workers and the community into the study.
3. Include underserved and vulnerable populations such as children under five, pregnant women, elderly people, people with co-morbidities, immunocompromised people, and displaced populations including those living in informal settlements in urban or peri-urban areas as relevant.

C/ In addition, the proposals should address at least two of the following:

1. Include indigenous populations as defined per national/regional context.
2. Study the impact of climate change on supply chains and access to medical countermeasures.
3. Involve local, regional or national health and climate authorities/policymakers, bridging the gap between research and policymaking.
4. Integrate research in national adaptation plans and National Health Emergency Plans.
5. Include adaptations of primary health care systems to climate change, for example infrastructural improvements or the training of the primary care workforce.

Climate-sensitive infectious diseases are defined in scope of this call as diseases whose incidence, prevalence, or intensity is negatively impacted by climate change and includes the vector- and water-borne pathogens in the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3 SRIA.

Proposals are encouraged to integrate climate-epidemiological models integrating humans, animals and ecosystems under different climate scenarios and to indicate how it will contribute to improving the preparedness of health security related to climate sensitive pathogens in (Southern) EU.

Preclinical studies are considered out of scope of the topic.

However, preparatory activities conducted during the preclinical phase can be considered in scope if they enable the conduct of the clinical study/ies in scope (these activities include but are not limited to protocol writing, development/evaluation of laboratory tests, CMC related activities, etc.).

For all Global Collaboration Actions such as this topic, proposals submitted are expected to leverage financial and/or in-kind contributions from contributing partners. Proposals should define the activities of their project in its entirety, including details of the component(s) for which Global Health EDCTP3 funding is requested and the component(s) that are to be financed by contributing partners. Each contribution should be well described and budgeted in each proposal, so that the activities and related costs that are covered by the in-kind or financial contribution(s) are clearly identified.

Applicants are to provide data on the impact of climate change on the chosen disease, and how the proposed study would ameliorate the negative impact.

Applicants will be expected to include a fair representation of health and climate experts and One Health experts in their consortium composition, as relevant, and provide methodologies for translating research findings into public health/climate practice and policy guidelines and are encouraged to follow guidance provided in the EDCTP Knowledge Hub Research into Policy Toolkit. Multidisciplinary approaches with the integration of adjacent sectors are encouraged (i.e. nutrition, IPC/WASH, etc.).

When relevant, proposals should clearly describe the desired target product profile. Applicants need to concisely describe any prior relevant research findings and explain how the proposal builds on available data (including data generated in scope of earlier EDCTP programmes if available). Full details of the development milestones, including specific go/no-go criteria for the implementation of the proposed clinical trial(s) must be included, as well as specific plans for the subsequent regulatory approval process, which should aim at obtaining relevant market authorisation and an access strategy that will allow patients in low-resource settings to access the final product.

The applicants are encouraged to consider the latest innovations and advances in the clinical trial design and research methods in order to evaluate promising interventions allowing shorter development timings. Applicants are also encouraged to follow the WHO Guidance for best practices for clinical trials.

Proposals should engage communities and relevant stakeholders, most notably (local) key opinion leaders, researchers, health care professionals, policy makers, public health authorities and end-users.

Applicants are reminded of the expectation that proposals should come from research consortia with a strong representation of institutions and researchers from SSA countries, including involvement of Franco/Lusophone countries, if possible. Collaboration with other international research groups with relevant experience is very much encouraged. Applicants are also reminded of the expectation of reaching out to organisations in countries with relatively lower research capacities.

All projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to participate in networking and joint activities, as appropriate. These networking and joint activities could, for example, involve the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, and local data collected, the development and adoption of best practices, external conferences joint communication and dissemination activities. Applicants should anticipate budget to cover this collaboration. The details of these joint activities will be defined during the grant agreement preparation phase. Collaboration and coordination with existing adaptive platform trials in Africa and Europe, EDCTP’s Networks of Excellence and other EDCTP funded initiatives is encouraged, where relevant.

[1] Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe and repealing Regulations (EC) No 219/2007, (EU) No 557/2014, (EU) No 558/2014, (EU) No 559/2014, (EU) No 560/2014, (EU) No 561/2014 and (EU) No 642/2014

[2] The Global Health EDCTP3 Programme Office will ask the applicant contributing partner to revise the letter in case it significantly departs from the template letter published on the Global Health EDCTP3 website or is missing any compulsory elements. The final decision as to acceptance or rejection of a new contributing partner rests with the Global Health EDCTP3 Governing Board.

[3] WHO | Climate Change

[4] WHO | Africa faces rising climate-linked health emergencies

[5] Idem

[6] idem

[7] Vector-borne diseases | Health effects | European Climate and Health Observatory Climate-ADAPT

[8] Water-borne disease | Health effects | European Climate and Health Observatory Climate-ADAPT

[9] Strategic research and innovation agenda on health and climate change - Publications Office of the EU

[10] Global Health EDCTP3 Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda