EDCTP Phase II
The aim of the conference is to seek agreement between the member states on a proposal to the European Council and the European Parliament regarding a new phase of the Article 185-project "European & Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP)".
The EDCTP was the first Article 169 (now 185) project of the EU. It aimed to establish a "research and development programme for the development of new clinical interventions to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis through a long-term partnership between Europe and developing countries". The specific objective was to integrate and co-fund Member States' national programmes for clinical trials of new and improved products against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries, particularly Africa.
The funding (200 M€ from the EC and >200 M€ from the MS) of the first phase started on 1 January 2004, and comes to an end on 31 December 2010. The European Commission has agreed to a no-cost extension until May 2015, allowing the finalisation of ongoing projects. New activities require a second programme, to be approved by the European Parliament and Council.
The EDCTP is preparing a proposal for a new period, tentatively to run from 2011 until 2020. It will take into account the results and experiences achieved so far, the various internal assessments and Independent External Reviews that have taken place, and the reports on the ongoing impact assessment and public consultation.
The Belgian Presidency aims to submit this proposal to the Competitiveness Council on 26 November 2010, in order to reach a decision in the course of 2011. The conference aims at finding agreement between the member states on this new proposal.