The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria IT - Connectivity a Vital Tool for Research in Africa Andreas Heddini, MD, PhD Secretariat Coordinator Stockholm Sweden

What is the MIM? An international alliance of organizations aiming to strengthen malaria research capacity in endemic countries Science as a vehicle for capacity building and control

MIM Objectives To build malaria research capacity and strengthen research in endemic countries To promote global communication and cooperation to avoid duplication of effort and maximize impact To ensure that research findings are applied to malaria treatment, control, health policies To raise international public awareness of the problem of malaria

History and Evolution of MIM Investment in malaria research is low relative to the burden of disease Need to strengthen capacity in Africa Launched in 1997 in Dakar, Senegal

MIM organizational structure Strategic Advisory Board

Uniqueness of the MIM lies in the organizational structure RCS with additional support mechanisms Successful model!

MIM/TDR

MIMCom

MIMCom Network

Technical setup

Internet Access Lambarene, Gabon

Training workshops Kilifi, Kenya

Document delivery service

Websites supporting research agendas

Evaluation Quantifiable Site Growth Indicators: – Number of proposals written – Number of proposals funded – Number of papers written – Number of people working at site – Number of computers on site – Number of conference presentations – Site budget

Fundamental Considerations Can IT intervention make a difference in the morbidity & mortality of malaria Is the goal more dots on a map or a change in health? Is the network an internet café or a scientific tool? How do we use the tool? Expanding the network What actions need to be performed in order to reach the desired outcome (better health)?

Future New technologies to meet the needs of the scientific community Research networks Bioinformatics, databases, data mining tools Distance learning Linkage with other institutions - international and in Africa Increased access to medical/scientific journals New sites

Future II Promote African leadership of central management functions of the network –Identify strong institutions and talented individuals –Providing means to increase relevant skills –Administer technical aspects

Research Networks Document archive with document history and version management, Project calendar where project members may add milestones, create meetings and send out invitations to the members and contacts involved, Tool for planning and tracking where project members may create, assign and prioritize work tasks as well as create time and status reports,

Research Networks II Shared list of contacts where project members may create contact journals, Discussion forum

Malaria Research Network Enhanced Connectivity directly to the satellite or via ISP Information Resources Training IT Workshops PI Workshops Searching/Information access Tools Websites FTP servers Agents Caching Evaluation Quantitative/Qualitative End to End Network Performance Research Agendas Antimalaria Drug Resistance Network Severe Malaria in African Children Better Health

Medical Informatics Mali Malaria Research & Training Center Technical Advisors & Program Managers Ministry of Health Ghana Data District Level Research School of Public Health (Noguchi Inst.) Policy Makers

MIM-KTH-SIDA Project

MIM Partnerships