It has expanded greatly over time, now hosting more than 60 knowledge hubs and becoming a WHO Collaborating Centre for knowledge mobilisation and capacity building. As well as online resources, it also organises virtual and in-person events.
Launched in 2020, the EDCTP Knowledge Hub is designed to provide support to individuals in Africa who are keen to become involved in clinical trials. It currently includes three modules, offering a comprehensive package of resources and toolkits focused on protocol development, data management and data sharing.
Consultation with the Knowledge Hub’s advisory committee identified a need for resources to support translation of research into practice.
Development of a new toolkit has been based on a survey of barriers and potential solutions, and an extensive literature scoping review. A database of resources has been developed, as well as a stepwise introduction to the process of knowledge translation. Like other Knowledge Hub toolkits, it is open access, peer-reviewed and free to use. It has been ‘soft-launched’ and user feedback will be used to refine the module before a formal launch, likely late in 2025.
Following a brief demonstration, the audience provided some initial feedback and more general comments on the process of informing policy and practice.
One common comment was that policymakers needed to be involved early in the process, to ensure that priority questions are being addressed, to promote policymaker buy-in, and to maximise the likelihood that evidence would inform action.
It was also noted that not all studies are likely to have policy impact, and policymakers often need syntheses of evidence from multiple studies. In addition, policymakers work at different levels, from the local to the national. Researchers need to consider which level their findings are most relevant to.
Delegates also emphasised the importance of engaging with communities to understand their perspectives and priorities, and to feed back relevant findings.
The comments were all taken on board, and will feed into the development of what is sure to be another valuable resource for researchers in sub-Saharan Africa.