On 7 and 8 March 2017, the PanACEA consortium had their kick-off meeting in the sunny Cape Town in South Africa. A staggering number of 73 people attended the first day of the meeting. Important topics were the trials in the first two work packages, and PanACEA’s governance. Furthermore, time was set out for several partners to showcase scientific projects and give updates on their sites.
On Wednesday 8 March the consortium had another full agenda with emphasis on the overarching trial in work package 3, plans for capacity development, and PanACEA’s future. Especially capacity development was a hot topic, resulting in a very vivid discussion. The capacity development plans are located at the core of PanACEA, as the sites are aiming to create an African network of transferring knowledge, expertise, and leadership.
PanACEA now occupies itself with the preparation of its first trial, HIGHRIF, starting in July 2017.