Center Title and Acronym: Southern African Center for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) – African Center of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals in Eastern and Southern Africa
Host University and Country: Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania
Center Website Address: http://www.sacids.org
Center Director and email address: Professor Gerald Misinzo; e-mail address: gerald.misinzo@sacids.org
Primary Thematic Discipline of Center: Health (Molecular Biology)

Brief Description of Center: SACIDS stems from the concern for a high burden of infectious diseases in Africa and yet a low capacity for its risk management. It arises out of a consortium of academic and research institutions in southern and East African countries (Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa) that was formed in 2008 as a One Health partnership of medical and veterinary institutions, with SUA in Tanzania as the Lead Institution. The Vision and Mission of the Center are rooted in the quest to enhance Africa’s capacity for science evidence based risk management of infectious diseases through the One Health approach. The SACIDS focus is to address infectious diseases in the African endemic settings through a collaborative effort between natural and social sciences to advance the understanding of interactions between humans, animals and the environment to improve public and animal health.

Key Objectives and Expected Outcomes: 

Our training strategy focuses on developing students who can apply principles of molecular biology or epidemiology in a One Health context to the understanding and management of infectious diseases, through a tiered postgraduate training program (Taught Master’s Program, Master of Philosophy/MSc-Research, PhD and Postdoctoral Program). Our goal is to develop effective African research capacity for infectious diseases through collaborative and jointly funded research programs that focus on African problems through the lens of African health and economic development and in context of the global agenda.
Major Accomplishments to Date: 

SACIDS has (i) enrolled 2 Postdoctoral, 15 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), 8 Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Research MSc (MRes) fellows from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Zambia and DRC. We have been selected to host the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) PhD scholars from the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET). The amount of externally generated revenue by SACIDS has reached 2,533,000 USD (450,000 disbursed and 2,083,000 USD awarded, awaiting disbursement). SACIDS has signed partnership agreements with all of its partners and memoranda of understanding with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Shenyang Agricultural University, China.

Primary Regional and Global Partners: 

The core partnership of the Center is SUA, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and the Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). The National Partners are Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS), Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA) and Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI). The Regional Partners are the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD); the University of Zambia (UNZA); Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM/EMU); University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), the Biomedical Research Institute, Kinshasa; the ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (ARC-OVI), South Africa; the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI); and the International Livestock Research Institute –Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA), Kenya.

Beyond Africa partners are the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the London International Development Center (LIDC), The Pirbright Institute (TPI), Ranmore Consulting (UK) and the Policy Institute of King’s College, University of London plus a wider international collaboration on a tactical basis. The Industry Partners are ZENUFA Tanzania Ltd and the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI).