The Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Initiative aims to enhance the capabilities and capacities of African scientists to enable a contemporary research approach to the study of the genomics and environmental determinants of disease and to use this information to improve the health of African populations.

H3Africa’s intention is to contribute to the development of a viable and productive genomics-based research infrastructure through a combination of leveraging the existing capacity, expertise, and infrastructure within African institutions and making investments in new approaches to developing world-class genomics research capability.  

H3Africa comprises four components:  bioinformatics network, one or more biorepositories on the African continent, collaborative research centers and independent research that bring a genomics component to existing research programs.  Through the support of infrastructure development, training, and specific research projects, it is intended that H3Africa will bring the technology and strategies of contemporary genomics research to studies of diseases of particular relevance to African populations, and by doing so to also benefit societies around the world.

The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Program aims to provide support to improve quantity, quality and retention of health professionals in Africa through capacity building and locally relevant research projects. MEPI is a joint-program funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the National Institutes of Health.

MEPI was launched in 2010 providing direct support for transformative models of medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening clinical and research capacity. A total of 20 awards were made to in 13 African institutions in 12 countries after a competitive grants review process: 11 programmatic awards (~ 2 million USD per year for 5 years with emphasis on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria as PEPFAR-focused areas), 6 linked awards (500,000 per year for 5 years with emphasis on other health areas such as malignancy, maternal and child health, mental health, cardiovascular health, emergency medicine), 2 pilot awards (250,000 per year for 5 years), one coordinating center award to a joint US-African Institutions. MEPI is administered by the Fogarty International Center of NIH and the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

 The Common Fund of NIH supports six linked awards and two pilot awards in support of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative. The supported research training and research projects vary in scope including maternal child health, cardio-vascular health, HIV-related malignancy, emergency medicine, and mental health, among others. Office of AIDS Research provides support to 7 programmatic awards while other Offices, Institutes and Centers such as ORWH, NHLBI, NCI, NIMH, NINDS, NHGRI and FIC provide support to various linked awards.