The Administrative Core will be the guiding force for building the capacity for CEBioGen to realize its full scientific potential and successfully achieve its goals of translating findings relevant to Community engagement and research ethics in sub-Saharan Africa. The CEBioGen Collaborative Centre will be the first Centre to focus on ethics and community engagement in the context of genomic research and biobanking in Africa. The Administrative Core will draw on the diverse experiences of H3A-KRN and AWI-Gen and PAMGen to develop a robust and operational management of the program including appropriate fiscal management, attaining milestones, strategic planning, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. Additional critical functions are facilitating the training of African scientists and clinicians in Community Engagement and the ethics of genetics research as well as providing outreach to local, national and international communities. The Administrative Core provides the leadership and organizational structure to support the efforts of the African researchers who are members of the CEBioGen. . 1
PROJECT SUMMARY The Administrative Core is a vital part of the infrastructure required to establish and operate a collaborative effort across the African continent. This core will be based in the Office of Research Support at the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana, and will be responsible for promoting a collaborative effort among the African sites. Consistent with the aims of the H3Africa initiative, we are focused on the development of expertise among African scientists and establishing networks of African investigators. The Administrative Core will build on the administrative experience of the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research network (H3A-KDRN), Africa-Wits Collaborative Centre (AWI-Gen), and the Pan-African Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network (PAMGen). The H3A-KDRN and AWI-Gen have had extensive experience of collaboration as participants in the H3Africa Cardiovascular Disease Working Group. The Administrative Core will enable us to conduct three research projects that will enhance the understanding of the ethics of genomic research in Africa through Community Engagement. The main objective of the administrative core will be to facilitate communication between the projects, project leaders and all scientific and administrative personnel, and the ELSI resource and training core. The administrative core will be responsible for the operational management of the program including appropriate fiscal management, attaining milestones, strategic planning, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. . 1
