Strengthening the capacity for research, teaching, policy advice, advocacy and networking of the partners in the field of human and animal health (South-Africa).

Drawing on their position as South African Higher Education Institutions with capacity to support the African Region more generally, the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases (University of Pretoria, DVTD UP) and the School of Public Health (University of Western Cape, SoPH UWC) will partner with ITM to strengthen the capacity to respond to key human and veterinary health challenges in the Region. This will done by:
1) Building an evidence base through collaborative research on zoonotic and animal diseases (DVTD) and health policy and systems (SOPH), that takes into account the specific ecological and socio-economic context, in South Africa and the Region;
2) Collaborating in post graduate research training (masters, doctoral and post doctoral) on these themes to candidates from South Africa and the Region;
3) Enhancing south-south and north-south dialogue and networks of teaching and research collaboration;
4) Engaging with local communities, practitioners and policy makers to address human and veterinary health challenges in South Africa and the Region.
For the ITM, Higher Education Institutions and their staff and students are the main beneficiaries. These are reached through capacity development activities for researchers and research centres, co-production of research and of educational programmes, and networking.