Instituto Nacional de Saúde

Their core work

Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) is Mozambique's national health research institute, contributing clinical trial infrastructure and field expertise to international infectious disease research. Their H2020 work focuses on tuberculosis and HIV vaccine development, providing access to patient cohorts and real-world disease burden data from sub-Saharan Africa. They serve as a critical Southern Hemisphere partner for European-led clinical trials targeting diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

INS entered H2020 through tuberculosis mucosal immunity research (EMI-TB, 2015) and broadened into HIV vaccine platform work (EHVA, 2016). Their most recent and best-funded project (DRTB-HDT, 2020) signals a sharpening focus on drug-resistant tuberculosis and host-directed therapeutic strategies — a shift from basic immunology toward translational clinical interventions.

INS is moving from foundational infectious disease immunology toward interventional clinical trials for drug-resistant TB, with increasing funding per project — a strong signal they are scaling up their clinical trial capacity.

How they like to work

INS participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for institutions in low- and middle-income countries contributing clinical sites and patient cohorts to European-led consortia. With 65 unique partners across 20 countries from just 3 projects, they operate within large, well-funded international consortia. This makes them an accessible and experienced partner for groups needing African clinical trial infrastructure.

Despite only 3 projects, INS has built a remarkably broad network of 65 partners in 20 countries, reflecting participation in large multinational health consortia. Their connections span Europe, Africa, and likely North America through the global HIV and TB research community.

What sets them apart

INS offers what most European research centers cannot: direct access to high-burden TB and HIV patient populations in Mozambique, one of the countries most affected by both diseases. As a national institute, they bring governmental credibility and established ethical review processes for clinical trials. For any consortium needing a sub-Saharan African clinical site with proven EU project experience, INS is a rare and valuable partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DRTB-HDT
  Their largest project (EUR 765K) and most recent, a multi-centre randomized controlled trial for drug-resistant TB — signals major clinical trial capability.
• EHVA
  Part of a flagship European HIV Vaccine Alliance platform, connecting INS to the top-tier HIV vaccine research network across Europe and beyond.