INSTITUUT VOOR TROPISCHE GENEESKUNDE

Their core work

The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp is one of the world's leading institutions for tropical disease research, clinical care, and public health capacity building in low- and middle-income countries. They specialize in infectious diseases — from neglected tropical diseases like leishmaniasis to epidemic threats like Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 — combining laboratory research with field-level health system interventions. Their work spans the full chain from molecular diagnostics and vaccine development to scaling up integrated care packages in African and Asian healthcare systems. They are also a rapid-response institution, capable of mobilizing clinical trials and data infrastructure during public health emergencies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2017), ITM focused on HIV/AIDS digital health tools, high-pathogen research infrastructure readiness, and the landmark Ebola emergency clinical trial — reflecting a mix of chronic disease management and acute crisis response. From 2018 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward neglected tropical diseases (leishmaniasis, invasive Salmonella), outbreak data science (MOOD, unCoVer), and health system scale-up in low-income countries (SCUBY, ALERT). The trend shows an institution moving from individual disease interventions toward integrated approaches combining epidemiological data platforms with on-the-ground health system capacity.

ITM is increasingly investing in data science infrastructure for outbreak prediction and real-world evidence, positioning itself at the intersection of tropical medicine expertise and modern epidemic intelligence systems.

How they like to work

ITM operates as both a capable project leader and a trusted specialist partner, coordinating 4 of 13 projects including high-stakes emergency trials (Ebola_Tx) and multi-country health interventions (SCUBY). With 165 unique consortium partners across 47 countries, they maintain an exceptionally broad international network rather than relying on a small circle of repeat collaborators. This breadth reflects their role as a global tropical medicine hub — they bring deep field expertise and institutional credibility that makes them a sought-after partner for consortia targeting health challenges in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

ITM has collaborated with 165 distinct partners across 47 countries, making their network one of the most geographically diverse in Belgian research. Their partnerships span European research institutions, African and Asian health ministries and hospitals, and Latin American research networks, reflecting their global tropical medicine mandate.

What sets them apart

ITM is one of only a handful of European institutions that combines world-class tropical disease laboratory research with direct operational capacity in low-resource healthcare settings across multiple continents. Unlike university departments that study tropical diseases theoretically, ITM runs field trials, trains healthcare workers, and builds care delivery systems on the ground — from Ebola treatment units in West Africa to diabetes care packages in Cambodia. Their ability to mobilize rapidly during health emergencies (demonstrated with both Ebola and COVID-19) makes them an irreplaceable partner for any consortium requiring both scientific rigor and real-world implementation in challenging environments.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Ebola_Tx
  Coordinated an emergency clinical trial of convalescent blood therapy during the 2014 West Africa Ebola crisis — ITM's largest single grant (EUR 1.8M) and a demonstration of rapid-response research capability under extreme conditions.
• SCUBY
  Coordinated a EUR 1.2M project scaling up integrated care for diabetes and hypertension in Cambodia, Slovenia, and Belgium — showing ITM's reach beyond infectious disease into non-communicable disease health systems.
• MOOD
  Their largest participant grant (EUR 962K), focused on big data and epidemic intelligence for disease surveillance — signaling ITM's strategic move into data science for public health.