UNIVERSITE OUAGA I PROFESSEUR JOSEPH KI-ZERBO

Their core work

Université Ouaga I (now Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo) is the largest public university in Burkina Faso and a key clinical research site for infectious diseases endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. In H2020 projects, they serve as a clinical trial site and research partner for vaccine development against schistosomiasis and invasive non-typhoidal salmonella — two major killers in the region. They also contribute demographic research expertise, supporting population data quality efforts across West Africa.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The university's H2020 trajectory shows a clear shift from social science research toward biomedical and clinical vaccine work. Their earliest project (DEMOSTAF, 2016) dealt with demographic data quality in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2019, both new projects (VASA and Vacc-iNTS) focus squarely on Phase I vaccine clinical trials for neglected tropical and infectious diseases, reflecting a growing role as a clinical research site for international health consortia.

Moving firmly toward becoming a clinical trial partner for infectious disease vaccines targeting African populations, making them increasingly relevant for global health consortia needing West African trial sites.

How they like to work

Université Ouaga I operates exclusively as a participant or third party — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. They join large international consortia (39 unique partners across 20 countries), contributing local clinical infrastructure and patient access rather than project leadership. This profile makes them a reliable site partner for health projects requiring African clinical validation, but consortium builders should expect to lead coordination externally.

Despite only 3 projects, they have built a remarkably wide network of 39 partners across 20 countries, reflecting the large multi-national consortia typical of global health vaccine programs. Their connections span Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

What sets them apart

As Burkina Faso's leading university, they offer something few European institutions can: direct access to patient populations and clinical trial infrastructure in a region where schistosomiasis and invasive salmonella are endemic. For any consortium developing vaccines or diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases, they provide the essential on-the-ground clinical capacity in West Africa. Their dual expertise in both health research and demographic data adds value for projects needing population-level context.

Highlights from their portfolio

• VASA
  Phase I clinical trial of SchistoShield® vaccine against schistosomiasis — their largest funded project (EUR 279,673) targeting a disease affecting 200+ million people globally.
• Vacc-iNTS
  Advances a GMMA-based vaccine against invasive non-typhoidal salmonella through Phase 1 trial, addressing a major cause of death in sub-Saharan African children.