Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative

Hosted by:
Science for Africa Foundation
03rd Riverside Drive, Nairobi, Kenya.

OUR MISSION

To empower African institutions to develop young scientists and professionals, lead pandemic sciences preparedness and response, and translate evidence-based research insights into impactful solutions that enhance pandemic resilience in Africa and worldwide.

Why it Matters


Africa continues to face persistent and increasing epidemic threats. Climate change, demographic shifts, and global interconnectedness heighten the risk of novel disease emergence. Many institutions across the continent remain under-resourced and disconnected from global scientific ecosystems.


The Collaborative seeks to address these gaps by investing in African-led science, strengthening institutional resilience, and creating new opportunities for scientists to lead innovation, policy, and implementation, not just participate in it.

ABOUT THE COLLABORATIVE

The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative is a multi-year partnership led by the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) at the University of Oxford, and supported by the Mastercard Foundation.

Together, we are working to:

  • Build world-class African research capacity in epidemic and pandemic sciences
  • Nurture future generations of African scientists and leaders
  • Strengthen institutions across the research-to-policy pipeline
  • Support a resilient, self-sustaining health innovation ecosystem across the continent

Through this partnership, the Collaborative aims to shift power to African institutions and scientists, positioning them to lead the response to future epidemic and pandemic threats.

The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organizations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organization separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation's Board of Directors and leadership.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org.

The Pandemic Sciences Institute is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Oxford dedicated to confronting the challenge of epidemic and pandemic infectious diseases. We work with academia, industry and public health organisations across the world to create science-led innovations, accelerate understanding, and develop new diagnostics, treatments, vaccines and disease control tools. PSI is hosted by the University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine.

For more information on PSI, please visit: https://www.psi.ox.ac.uk.

The Science for Africa Foundation is a pan-African, non-profit and public charity organisation that supports, strengthens, and promotes science and innovation in Africa. The SFA Foundation serves the African research ecosystem by funding excellent ideas in research and innovation; enabling interdisciplinary collaborations and building and reinforcing environments that are conducive for scientists to thrive and produce quality research that generates new, locally relevant knowledge.

For more information on SFA Foundation, please visit: www.scienceforafrica.foundation

Over the next seven years, the Collaborative, backed by sustained investment from Mastercard Foundation, will unlock innovative solutions to advance the African continent's preparedness for – and response to – epidemic and pandemic threats by:

Supporting world-class, locally relevant interdisciplinary research that informs public policy and practice
Enhancing Africa’s scientific excellence, innovation and leadership in pandemic sciences
Nurturing future generations of African scientists and research professionals to develop fulfilling career pathways through training and capacity-strengthening initiatives
Fostering partnerships, networking and collaborative exchanges among African scientists, policymakers, public health institutions, industry and international peers
Bolstering the continent's research workforce and improving public health, aiming to retain scientific leaders and professionals in Africa
Strengthening the capacity of research institutions across the continent to foster a thriving research environment
Enabling the uptake of pandemic research outputs into public policy and by industry.