4 June 2024 Articles

Celebrating the impact of higher education and science in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru

During "Academics 4 Impact", a two-day event co-organised by ITM, VLIR-UOS and ARES, and hosted by the Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, we highlighted the transformative impact of our collaborative efforts in higher education and science.

On 27 and 28 May 2024, ITM co-organised Academics 4 Impact within the Joint Strategic Framework (JSF) in Lima, Peru, together with VLIR-UOS and ARES. It was hosted by the Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt” (IMTAvH) at Universidad Cayetano Heredia, a trusted long-time partner of ITM. The event fostered fruitful discussions on the positive impact of international academic cooperation in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru.

The aim of Academics 4 Impact was to identify needs, generate innovative ideas, and foster new collaborations among the JSF members and member institutions, partners from the Global South, and other non-governmental actors. It was an occasion to share lessons from different experiences and discuss the importance of science in international cooperation.

Alumni meeting with graduates from ITM and Belgian universities from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador on 27 May 2024, Lima, Peru

Event highlights

The highlight of the first day was the alumni meeting with graduates from ITM and Belgian universities from the Andean region. We celebrated their significant contributions to sustainable development in their respective countries and acknowledged the value of personal and institutional progress. Dionicia B. Gamboa Vilela, an ITM alumna from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru, eloquently stated, “We could be the voice of the Belgian cooperation through South-South cooperation”, emphasising the need for more coordination to amplify future impact. Later that day, we were warmly welcomed at the Belgian Embassy.

On the second day, thematic discussions with expert speakers focused on exchanging ideas and knowledge on sustainable development, academic institutional partnerships, and global health.

Success stories in Peru

Designing a telemonitoring platform for COVID-19 patients (2020)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, IMTAvH effectively redirected its time, financial, and human resources to high-impact activities. They developed a platform for the remote clinical monitoring of COVID-19 patients, aimed at optimising the care of symptomatic patients that did not require hospitalisation. Patients were classified to either receive daily automated messages or phone calls from doctors working from home.

Organising the first edition of the AIM course (2022)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a rising public health threat. IMTAvH, a leading institution in AMR and microbiological surveillance, plays a crucial role in Peru's National AMR Action Plan. In 2022, IMTAvH organised the first Peruvian edition of ITM’s AIM course “Containment of antimicrobial resistance and infection control”, in collaboration with ITM. The course featured lectures from IMTAvH staff, colleagues from other Latin American countries, and ITM experts.

Identifying biomarkers for arboviruses to develop new diagnostic tools (2022)

Francesca Falconi, a Peruvian scientist and 2022 ITM PhD graduate, focused her research on identifying biomarkers for arboviruses, which are a common cause of acute febrile illnesses in Latin America, with limited diagnostic options. She aimed to develop diagnostic tools for detecting multiple viruses simultaneously. Her PhD was made possible by the fourth ITM-DGD framework agreement. Her current project, a collaboration between ITM and IMTAvH, is aimed at improving disease surveillance in Peru

A delegation from VLIR-UOS, ARES, ITM, the Belgian Ambassador to Peru, and DGD, welcomed at the Belgian Embassy in Lima

Turning aspirations into reality through collaboration

The institutional partnerships of ITM span 26 countries, involving higher education and science institutions (HEIs), public health institutes, and national laboratories. These partnerships are funded by the Belgian Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD). This programme is embedded in a wider collaboration together with VLIR-UOS and ARES, who represent respectively the Flemish-speaking HEIs in Flanders and Brussels, and the French-speaking HEIs in Wallonia and Brussels. It is called the thematic Joint Strategic Framework (JSF) on Higher Education and Science for Sustainable Development (HES4SD).

Academics 4 Impact in Lima underscored the value of continued collaboration and coordination to maximise the positive impacts of international academic cooperation. The connections and insights gained during this event will drive great achievements in the future and reinforce the commitment to sustainable development and global health.

HES4SD has its own website!

We are excited to launch the official website of the thematic Joint Strategic Framework on Higher Education and Science for Sustainable Development (HES4SD)! This new platform, developed in collaboration with ARES and VLIR-UOS, will serve as a gateway to interact with partners within and outside of the JSF, and facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Visit website

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