The strengths that matter in a crisis are built through years of partnership.

Health crises, geopolitical tensions and budget cuts are putting pressure on international cooperation. Nevertheless, the partnership between Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) demonstrates how scientific collaboration can develop into a lasting relationship over the course of decades.

What role does ITM play in the cooperation strategy between Belgium and the DRC?

Eric Willemaers: Cooperation without demonstrable results can no longer be justified; there must be tangible and concrete results. And that is the case here.

This collaboration is also important from a global health perspective. Health issues are interconnected. Investment in the Congolese healthcare system makes it possible to meet local needs whilst at the same time strengthening international preparedness for epidemics.

René-Hubert Mendo’o Medjo: The mpox epidemic illustrates this well. The collaboration between ITM and INRB made it possible to identify a new variant. This gave us a better understanding of how the virus spreads and enabled us to adapt our response strategies.

This collaboration strengthens local capacity. Researchers are trained but continue to work in their own country or return there after their training. That is quite unique. It enables them to build a sustainable career there and contribute locally to research and the management of health crises.

Urbain Menase: Additionally, there is hardly any brain drain. The Congolese researchers return to continue their careers in their own countries. They do not leave the system; on the contrary, they actively contribute to it. At the same time, they maintain their international network. They continue to collaborate with colleagues from ITM and other international partners.

That is also the strength of the ITM training programmes. Participants often start with a specific public health problem from their own working environment. During the programme, they exchange experiences. Upon their return, they have solutions tailored to the local context.

How would you like the partnership to look in a few years’ time?

René-Hubert Mendo’o Medjo: In the next framework agreement with the Belgian Government, we want to move towards a multinational approach. In the past, programmes often centred on a single country or disease. Today, against a backdrop of dwindling resources, we want to bring together several countries to tackle shared challenges.

This helps build stronger partnerships that go well beyond traditional North–South relationships. Partner organisations in Guinea or Peru, for example, can draw inspiration from INRB’s experience in the DRC.

This also builds bridges between research and policy. Researchers can build on experiences from other countries, and policymakers can use that knowledge when developing their policies.

This vision fits within the decolonisation of global health. It should not automatically be the party with the most financial resources that sets the course. Local partners must be able to formulate the issues themselves, develop solutions and collaborate with other partners to implement them.

Urbain Menase: The word that springs to mind is sustainability. We must continue to rely on expertise, but we must also strengthen national ownership.

What we are building today must also stand the test of time. ITM cannot do this alone. It plays a key role as a partner, but the effort must be collective and carried out in consultation with various stakeholders, so that the national partner can truly take ownership of the actions.

The DRC is still heavily dependent on donors. Working sustainably means that, together with our partners, we succeed in strengthening national involvement, so that it becomes more active and independent.

Eric Willemaers: We believe in this partnership, and in ITM and INRB. We therefore hope that it can will continue in the long term. This requires not only trust, but also sufficient resources. The challenge will be to maintain this cooperation within a tighter budgetary framework. This calls for closer cooperation between countries and for a clearer demonstration of the returns on investment.