With the signing of two new Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), Eco-Development sealed its intention to develop a framework for joint action with two major European bodies, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (ITM) and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (TPH).
More specifically, the MoU with the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp was signed on August 22, with a duration of five years, and its main objectives are to initiate cooperation between the two bodies for the development of research opportunities and projects related to mosquito-borne diseases and new innovative methodologies in the fight against disease vectors.
ITM will promote research and training of Ecodevelopment staff. Ecodevelopment, for its part, will facilitate research and host ITM’s scientists and students of entomology and epidemiology at its facilities. Finally, where appropriate, the two partners will facilitate each other’s integration into the national, regional, and international scientific networks in which they participate.
Similarly, the MoU with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, which will be valid for five years starting on August 28, 2025, is about the development of joint research activities for the surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases, as well as the exchange of data, knowledge, and expertise in entomology, public health, epidemiology, and the development of digital tools (e.g., artificial intelligence, IoT-based monitoring), and finally, the joint submission of research proposals (e.g., Horizon Europe, WHO/TDR).
The above memoranda are not just formal agreements, but a strategic step that lays the foundations for meaningful and long-term cooperations. The ultimate goal is to optimize large-scale mosquito control projects carried out by Ecodevelopment at the regional level and to upgrade the company’s products and services so that they can be utilized internationally.