AICIB promotes PLICIB and the National Hub for Brain Health in Luanda

In the context of the Lusophone Platform for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (PLICIB) and EDCTP3, a mission to Luanda, Angola, was organised with the aim of meeting with the new executive team of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESCTI) and with the Portuguese Cooperation in Angola, as well as to participate in the Symposium “Mental Health, Humanisation and Inclusion” at the Private University of Angola (UPRA).

This mission, which took place from 22 to 26 October 2024, enabled discussions with MESCTI on Angola’s accession to the EDCTP Association, and by extension, to PLICIB. It also served as an opportunity to present PLICIB and its Action Plan, as well as to introduce AICIB and the future National Hub for Brain Health (during the UPRA Symposium).

On 23 October, Carlos Almeida Pereira, from AICIB, was received by the Director of Cooperation at the Portuguese Embassy in Luanda. The meeting focused on exploring institutional collaboration opportunities between AICIB and PLICIB with Portuguese Cooperation, namely in the academic, training, and research domains.

Due to the scheduling constraints of Her Excellency, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Angola, the meeting with MESCTI, originally planned for 24 October at the Ministerial Complex in Talatona (Luanda), took place instead on 26 October at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT) in Portugal. The process of Angola’s accession to the EDCTP Association and PLICIB, which began under the previous MESCTI executive and is being continued by the current team led by Minister Paula Oliveira, is expected to move forward in the coming months.

On the final day of the mission, Carlos Almeida Pereira also participated in the Symposium “Mental Health, Humanisation and Inclusion” at the Private University of Angola (UPRA), where he presented PLICIB and the National Hub for Brain Health, an initiative promoted by AICIB.