Table 1

Malaria Capacity Development Consortium’s (MCDC) approach to research capacity development in African universities

Individuals: researchers and research programme		Institutions: research environment and systems
PhD programme	Postdoctoral programme	African partner institutions
Funding: stipend PhD research grants.	Competitive funding: re-entry grants/first postdoctoral awards initiative awards senior fellowship awards.	Assessment: capacity and capability to deliver PhD programmes baseline needs assessment – gaps identified, addressed and follow-up assessment.
Training: first year: 6-week research methodology course training/development visits to EU partners third year: leadership development programme.	Training: leadership development programme mentorship training: from mentee to mentor.	Assessment: research management support systems eight areas covering the entire research project cycle, recommendations and follow-up assessment.
Support: research supervisory teams: EU and African supervisors and advisors personal development planning.	Support: personal development planning (career development) formal mentorship programme.	Support: research supervision workshops training the trainer course personal development planning mentorship – mentors and mentees MCDC educational support visits.
Other MCDC training and support: data management statistics scientific writing. Building networks and disseminating research: attendance and presentation at annual MCDC meetings and international conferences (American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Multilateral Initiative on Malaria and European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health).		Sustainability beyond MCDC: institutional Career Development Groups (CDGs) – to embed institution-led support, training and development for researchers within institutional practices, policies and processes.
MCDC supported by: external advisory committee: global leaders and senior scientists in malaria secretariat: director, deputy director, project manager, education advisor, administrator steering committee: principal investigators from all the consortium partners.