Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA)

A south-south partnership with a south-north collaboration jointly led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Kenya, and the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa, CARTA was formed in 2008 out of the realization that individual African universities lack the human and financial resources and infrastructural capacity to tackle the challenges of doctoral training on the continent. CARTA offers a well thought out approach to rebuild and to strengthen the capacity of African universities to produce world-class researchers, research leaders, and scholars. It was formed with a mandate of establishing a vibrant African academy able to lead world-class multidisciplinary research that impacts on population and health.

African Universities and Research Centers African Population and Health Research Center (Kenya); University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); Makerere University (Uganda); Moi University (Kenya); Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria); University of Benin (benin City, Nigeria); University of Ibadan (Nigeria); University of Malawi (Malawi); University of Nairobi (Kenya); University of Rwanda (Rwanda); Agincourt MRC (South Africa); Ifakara Health Institute (Tanzania); INDEPTH Network (Ghana); KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Program (Kenya)

CARTA's Northern Partner Institutions (provide expertise to CARTA fellows and supervisors in a variety of areas, including specialist forms of data analysis, and opinions about draft chapters or areas of discussion) Brown University (Providence, USA); Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Switzerland); University of Gothenburg (Sweden); Umeå University (Sweden); University of Warwick (UK); WHO Special Program for Training and Research in Tropical Diseases

CARTA has identified three strategic priorities that will, over time, ensure a sustainable and supportive research environment in African universities: build a critical mass of highly trained African scholars at PhD level; institutionalize CARTA innovations at key partner institutions; and secure the future of CARTA graduates by mentoring them to become leaders in their research fields.

1) Doctoral and postdoctoral training This program focuses on reforming higher education in Africa by helping universities develop exciting environments for academic and research pursuits and supporting promising African scholars at affiliated universities to obtain high-quality doctoral training in public and population health-related fields.

2) Institutionalization of CARTA CARTA strengthens the human resources and university-wide systems resources critical to the success and sustainability of its programs at affiliated universities through workshops for librarians, graduate program coordinators (including deans), bursars, and registrars.

3) Securing the future of CARTA graduates Graduates need opportunities to further their training, and to network and collaborate with peers. CARTA offers a variety of high quality post-doctoral opportunities