From April 1, 2026, Professor George F. Gao, Director of the CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Disease (CEEID), led a delegation to the University of Buea (UB) in Cameroon. He signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Professor Ngomo Horace Manga, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea, and delivered an academic lecture titled Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Control.

    The signing ceremony represents a major milestone in China-Africa scientific cooperation on emerging infectious diseases. The MoU sets out a comprehensive cooperation framework focusing on four priority areas:

1. Academic and Scientific Exchange

The partnership will facilitate exchanges of faculty, researchers and postgraduate students for joint research and training. It will also support joint seminars, workshops and international conferences to enhance academic dialogue and knowledge sharing.

2. Joint Research

CEEID and UB will carry out collaborative research projects, co-publish scientific papers, and apply for joint grants from national and international funding bodies, fully leveraging the complementary strengths of both institutions.

3. Talent Training and Capacity Building

The two sides will conduct joint supervision of Master’s and PhD students, provide student exchange opportunities, and develop joint training programs in microbiology and biomedical sciences, to nurture a new generation of African scientists.

4. Laboratory and Technical Cooperation

Priority will be given to technical collaboration on laboratory construction and quality assurance. The partnership will also promote resource, data and expertise sharing, and strengthen research infrastructure and methodologies at the University of Buea.

    Faculty and students from UB’s Faculty of Health Sciences attended the lecture and held in-depth discussions on future research cooperation.

    This visit underscores CEEID’s commitment to building sustainable partnerships with African institutions, and advancing global health security through joint research and capacity building in the Global South.