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REDe, the research capacity network, is an online digital platform hosted and coordinated by The Global Health Network at the University of Oxford that runs across the three EU funded Zika consortia (ZIKAction, ZIKAlliance and ZikaPLAN). The aim of REDe is to develop a network of research sites and build strong partnerships between all the research sites running Zika studies in Latin America and the Caribbean so that they can work together and develop a sustainable platform for research that can respond effectively to future outbreaks.

This regionally led network needs to be equipped with the knowledge, methods, skills and capabilities to support a high quality, rapid and coherent research response to the Zika outbreak in the short term. In addition, this network sets out to establish lasting capacity to conduct research in the event of other vector-borne and emerging infectious disease outbreaks in Latin America in the long-term. To do so, REDe must first ascertain  through a Knowledge Gap Analysis, the key gaps in clinical/health and laboratory research capacity in Central and South America, and then determine how best to fill these gaps through training and other capacity building activities.

In the next few months, the REDe team will be contacting the Work Package Leads to understand the current status of clinical, laboratory and health research projects and training that is being undertaken by health workers as part of their work packages under the three EU funded consortium of ZIKAction, ZIKAlliance and ZikaPLAN.

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