The CT-Luso Project coordination team held its 23rd progress meeting by videoconference on 9 September, focusing on preparations for the final phase of the training programme, the production and dissemination of technical materials, and the growing international visibility of the project’s results.
Among the main topics discussed at the meeting, moderated by the project’s Scientific Coordinator, Esperança Sevene, was the preparation of the in-person training programme to be held in Lisbon from 8 to 14 November 2026, bringing together 28 trainees from the partner countries: ten representatives of regulatory authorities, eight members of ethics committees, and ten investigators or research centre staff.
The programme will begin with a joint training phase, followed by sessions tailored to the participants’ profiles. Regulatory authorities will receive training with INFARMED, I.P., ethics committee members with the Commission for Clinical Research Ethics (CEIC), while investigators will take part in activities developed in collaboration with NOVA Medical School and BlueClinical, providing exposure to different experiences in the field of clinical trials.
The meeting also included a review of the series of eight webinars organised by CT-Luso over recent months. The initiative attracted strong participation, with an average of 70 participants per session. Although the initially planned series concluded in July, the coordination team remains available to organise additional sessions should partners identify topics of particular interest.
Another development presented was the completion of the synoptic manual developed under Work Package 4, which brings together relevant content and documentation on the regulation of clinical trials. The document has been reviewed, improved and printed, and is due to be distributed among the partner countries to support the use and dissemination of these materials within their respective institutions.
The coordination team also reported on the submission of three new deliverables to the European Commission, covering training materials, the harmonisation of procedures and the investigational medicinal product pathway. Following completion of the English versions, these documents are also expected to be made available in Portuguese, enabling their use by partner institutions.
Communication and dissemination activities also continue to gain momentum. During August, two scientific abstracts were submitted: one to the World Congress of Portuguese-Speaking Pharmacists, to be held from 25 to 27 November in Maputo, and another to the 13th EDCTP Forum, scheduled for April 2027 in Madrid. In early September, CT-Luso was also represented at the International Congress of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in Canada, through a poster presenting results from the project’s legislative and training components.
Among the positive developments shared at the meeting was also the reference to CT-Luso in a Global Health EDCTP3 publication entitled ‘Strengthening African Lusophone collaboration to advance global health research’, in which the project is presented as an example of strengthening ethical and regulatory capacities for clinical research in Portuguese-speaking African countries.
The publication in the international journal Medicine and Law, of the World Association for Medical Law, of the article ‘Strengthening Ethical and Regulatory Frameworks for Clinical Trials in Lusophone Africa: Insights from the CT-Luso Project’ was also highlighted. Published in Volume 45, No. 2, June 2026, the article presents CT-Luso’s contribution to strengthening ethical and regulatory frameworks for clinical trials in Lusophone Africa, representing another outcome of the project’s scientific and legislative work.
The CT-Luso Project’s international profile will receive further recognition on 22 September, following its selection by EDCTP as one of three projects to be presented at a symposium held as part of an international health meeting in the United States. The presentation will be delivered by Esperança Sevene and Maria do Céu Patrão Neves, providing an opportunity to share CT-Luso’s experience and results in a new international setting.
The next CT-Luso Project coordination meeting is scheduled for 7 October, resuming the meetings’ usual monthly schedule.
