It is well known that creative thinking is affected by environmental variables. That's why researchers engage in 'off-site' events. Take them out of their comfort zone of the lab or office and miracles may happen.
I am in Pangani, Tanzania, as I write this. Sitting amongst the palm trees overlooking the Indian ocean at Emayani Beach Lodge run by my brother. Thinking back about last week, when we had a kick-off meeting with 14 scientists and entrepreneurs in Ifakara, hosted by the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI). Although this year marks my 20th anniversary of working with IHI, quite a few of us were new to IHI, new to Tanzania, or even new to Africa...
The meeting served as the launch of a big EU project, with the aim to develop a mosquito contamination device (MCD). Based on the fact that pyrethroid resistance and outdoor biting are compromising the future potency of insecticide-treated bednets and even indoor residual spraying, our aim is to come up with completely new strategies to control malaria vectors. Solutions that incorporate green approaches like entomopathogenic fungi that we have been researching for over a decade now.
Miracles did indeed happen. Although the participants, from Penn State University (USA), CTF2000 (Belgium), Biogents (Germany), IHI (Tanzania) and In2Care (Netherlands) were quite new to each other, bringing them together in Idete, a small village in the Kilombero valley where malaria remains a problem, was instrumental in getting the ideas flowing. Under a large mango tree we all sat down after looking at many houses in the village. No powerpoint, no projector, no computers. A stick was used to illustrate ideas in the sand (discussing ideas can be that simple).
This field visit was the turning point in the meeting - after it, within hours, there were 10 new strategies to control malaria vectors on the table. Excitement took over, collaborative thinking and a free flow of ideas without anyone holding back or being afraid to contribute followed. The creative juices were flowing like adrenaline. Although all were good ideas, we narrowed them down from 10 to 6. Amazing: six new ways to control malaria vectors, based on one half-day field visit, and based on intensive discussions on the behaviour of malaria vectors and the tools we have at hand to control them. Plus, significantly, based on bringing people with completely different backgrounds into the game. Some participants were completely new to malaria but have specialties that proved vital to come up with new ideas. The fruit is always hanging lower at the interface of disciplines…
What the new ideas are will be written up soon and shared with you all. In a paper co-authored by all participants so that all have an equal share in ownership of these new approaches. Next, each of the parties mentioned above will take the lead in the R&D process to develop prototypes that can be tested in the superb semi-field facilities that IHI has constructed over the last year. Not at the end of the 3-year EU grant, but within months.
Twenty years ago I conducted my first experiments in Idete village. The same place where we all sat down under the big mango tree last week. Over the last two decades numerous studies have been conducted in Idete by scientists from IHI but beyond bednets its inhabitants have never seen any other intervention emerging from all this research. This has got to change - science has to culminate in action on the ground. It helps that IHI during a recent stakeholders meeting also concluded that research has to translate into product development and has to deliver actionable and tangible outcomes. That good science should yield good scientific publications that serve as the starting point and not the endpoint of our work...
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As it should be
A meeting about malaria elimination strategies held in an actual malaria affected village? Who would have thought these could be held outside big hotel chains, modern convention centres and fancy Universities...
Ricardo Ataíde
Malaria Research - Fruits of Research for the Communities
Quite an interesting story. Eagerly awaiting the publication of the six new vector control methods.
It is quite concerning that most researches do not produce benefits that the participating communities can enjoy. Returning now and again, to a village/ community to collect mosquitoes and collect other research specimen/samples, some members of the community ask when they would get the benefits of taking part in the research. in worst situations, some villagers have not allowed us to work in their houses. *** Are scientists behaving like politicians in pre election campaigns???? they promise you heaven and can not deliver but still come back when they need your vote.***
Very Exciting!
This sounds like a very exciting meeting. Just as it should be, I'm sure many will eagerly await the ideas that came out of it. It is certainly my observation through recent meetings with research groups that too many are going in, carrying out research and then moving on. The benefits for the people living in the test sites seem fairly minimal.
I fear many researchers have lost sight of the end goal in the 'publish or perish' work ethic many of us now find ourselves in. More of us need to get back to basics and remember why it is we're doing the research in the first place.
Spot on!
Thanks Angela, could not agree more with you!
Best,
Bart
Spot on!
Have to agree wholeheartedly with Bart, Angela is spot on with this statement:
"I fear many researchers have lost sight of the end goal in the 'publish or perish' work ethic many of us now find ourselves in. More of us need to get back to basics and remember why it is we're doing the research in the first place."
It has got to be my greatest frustration!