By Hassan Adan
SIMAD University has been selected to join a prestigious international health consortium under the United Kingdom’s Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST), a five-year, £18 million initiative aimed at strengthening global preparedness and response to epidemic threats.
The consortium, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), brings together leading academic and public health institutions from Africa, Asia and Europe to conduct research on emerging disease outbreaks and improve health security worldwide.
SIMAD University is among a select group of institutions chosen to participate in the programme alongside the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, Makerere University in Uganda, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh, and Africa CDC.
The partnership marks one of the most significant international research collaborations involving a Somali university and places SIMAD at the centre of global efforts to tackle infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
Announcing the initiative, LSHTM Director Professor Liam Smeeth said the consortium would help address growing global health threats.
“We are uniquely placed to make a tangible impact on local people’s lives and improve both global and UK health security through the UK-PHRST research agenda,” he said.
The new consortium will focus on critical areas including outbreak preparedness, disease surveillance, community engagement, mental health support, artificial intelligence, diagnostics and One Health approaches to disease prevention.
Researchers will work across Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia to generate evidence that can help countries respond more effectively to epidemics.
Dr. Edmund Newman, Director of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, described the initiative as a new chapter in international health collaboration.
“This renewed research consortium will continue our commitment to shared leadership to sustainably prevent and support response to global health emergencies through operational research,” he said.
For Somalia, SIMAD’s inclusion is being viewed as a significant milestone that reflects the country’s increasing contribution to global scientific research and health innovation.
Founded in 1999, SIMAD University which is the leading university in somalia according to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, has steadily expanded its international footprint through research partnerships and academic collaborations.
The institution has developed specialized centres focused on medical research, climate studies, innovation and global health, positioning itself as one of Somalia’s leading research-intensive universities.
The university’s participation in the consortium is expected to create new opportunities for Somali researchers, public health experts and students to contribute to cutting-edge international studies while strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to future health emergencies.
The UK-PHRST was established following the devastating West African Ebola outbreak and has since supported responses to Ebola, mpox and other public health emergencies across multiple countries.
The latest funding package aims to build stronger local research leadership and ensure institutions closest to affected communities play a central role in shaping global health responses.
