About us:

This 4 days meeting is jointly organized by the SAMRC Biostatistics Research Unit and UHasselt Data Science Institute and aims to bring together academic staff and researchers from academia, research institutes and government organizations from both South and North regions. Our aim is to provide a platform for a discussion about both scientific and development topics and to initiate South-South and North-South interactions  and engagement around these topics.​ The meeting in Cape Town in February is the opening event that is organized a part of VLIR-UOS eR-BioStat ITP project.  Eight other meetings will take place during 2024 to 2026.

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The VLIR-UOS International Training Program: the eR-BioStat ITP - Development of local E-learning platforms in (bio)statistics

Biostatistics and Statistics are the building stones which are essential for scientific research work. Without good and wide knowledge of Biostatistics and Statistics (from here onward we use (bio)statistics), the research output is typically of low quality and could be misleading.  Many capacity building projects are devoted to capacity building of (bio)statistics via the development of new education programs in the South. However, typically, after the end of the project and the project budget, it becomes difficult to maintain the project deliverables and to maintain the education program developed within the project in the same quality level. The eR-BioStat ITP project is developed to overcome this problem and to ensure a sustainable and robust education program for (bio)statistics in the south by providing an E-learning platform which offers (free) education materials, ready to be used in the class, in (bio)statistics. Further, within the eR-BioStat ITP project we train the participants from three countries, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa (12 local universities in total) to develop their local version of the >eR-BioStat platform and in this way we will increase ownership and sustainability of the project outcome in the South after the end of the project. The output of the eR-BioStat ITP project can be easily transferred to local universities that are not included in the current project.

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SAMRC Biostatistics unit:

The SAMRC’s Biostatistics Unit (BU) provides a source of biostatistics expertise and support to the organization’s network of medical and health researchers as well as government departments and national and international research bodies. It is an interdisciplinary unit with expertise in Biostatistics, GIS, Data Management and Food Science.

  

Key focus areas of the Biostatistics division of the Biostatistics Research Unit

• Development of generic, innovative and rigorous statistical methodology to improve the design and analysis of health studies

• Providing biostatistical leadership and expertise in collaborative health and medical related research projects

• Providing relevant biostatistical knowledge and support to inform local, national and international public health policy through service on projects and review boards.

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Building biostatistics capacity through postgraduate supervision and specialized training in South Africa and in the region.​

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ICP connect & South meeting:

The ICP Master of Statistics awards scholarships to a select group of outstanding individuals to study under the Master of Statistics and Data Science programme at Hasselt University. It also involves initiatives in South countries including Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Philippines, and Indonesia, among others. Previous collaborations have led to the inception of a Center for Statistics in Mozambique and MSc programmes in (Bio)statistics and/or epidemiology in Cuba and Ethiopia. The main aim of the ICP programme is to continue our efforts in elevating our beneficiaries, including individual scholars and partner institutions, to international competitiveness.

 The ICP South Workshop is a yearly activity co-organized by the ICP Master of Statistics programme and a partner institution in the South. This is organized in a selected South country to facilitate knowledge exchange between different institutions among institutions/universities from the South and Hasselt University. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Evidence of a first degree in statistics, mathematics or computer science;  or health sciences with quantitative skills in statistics, mathematics, or computer science.

• Involvement in Biostatistics teaching and training

•  A limited number of travel scholarships to participate in the symposium will be awarded on a competitive basis to 10 applicants.

• The travel award will cover flights, accommodation with bed and breakfast,

 

Course facilitation, conferencing and resources for the symposium  duration

• Participation in the workshop & conference is possible without a scholarship as well. Limited places are available. To apply, fill in the application form below.

 

What's next ?

Follow us on social media to get more information on the next >eR-BioStat ITP meeting, early in summer 2024,  in Moi University, Kenya.

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