In 2018, three leading partners and funders of research for health created the African Post-Doctoral Fellowship Initiative (APTI), implemented by the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Over the years, the NIH, BMGF, and other funders, working in partnership with African institutions such as the AAS, and various universities and research centres in Africa, have made substantial investments to build research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa. These investments advance the search for new interventions, treatments, and cures and improve health, which is a key determinant of development. A core principle is to engage African scientists as partners and independent contributors to the research enterprise.

The APTI programme focuses strongly on entrenching post-doctoral fellowships in African home institutions (universities and research centres), starting from the application process, during, and after, the fellows return to the home institution. The programme targets to train up to 30 African fellows between 2018-2024 with an intended ultimate outcome that these fellows will become scientific leaders who can advocate for increased research and innovation projects in Africa. The APTI program has been implemented since 2018 with 19 postdoctoral fellows currently active.

The main objective of the Inception Meeting taking place on 22-23 February 2022 is to kick-off APTI fellowships for cohort 2 Fellows who have recently embarked on their 1st and 2nd years of the fellowship in the US at National Institutes of Health (NIH). Specifically, the meeting seeks to:

1. Create a forum for AAS/NIH/BMGF staff, Cohort 2 Fellows, and other partners to share and discuss expectations for the APTI fellowships

2. Provide an opportunity for APTI 2 fellows to share highlights of their projects to a wider audience

3. Enhance the home institution support provided to the APTI fellows