Initiatives

ISGlobal’s five initiatives were originally created to promote the translation of knowledge on specific research topics where we had strong expertise, with the aim of benefiting society. Today, as societal impact is increasingly expected and required by funding and evaluation bodies, ISGlobal has moved to embed impact across all its programmes. As a result, 2025 marked the final year of the initiatives’ formal existence, with their capacities now fully integrated into the corresponding programmes.

The Chagas Initiative continued its work to expand access to Chagas disease diagnosis and treatment, raise awareness, and strengthen national health systems. In Paraguay, it assisted health authorities in designing and implementing national clinical care protocols for chronic and congenital Chagas disease, in collaboration with Probitas. In Bolivia, it worked with authorities in the Chaco region, supported by Novartis and AECID and collaboration with SANIT, to strengthen operational protocols for diagnosis and treatment, with a focus on cardiovascular care. The Initiative also expanded the evaluation of alternative diagnostics such as rapid serological tests and the T. cruzi-LAMP molecular assay with support from the GHIT Fund.

The Malaria Elimination Initiative conducted clinical trials and implementation research, developed genomic surveillance systems, and supported the translation of evidence into policy. The MESA Track analysis of over 6000 projects has generated the capacity to analyse national and regional research portfolios, helping countries optimise their research agendas. The BOHEMIA trial in Kenya generated evidence on the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of ivermectin as a complementary vector control tool. In Mozambique, the ADAM project is helping inform the implementation of mass and focal drug administration strategies, while GenMoz is developing a molecular surveillance system to monitor parasite resistance to drugs and diagnostics. The Initiative also conducted a historical analysis of malaria elimination in Europe with WHO, in preparation for regional certification, and strengthened graduate training based on field experience, in partnership with local academic institutions.

The Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative continued to strengthen collaboration with cities, civil society and citizens to promote changes through evidence on the health impacts of urban planning and environments. Key activities in 2025 include developing a standardised protocol to measure traffic-related air pollution around schools, launching massive open online courses (MOOC) on urban mobility, and compiling all the generated resources (guidelines, tools, methodologies and courses) into a catalogue to ensure they can be easily accessed and used.

The Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative expanded its education activities across different age groups and levels of expertise, from school and university students to the general public, reaching almost 4 million citizens over more than 10 countries. It released training modules on patient empowerment and communication for healthcare practitioners (pharmacists, doctors, and nurses), and expanded outreach on One Health through the RAMBLA project, which aims to characterise bacterial strains in human and environmental samples in a Barcelona neighbourhood.

The Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Initiative continued its work to improve access to quality care for women, girls and children in low-resource settings. Results from the MULTIPLY project, in which children under two received preventive malaria treatment during routine immunisations, are already influencing national policies in Sierra Leone and informing WHO discussions on malaria chemoprevention. The SafeStart project was launched to evaluate the implementation and impact of RTS,S vaccination in Sierra Leone, while recruitment for the ICARIA project was completed.