Between May 2nd and 13th 2022, 7 scientists and bioethicists from Benin and Senegal attended an a BCA-WA-ETHICS II internship in research ethics and gender mainstreaming hosted by the Regional ethics committee of Aragon (CEICA) and the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR).
The interns participated in a wide range of activities including simulated research protocol evaluation and research inspection sessions, a visit to the regional Biobank of Aragon and the research establishments of the Aragon Centre of Biomedical Research (CIBA).
They also participated as speakers in the 8th Annual Congress of the Spanish National Association of Research Ethics Committees in Cáceres, Extremadura. The interns delivered presentations of their experiences in research ethics in West African committees.
On the last day of the internship, the BCA-WA-ETHICS II consortium organised an event on the Hispanic-African collaboration for better health condition and quality of life of African peoples. During the event, the BCA-WA-ETHICS II project was presented to the audience.
The interns also took the stage to talk about their experiences and the knowledge and skills they acquired during the internship.
The interns reported high satisfaction rates with the experience and how it will facilitate knowledge sharing and translation between Spain and Africa in the research ethics domain.
