Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen sustainable vaccine security and critical cold-chain systems in Rwanda through an integrated One Health approach.

The collaboration builds on existing joint initiatives, including the VaccAir project and immunodiagnostic innovations such as blood spotting to support vaccination, while addressing growing challenges related to climate, health, and system resilience.

The partnership aims to bolster Rwanda’s health and food systems by advancing climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable cooling and cold-chain solutions that safeguard human, animal, and environmental health.

"A central pillar of the collaboration is the expansion of knowledge transfer, skills development, and institutional capacity building within Rwanda,” part of the statement reads.

ACES intends to increasingly focus its engagement on structured knowledge exchange and long-term capacity strengthening. This will include collaboration with international partners and support for the development and transfer of new knowledge in sustainable cooling, cold-chain system design, and systems modelling in Rwanda.

"Through this MoU, ACES and RBC will deepen data-driven research into sustainable cooling and cold-chain performance, integrating systems modelling, climate risk analysis, and operational evidence to optimise vaccine and health commodity delivery. By strengthening local analytical capacity and translating research into implementable standards, we are advancing a science-based foundation for resilient One Health systems in Rwanda and the region,” said Prof. Toby Peters, Executive Director the ACES

Capacity-building efforts will also involve co-developing applied research with Rwandan institutions, training and mentoring local researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, integrating capacity-building components into national programmes and projects, and supporting evidence dissemination and policy uptake at both national and regional levels.

This approach aligns with ACES’ mission to embed global expertise within local systems, ensuring sustainability beyond individual projects.

The Rwanda Biomedical Centre will provide strategic oversight, ensure alignment with national health priorities, and facilitate integration with public health systems. ACES, in turn, will lead on technical expertise, research and modelling, operational support, and knowledge transfer and capacity development. All activities will be implemented through jointly agreed, project-specific arrangements.

"This collaboration offers a platform to translate our research with international partners into impactful global health outcomes while strengthening long-term academic and institutional partnerships in Rwanda. It reinforces a model of equitable collaboration, applied research, and capacity building that aligns with climate resilience and the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Claude Mambo Muvunyi, Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre.