The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a new venture between 14 states of the European Union (EU) and Norway to support the conduct of clinical trials of drugs and vaccines (and microbicides) against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa, to develop the capacity to conduct such trials in African institutions, and to promote a more integrated approach to health research amongst European countries. It is funded for 5 years with a contribution of euros 200 million from the European Commission, matched by an equivalent sum that is spent directly by national research programmes of EU member states and Norway on activities that fall under the EDCTP remit. EDCTP seeks to be synergistic with other funding bodies supporting research on these diseases and will promote collaborative research, involving support from multiple funding agencies and harnessing and networking expertise across different African and European countries.