ACEWM, CNCS, and NORHED II Strengthen Research Capacity through Ethics and One Health Workshop

The Africa Center of Excellence for Water Management (ACEWM), in collaboration with the College of Natural and Computational Sciences (CNCS) of Addis Ababa University, and the NORHED II project, successfully conducted a two day refresher workshop on Research Ethics, One Health, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) from 2–3 June 2026.

The workshop brought together over 35 participants – including researchers, faculty members, and technical staff from five university departments – who are actively engaged in One Health and waterrelated research. The training directly supported three core objectives of the NORHED II project (2021–2026, funded by NORAD): developing novel One Health MSc/PhD curricula, awarding scholarships to earlycareer researchers, and fostering staff/student mobility and integrated knowledge management across partner institutions (UiT – The Arctic University of
Norway, MUST, NVI, and NIBIO).

Participants engaged in casebased discussions on ethical principles and best practices, with a focus on integrity, accountability, and compliance. A pre and postworkshop selfassessment revealed a notable increase in participants’ confidence in applying One Health frameworks and navigating ethical review processes. Refresher sessions on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) emphasized consistency, quality assurance, safety, and regulatory compliance, providing practical checklists adapted to local laboratory and field conditions.

Discussions also identified persistent data silos between human, animal, and environmental health sectors and inconsistent SOP application across collaborating institutions. Participants acknowledged that a single workshop cannot resolve structural barriers; therefore, they agreed to establish a Technical Working Group on Harmonized SOPs and Data Sharing, building on a similar task force created during the December 2025 NORHED II consultative meeting.

The workshop concluded with participants renewing their commitment to uphold the highest standards of research ethics and quality while advancing the interdisciplinary, evidencebased approach mandated by the NORHED II project. The initiative reflects the shared commitment of CNCS, ACEWM, and NORHED II to build sustainable research capacity, promote integrity, and foster innovative solutions to local and global challenges through multisectoral collaboration.