ACES & RBC sign MoU on vaccine security and cold-chains in Rwanda

19th January 2026

ACES team and RBC director general Prof Muvunyi M. Claude signed an MOU on collaboration in research and capacity building through the one health department at ACES.

The 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. This collaboration builds on existing joint initiatives, including the VaccAir project and immunodiagnostics such as blood spotting to support vaccination, and addresses growing challenges in climate, health, and system resilience.

Purpose of the Collaboration

The partnership aims to support Rwanda’s health and food systems by advancing climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable cooling and cold-chain solutions that protect 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.

Focus on Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building

ACES intends to increasingly orient its engagement toward structured knowledge exchange and long-term capacity strengthening, including:

Working with international partners, supporting the development and transfer of new knowledge in sustainable cooling, cold-chain systems design, and systems modelling into Rwanda
Co-development of applied research with Rwandan institutions
Training and mentoring of local researchers, practitioners, and policymakers
Integration of capacity-building components into national programmes and projects
Support for evidence dissemination and policy uptake at national and regional levels

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

Roles and Approach

Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC): Strategic oversight, alignment with national health priorities, and integration with public health systems.
ACES: Technical expertise, research and modelling, operational support, and leadership on knowledge transfer and capacity development.

All activities will be implemented through jointly agreed, project-specific arrangements.

Strategic Relevance

The DG of RBC said, "This collaboration offers a platform to further 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."

Toby Peters, ACES Director, said, "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."