The Centre d'Études et de Recherches en Infectiologie de Guinée conducts fundamental research, the results of which must be rapidly applicable to the improvement of public health.

Question: "My name is Baltazar. I am from Bissau Guinea. Congratulations! Starting from scratch and then having a research building like you have is really a success. Are you open for cooperation with other research centres in the region? Another question: do you consider what you do at the centre in Guinea as fundamental or applied research?"

Alpha Kabinet Keita: "The research centre we were lucky enough to set up in Guinea was built on the basis of collaboration. So obviously, in this centre, we are open to any type of collaboration that would allow research to emerge and move forward. We already collaborate with the CRCF of the Fann hospital in Senegal: it is a research centre that has been in Dakar for a few years. And beyond that, we are open to other types of collaborations on common objectives.

On the question of fundamental research, applied research or experimental research: in our research centre, we do fundamental research; we do experimental research, i.e. we are open to hosting clinical trials, for example. Because the structure has been designed with in mind the possibility of receiving patients in a clinical trial, for example, to try a drug or to compare two drugs. And also beyond that, it is a centre that has been set up on the basis of a translational research process. That is, we have a hypothesis, and on the basis of that hypothesis, we do our research and it allows us to obtain results, and these results must be directly applicable to individuals and have concrete action in the field of public health. It is an infectious disease research centre, and it is a centre whose main vocation is to do research but research that would immediately serve public health."