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following criteria: an established relationship with promising local scientists; involvement of local community leaders in decision-making; long-term commitment of NIAID staff, including potential in-country postings; training opportunities for local scientists at NIH and in-country; and the ability to attract NIH extramural or other funding. With support from NIAID and FMPOS, the Mali ICER has become a unique organization and a model for research centers in developing countries. It is a truly African operation where the work is directed and executed by Malian staff. In addition to providing support for research, the program also provides a robust training program to help form the new generation of Malian scientists critical to the success and sustainability of the program. Current training includes programs in vector and parasite biology, tropical medicine, medical entomology, and epidemiology. NIAID also continues to help build the University of Bamako's key scientific infrastructure--expanding and modernizing laboratories, upgrading information technologies, and helping to improve grant-management and scientific communication skills. With this infrastructure in place, scientists from Mali, the United States, and other countries have a strong base of operations at the Mali ICER from which to continue to work together on some of the world's most pressing infectious disease problems. Type of transaction(s) involved (i.e. contracts, collaborative agreements, etc): Inter-governmental agreement, cooperative agreements, contracts and grants A brief description of the time spent in negotiating and finalizing (if applicable) the collaboration or transaction: This is a longstanding collaboration that has engaged the staff at NIAID and at the University of Bamako in many complex interactions and negotiations over a period of 20 years. As the program has evolved new collaborative mechanisms have been developed and initiated as needed with very few bureaucratic delays. The expertise and resources necessary to complete the collaboration or transaction (i.e. human resources, capacity): The MRTC/Mali ICER collaborations over time have involved many key administrative, management, scientific, and technical staff at both NIAID/NIH and the University of Bamako, including the research field sites. Management and oversight structure for the project: In 2004, an NIH-sponsored management center, the Mali Service Center (MSC), was created in partnership with the University of Bamako, to provide administrative, technical, and financial support to the ICER in the management of international research grants and contracts. In 2005, the Mali Research Support Office (RSO) was established to consolidate and coordinate NIH/NIAID representation in Mali. While continuing to support NIAID engagement in the ICER, the MSC has the capability and potential to service other grant and contract supported programs at the University of Bamako. A brief statement of the objectives and rationale of project from the perspective of each organization involved: NIAID/NIH: The mission of the ICER program is to generate high-quality, collaborative international infectious disease research and, through that research, to facilitate the building of institutional and human research capacity. Underlying principles of the program include engaging local scientists as equal partners, involving local community leaders in decision making, and building sustainable research capacity. University of Bamako/Mali: The Mali ICER and the previously established Malaria Research Training Center, were established to develop and maintain a critical mass of well-trained Malian and other African scientists in infectious disease research; to build world-class research infrastructure; and to train scientists in the context of infectious disease-related research. Overview of challenges and/or critical issues from the project from the perspective of each organization involved: Over the 20-year history of collaboration that has resulted in the Mali ICER, there have been many management and administrative challenges. The creation of both the Mali Service Center and the Mali Research Support Office, referred to