# Vanderbilt-Nigeria Research Ethics Training Program (V-NET)

> **NIH NIH R25** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $250,401

## Abstract

Project Summary Abstract
To address the increasing demand for research in precision medicine in Africa, the proposed Vanderbilt-
Nigeria Research Ethics Training Program (V-NET) is an innovative research ethics training program that
involves the creation of a Master of Science (MSc) in Research Ethics degree program. V-NET will integrate
curricular development, didactic coursework, skills development, mentoring, and practicum experiences to
build capacity for the ethical design, conduct, and oversight of genetic and genomic research in Nigeria. V-NET
builds upon long-standing and successful collaborations between leading research institutions in Nigeria and
the United States - Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital/Bayero University Kano (AKTH/BUK) and Vanderbilt
University Medical Center (VUMC). The V-NET team includes experienced educators from the VUMC Center
for Biomedical Ethics and Society, the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, AKTH/BUK, and the National
Health Research Ethics Committee of Nigeria. We will create the first master’s degree program in research
ethics in northern Nigeria at BUK and train 15 MSc students (in total) through didactic training and mentored
research. We will integrate genomics-focused ethics into the annual 1-month long Vanderbilt Institute for
Research Development and Ethics (VIRDE) faculty enrichment program at VUMC, benefiting 8 Nigerian
researchers over a 5-year period. We will also host an annual 3-week practicum at VUMC’s Center for
Biomedical Ethics and Society for 12 Nigerian Institutional Review Board (IRB) members to strengthen their
skills in protocol review and administration. We will offer annual 5-day research ethics workshops for IRB and
Community Advisory Board members at AKTH in Nigeria on protection of human subjects in research, ethics of
genetic and genomic research, and review of genomic research protocols (~150 trainees in total). To sustain
and expand the impact of the V-NET program, we will: 1) create, curate, and distribute a curricular toolkit in
ethics of genetic and genomic research tailored to Nigerians and other African IRB members and research
ethics educators, and 2) coordinate 16 quarterly online research ethics webinars presented by global ethics
experts to African researchers. Through V-NET, a skilled cohort of Nigerian academics, researchers, and
healthcare professionals will emerge, providing leadership in the ethical design and review of genetic and
genomic studies in Nigeria's rapidly evolving research landscape.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10860396
- **Project number:** 1R25TW012715-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Muktar Hassan Aliyu
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $250,401
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2029-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10860396

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10860396, Vanderbilt-Nigeria Research Ethics Training Program (V-NET) (1R25TW012715-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10860396. Licensed CC0.

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