Clinical Trial Design Academy: Shaping the Future of HIV R&D

November 12, 2026

AVAC’s Clinical Trial Design Academy (CTDA), established in 2019, is the only program of its kind equipping advocates with the scientific knowledge and skillset to influence research and development (R&D) from priority setting and upstream vaccine, bNAb, ARV and MPT research through ongoing efficacy trials, results dissemination, implementation science and, ultimately, access. 

Today, the Academy’s 27 members are premier advocates who are directly influencing HIV research. Last month, the Academy gathered in Cape Town, South Africa. Read on to learn more about the Academy and the advocates who are bridging the gap between science and communities. 

CTDA Convenes to Identify Priorities and Gaps in HIV R&D 

This October, the CTDA convened to examine HIV prevention, treatment and cure resarch agendas; explore emerging trial designs and alternative approaches to evidence generation, including bioequivalence (BE) and pharmacokinetic (PK) studies; and identify gaps in research, inclusion and access. Participants reviewed R&D priorities through the lens of the Good Participatory Practice (GPP) Guidelines and identified community-driven priorities for the 2027 updated edition of the People’s Research Agenda. Jerop Limo, CTDA member and Executive Director of Ambassador for Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (AYARHEP), said of her experience on the CTDA, “I’m an all-round advocate now. The Academy puts me in the room with scientists, helps me understand their language and equips me to carry it back to the community.” 

Learn more about the CTDA from AVAC’s Grace Kumwenda 

From Capacity to Advocacy: How the CTDA Is Shaping My Role in HIV Research

CTDA member Idah Mulala of Ascend Futures Foundation in Zambia champions choice and drives meaningful youth engagement in HIV prevention research and programs. Of her experience on the CTDA, she says, “CTDA has changed how I approach my advocacy work. I no longer see community engagement as simply sharing information or ensuring that communities are consulted. I increasingly see it as ensuring that communities have the knowledge, confidence and opportunity to influence the questions researchers ask, how trials are designed and implemented, and how decisions about new health technologies are made.”  

Read Idah’s blog for more on how the CTDA is influencing research advocacy

Equipping Advocates to Shape Research Decisions and Move the Agenda Forward 

As new and emerging HIV technologies require increasingly complex trial designs, mechanisms like the CTDA matter more than ever. Communities are being asked to weigh in on scientific, ethical and implementation questions. Through technical literacy, community accountability and sustained researcher–advocate partnership, the CTDA ensures HIV prevention research remains connected to the people it is intended to serve. CTDA members have leveraged their knowledge and connections to shape HIV research trials, including the design and conduct of the ongoing EXPrESSIVE trials for monthly oral alimatravir (AMI), inclusion of adolescent and breastfeeding populations in the PURPOSE program and global guidance on analytic treatment interruption (ATI) in cure trials. 

Read more about how the CTDA is advancing a community-informed HIV agenda

Aligning HIV R&D with Community Priorities 

AVAC’s People’s Research Agenda (PRA) provides a community-driven framework for advancing equitable, accelerated research and development (R&D) and product introduction. Created in 2024 with global advocates and updated on an annual basis, the PRA tracks scientific progress, assesses how investments align with community-defined priorities and spotlights critical gaps in the HIV prevention pipeline. At the October meeting, the CTDA agreed on critical priorities and gaps across HIV prevention, treatment and cure to inform the next edition of the PRA, which is in development now. 

Explore the current PRA and watch this space for the updated PRA 

Additional Resources