Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Science Innovation and Technology on the role of the UK science and technology sector in global efforts to eliminate (a) malaria and (b) other tropical diseases.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology work closely on issues related to science and technology. Government collaboration with the UK's science and technology sector has been critical in developing new drugs, vaccines, and other tools to eliminate malaria and other tropical diseases.

The FCDO collaborates with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) to tackle malaria through the development of products, supported by MMV's three and IVCC's five UK-based science partners. In developing products to eliminate other tropical diseases, the FCDO partners with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), in collaboration with twelve additional partners across twenty-six projects. Our longstanding partnership with the Medical Research Council distributes grants for research on malaria and other tropical diseases. Undertaking applied research to address vectors for malaria, RAFT is an FCDO-funded programme led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.