Elimination through collaboration: success factors in a global consortium

Summary

The Global Trachoma Mapping Project (GTMP) is the largest infectious disease survey ever undertaken. With 60 partners, 2.6 million people were examined across 29 countries, establishing the prevalence of the disease globally. Such an achievement was only made possible by building a diverse worldwide consortium. This article examines that public-private consortium and attempts to highlight key factors in the success of its development and operation. Two critical factors in the project’s success were the establishment of an evidence-based common approach and urgency around a shared goal. It is hoped that by examining and sharing the positive factors leading to the establishment and work of this specific consortium, other similar initiatives—for NTD, for health more broadly and for other development areas—will be able to adopt such an approach for effective collaboration.