SMILE
Strengthening Mobile Laboratory Capacities for Health Emergencies
Context
Rapid Response Mobile Laboratories (RRMLs) provide crucial support during infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises by enabling on-site testing and diagnostics. During these emergencies, countries can experience gaps in human and infrastructural resources, underscoring the need for flexible and portable laboratory solutions. SMILE strengthens emergency response capacities in Germany, Europe, and West Africa through the implementation of three areas of intervention. The project expands a roster of RRML experts through foundational training for new staff and an annual refresher training for personnel with prior experience in RRML deployments. It also fosters interoperability between Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) and mobile laboratories through a partnership with the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V. and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) Centre for International Health Protection to integrate PCR diagnostic expertise into EMT operations. Additionally, it strengthens RRML capacities in West Africa by building on the existing partnership with Centre Hôspitalier et Universitaire de Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, through the reactivation of the mobile laboratory unit donated by RKI during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. In addition, the project strengthens regional preparedness and sustains local expertise by fostering the creation of a West African RRML network in collaboration with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.
Objective
Improved global emergency preparedness and response by strengthening the capacities and international cooperation of mobile laboratories
In Cooperation with
- Centre Hôspitalier et Universitaire de Bouaké (CHU), Bouaké, Côte d‘Ivoire
- Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V., Berlin, Germany
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin, Hamburg, Germany
Thematic priorities
Facts
Activities
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Training and competence development
SMILE focuses on building mobile laboratory capacity through foundational and refresher trainings in Germany and Côte d’Ivoire, expanding the roster of personnel deployable in RRMLs across Europe and West Africa.
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Networking and cooperation
SMILE strengthens interoperability between mobile laboratory capacities and other emergency response mechanisms, such as EMTs, through the established collaboration with the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V. In parallel, it supports the establishment of a regional RRML network across West Africa, leveraging existing cooperation with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.
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Capacity building
Regular exercises with the RRML keep staff’s skills and laboratory equipment current and operational, ensuring readiness in case of emergency. By revitalising the RRML in Côte d’Ivoire and expanding skilled personnel and regional collaboration in West Africa, SMILE fosters long-term diagnostic readiness and empowers partners to respond rapidly to outbreaks.
