The multilateral initiative on malaria: past, present, and future.

• To develop sustainable malaria research capacity in Africa through international and Pan-African scientific partnerships. Further development of human resources and institutional capacity in Africa is essential to enhance the ability of African countries to address their own health problems. The MIM aims to publicize existing training opportunities and develop research capacity further by facilitating effective scientific partnerships across Africa, and between African researchers and colleagues internationally. • To promote global communication and cooperation between organizations and individuals concerned with malaria to maximize the impact of resources and avoid duplication of effort. • To ensure research findings are applied to malaria treatment and control to translate practical problems into manageable research questions by stimulating and facilitating dialogues among scientists, public health professionals, policy makers, and industry. • To raise international public awareness of the problem of malaria to raise the status of malaria on political agendas to mobilize resources and action.