In 2017 EIDB established the Partnership for Research in the Middle East, called PRIME, in collaboration with the Jordanian Royal Medical Services and the Jordan Ministry of Health. PRIME initiatives focused on training, improving biopreparedness and upgrading laboratories and equipment.
In 2019 the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research opened its first protocol that is be the first observational HIV study conducted in the Kingdom of Jordan and the first molecular epidemiologic study of HIV in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The study, led by EIDB in collaboration with the Military HIV Research Program at WRAIR, seeks to understand the evolving HIV epidemic in Jordan; gathering information on HIV risk factors, outcomes, genotypes and drug resistance profiles. While new HIV cases are declining in most parts of the world, they are rising in the MENA region.
Future research activities will focus on emerging infectious diseases including studies on respiratory illnesses and survivors of locally reportable diseases and acute febrile illness. EIDB is planning to partner with the Jordanian Armed Forces Royal Medical Services to evaluate the region-specific threat of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). The ultimate focus of this research is to enhance essential capabilities for the development and evaluation of MERS countermeasures, which originated and continues to circulate in the Kingdom of Jordan, a key ally in establishing and maintaining regional security.