Anthropologists, socio-economists, parasitologists, entomologists, clinicians from Universities and Research institutions of DRC, Congo, Chad, Gabon, Cameroon, country NMCPs and WHO national programme officers and inter-country teams, met with National Malaria Control Programme managers in Doula, Cameroon for the first time, to look at how better to inform malaria programme design with vital evidence collected by research institutions. Together they drew up a declaration of collaboration to strengthen links between researchers and programme planners.