---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:strategies/Partner-with-academic-institutions,researchers-and"
type: "GovLab policy strategy"
title: "Partner with academic institutions,researchers and private sector laboratories."
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/partner-with-academic-institutions,researchers-and"
summary: "Partner with academic institutions,researchers and private sector laboratories. Governments should engage the academy,research firms,and private sector laboratories to develop algorithms,testing strategies,and innovative ways to design pooled testing schemes."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Partner with academic institutions,researchers and private sector laboratories.

Partner with academic institutions,researchers and private sector laboratories. Governments should engage the academy,research firms,and private sector laboratories to develop algorithms,testing strategies,and innovative ways to design pooled testing schemes.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Private Sector, Academia, Government Workers
- Type: Research, Data, Partnerships
- Recommendation: [Pooled Testing](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/pooled-testing)
- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/)

## Actions governments should take

1. Convene an [advisory panel](https://sites.google.com/tamu.edu/nets-covid/home?authuser=0) of experts with relevant skills and experience from research firms, [universities](https://isci.cl/en/covidcat/initiatives-and-reports/), and private sector laboratories
2. Commission an advisory panel to develop pooled testing strategy
3. Identify specific partners to support implementation of pooled testing strategy

## Examples from around the world

1. Rwanda has enrolled scholars from multiple disciplines to [develop its pooling algorithm](https://theconversation.com/rwandas-covid-19-pool-testing-a-savvy-option-where-theres-low-viral-prevalence-141704), based on [matrix, or array testing](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7855467/) to maximize its national pooled testing strategy and to better understand the spatial spread of COVID-19 at the national level and identify new infection hotspots. By making use of local experts, Rwanda has developed a protocol to further maximize the efficiency of pooling.