At the time of its establishment, the T-CAB had three main goals. The first of these was that, after a period of training - about diseases such as malaria and the nature and goals of research - it's members would be able to advise on whether a study is acceptable to and perceived as beneficial by, the communities in the region. The second was that, the T-CAB would play a key role in advising researchers on the ethical and operational aspects of proposed studies such as: informed consent procedures, fair compensation, risks and benefits, how to protect the confidentiality of research subjects, and so on. The third, aim was that the T-CAB would act as a 'bridge' between the communities and researchers. It would on the one hand, provide communities with an opportunity to express views on proposed research and to influence and direct research aims, and on the other, provide a means by which the researchers might feedback the results of the research to the community.