Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions

Deadline: 22-Aug-23

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking applications to strengthen the scientific capacity of institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to conduct HIV research relevant to the evolving HIV epidemic in their country.

This FOA can support training for conducting research in a broad range of HIV research areas across HIV prevention, treatment, care, and quality of life continuum. This includes basic, epidemiologic, clinical, behavioral and social sciences, data science, community-based, implementation, operations, health services, and health systems research. Cross-disciplinary research as well as HIV associated comorbidities and coinfections affecting the HIV epidemic will be supported under this FOA.

Objectives

• The overall goal of the Fogarty HIV Research Training (HIVRT) Program is to strengthen the scientific capacity of institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to conduct HIV research on the evolving HIV epidemic in their country.
• This FOA can support biomedical research training in a broad range of HIV research areas including but not limited to:
  • basic, epidemiologic, clinical, behavioral, and social science research across HIV prevention, care and treatment;
  • pathophysiology and therapeutics research to address HIV infection, the effects of HIV on body systems, and HIV’s interaction with other co-morbidities and co-infections;
  • implementation, operations, health services, and health systems research to improve the HIV prevention, care and treatment care continuum;
  • research on integrated bio-behavioral HIV prevention, care and treatment among high risk populations, including polysubstance drug (injection and non-injection) and alcohol use;
  • research on HIV co-infections, AIDs-defining and HIV-related cancers, neurological and neuro-psychiatric morbidities, and other co-morbidities and health conditions, both infectious and non-infectious, that contribute to HIV transmission or poor health in HIV-infected individuals, including HIV infected substance (drug and alcohol) users;
  • community-based HIV research, HIV research on complex/multi-component interventions, structural interventions, and comparative effectiveness, and HIV research on impact evaluation or health economics;
  • cross-disciplinary HIV research among vulnerable or under-researched LMIC populations, including women, substance (drug and alcohol) users, men who have sex with men, transgendered populations, aging populations, orphans, and children;
  • clinical research for team members to support HIV clinical research and HIV clinical trials;
  • bio-statistics and bioinformatics research methodologies for enhanced HIV research design, data analysis, data management, and data quality assurance and control to support HIV research;
  • basic laboratory-based HIV research that will incorporate acquiring laboratory skills, bio-safety practices, and maintenance of laboratory quality assurance as components of research methodologies for conducting HIV clinical research.

Program Considerations

• This program provides opportunities for U.S. and LMIC institutions to collaborate with their partners, to fill gaps in research areas to strengthen the HIV research capacity at the proposed LMIC institutions. Applicants should design HIV research training programs such that trainees can address both long-standing and emerging HIV research questions, responsive to the needs of their institutions and countries. The program is also expected to enhance the capacity for LMIC institutions to collaborate with NIH, U.S. Government, other donors and LMICs in their HIV/AIDS efforts.
• The selected scientific area of the proposed research training may need expertise that crosses research disciplines, especially to reach underserved and vulnerable populations. Applicants are encouraged to develop research training programs that include all the disciplines needed to address the selected scientific area and the populations of interest. The proposed training is expected to raise the LMIC institution to the next level of research capacity in the selected scientific area. The research training should include training that incorporates research methods and processes that enhance research rigor and reproducibility, as recently highlighted by NIH.
• It is anticipated that some LMIC institutions could serve as training sites in the proposed HIV scientific area for other LMIC institutions. Faculty and scientific staff from these more advanced LMIC institutions may serve as training faculty. As a result, the following different scenarios for applications may be proposed:
  • a U.S. institution as the applicant with an LMIC institution as collaborator and beneficiary of the research training;
  • a LMIC institution as applicant with their own institution as the beneficiary of the research training to further strengthen its own capacity;
  • a LMIC institution as applicant with another one or more LMIC institution(s) as the collaborator and beneficiary of the research training. For example, a LMIC institution with more advanced expertise in the chosen HIV area can serve as a training hub and help establish research training programs in less experienced LMIC institutions by training students and fellows from those institutions. It is expected that these trainees will establish a collaborative research environment at their own institutions.

Award Information

• Application budgets are limited to $280,000 in direct costs per year exclusive of consortium indirect costs.
• The maximum project period is 5 years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Higher Education Institutions
  • Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  • Private Institutions of Higher Education
• The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
  • Hispanic-serving Institutions
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  • Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
  • Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
  • Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
• Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Other
  • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)
• The sponsoring institution must assure support for the proposed program. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program includes the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can contribute to the planned program.

For more information, visit National Institutes of Health (NIH).