African Researchers’ Small Grants Program: Addressing Emerging

Deadline: 14 February 2017

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting the African Research Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ARNTD) through the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD) with 100,000 USD to initiate the first African Researchers’ Small Grants Program (SGP).

Collaboration between COR-NTD and ARNTD, which were both formed in 2013, provides a unique opportunity for a synergistic effort to address emerging challenges facing program implementation in Africa in line with the goals established in the London Declaration.

SGP is comprised of two small grant funding tracks:

Small grants for junior researchers
Small grants for mid-career and/or senior researchers

Objectives

To increase self-initiated African involvement and visibility in NTD operational research through direct engagement with programs;
Contribute to improving the research capacity of an existing cadre of African NTD researchers and strengthening African research institutions in the process by supporting translational or operational research into NTDs that is locally originated and led, either by junior researchers or experienced researchers ready to expand their research programs;
To improve South-South communication and collaboration among researchers, policy makers and implementers, and to support community participation in research and agenda-setting;
To promote a viable model of North-South collaboration through increasing ownership and improving effectiveness of administering program engagements from within Africa.

Target Groups

This first call for proposals is targeted at outstanding researchers and academics based at research institutions or universities in Africa.
Applicants will have to demonstrate that the proposed research or activity is aligned with country/program interests and has potential institutional/individual capacity-building impact.
The small grants targeted at junior researchers at the Masters or PhD level will provide up to four 1-year grants, each ranging from USD 5,000-15,000.
Three small 1-year grants for mid-career and/or senior researchers will be provided, each ranging from USD 15,000-25,000.

Eligibility Criteria

General criteria:

Must be currently employed or enrolled as a student by an academic, health, or research institution in Africa for the duration of the grant
Must demonstrate having a commitment to NTD-related research as well asthe skills and experience required to carry out the proposed work
Must be able to provide evidence of research output, including publications and/or presentations at scientific conferences.

Specific to applicants for the junior researchers’ grants:

Must be an early career researcher, defined as a basic biomedical scientist, clinically qualified investigator or public health researcher, who has not previously competed successfully as principal investigator for a major research grant
Must hold at least a Master’s degree or should be actively enrolled in doctoral studies. Applicants holding a doctoral degree (e.g. PhD, DrPH, DSc) must have graduated no more than seven years ago. Clinicians (e.g. MBChB, MBBS, MD, DVM holders), who have not completed a Master’s degree must have some specialist training (e.g. Membership, Fellowship) or be able to demonstrate relevant research training/experience
Must not currently hold positions above lecturer/assistant professor level or equivalent.

Specific to applicants for the mid-career/senior researchers grants:

Must be a mid-career/senior researcher, defined as a basic biomedical scientist, clinically qualified investigator or public health researcher, who has previously competed successfully as principal investigator for a major research grant, but is no more than fifteen years from their highest degree of study
Must hold a doctoral degree (e.g. PhD, DrPH, DSc). Clinicians (e.g. MBChB, MBBS, MD, DVM holders), who have not completed a PhD must have completed specialist training (e.g. Fellowship) or be able to demonstrate relevant training tied to research (e.g. MSc, MPhil), or experience
Must hold a position no lower than Senior lecturer/Senior Scientific Officer level or equivalent
Must demonstrate that they have a track record and ongoing commitment to NTD research.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply via given website.

Eligible Countries

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cote d’Ivorie, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.