phd research grant for developing countries

Ph.D Scholarships for Developing Countries 2024-2025

Checkout Ph.D scholarships for students from developing countries 2024-2025, Apply now

University Of Birmingham PhD Scholarship for Black British Researchers 2024

The PhD will provide a unique opportunity to engage with an under-researched collection of African art at the University of Birmingham (UoB), a discrete collection that is part of Research and Cultural Collections (RCC) - a university museum holding full Museum Accredited status from Arts Council En

Published: 29 Mar 2024 Type: PhD Study in: United Kingdom Deadline: 30 Apr 2024

ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants 2024

ETH4D provides grants for mentoring doctoral candidates from low- and lower-middle-income countries. The mentorship is a one-year appointment and comprises the following components: Mentorship from one ETH professor, senior scientist or postdoc over a period of one year of the mentee’s d

Published: 27 Feb 2024 Type: PhD Study in: Switzerland Deadline: 30 Mar 2024

TWAS-Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award for Developing and Developed Countries 2024

TWAS is inviting nominations for the 2024 Award from all its members as well as science academies, national research councils, universities and scientific institutions in developing and developed countries.

Published: 09 Feb 2024 Type: PhD Deadline: 10 May 2024

ANSO-CAS-TWAS/UNESCO PhD Scholarship for Developing Countries 2024

According to an agreement between the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS/UNESCO) for the advancement of science in developing countries, up to 40 students/scholars from developing countries will be spo

Published: 22 Jan 2024 Type: PhD Study in: China Deadline: 15 Feb 2024

ICGEB Arturo Falaschi Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024

ICGEB offers competitive Postdoctoral Fellowships in Life Sciences to highly motivated scientists wishing to pursue postdoctoral research in a world-class scientific environment. The Fellowships comprise a very competitive package including stipend, health insurance and additional benefits. The most

Published: 10 Jan 2024 Type: PhD Study in: India , Italy , South Africa Deadline: 31 Mar 2024

ANSO-CAS-TWAS/UNESCO PhD Scholarship for Students from Developing Countries 2024

According to an agreement between the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS/UNESCO) for the advancement of science in developing countries, up to 50 students/scholars from developing countries will be spo

Published: 15 Apr 2024 Type: PhD Deadline: 15 Feb 2024

Ghent University Doctoral Scholarships for Candidates from Developing Countries - call 2024

Special Research Fund - Doctoral Scholarships for Candidates from Developing Countries - call 2024 With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University grants PhD “sandwich” scholarships to promising PhD students from developing countries who wish to carry

Published: 24 Nov 2023 Type: PhD Study in: Belgium Deadline: Not Specified

Ghent University Doctoral Scholarship for Developing Countries 2024

With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University grants PhD “sandwich” scholarships to promising PhD students from developing countries who wish to carry out half of their PhD research at Ghent University ('North') and half at a university in a dev

Published: 15 Nov 2023 Type: PhD Study in: Belgium Deadline: 20 Feb 2024

Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship in UK for Developing Countries 2024

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships support one year’s study at a UK university as part of a PhD being undertaken in a candidate’s home country, under the joint supervision of a home country and UK supervisor. The 12-month period of study in the UK supported by the scholarship can be

Published: 08 Nov 2023 Type: PhD Study in: United Kingdom Deadline: 05 Dec 2023

University of Notre Dame Australia 2024 Western Australian Premier’s University Scholarships

The purpose of the Scholarship is to attract new high-achieving international students from priority target markets, studying in a range of fields that are linked to priority sectors and industries for Western Australia. The scholarship is worth $50,000 and will be applied against successful applica

Published: 26 Sep 2023 Type: PhD Study in: Australia Deadline: 30 Nov 2023

ETH4D 2023 Doctoral Mentorship Grants for Developing Countries

Published: 25 Sep 2023 Type: PhD Deadline: 31 Oct 2023

Commonwealth 2024-2025 PhD Scholarships for Applicants from Least Developed Countries and Fragile State, UK

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships are for applicants from least developed countries and fragile States, as classified by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), in the Commonwealth,  for full-time doctoral study at a UK university. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC)

Published: 22 Sep 2023 Type: PhD Study in: United Kingdom Deadline: 17 Oct 2023

Right Livelihood College (RLC) 2023 Workshop Scholarships for PhD Students from Developing Countries

The workshop will take place in Bonn from September 25 (arrival date) to September 28 (departure date), 2023. PhD students and senior experts will be participating together with Nnimmo Bassey, Laureate of the “Alternative Nobel Prize” and Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, fr

Published: 12 Jul 2023 Type: PhD Deadline: 30 Jul 2023

University Of Bonn 2023 BIGS-DR Doctoral Scholarship Program for Developing Countries

The Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR) is the doctoral program at ZEF. BIGS-DR is part of a group of international graduate programs at the University of Bonn, a graduate framework that maintains the highest level of academic quality. There are two way

Published: 09 May 2023 Type: PhD Study in: Germany Deadline: 31 Aug 2023

Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) 2023-2024 Scholarship Programme for Students In Muslim Communities

The Islamic Development Bank funds and implements its scholarship programmes as part of its overall efforts to develop the human resources of its member countries and those of the Muslim communities in non-member countries. Undergraduate Master’s PhD and Post-Doctoral Resea

Published: 28 Mar 2023 Type: PhD Deadline: 30 Apr 2023

ETH Zurich 2023 E4D Doctoral Scholarship Programme for Developing Countries

The goal of the Engineering for Development (E4D) Programme is to promote research and education for the benefit of underprivileged people in low-?income countries. The E4D Programme is generously funded through the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the S

Published: 16 Feb 2023 Type: PhD Study in: Switzerland Deadline: 30 Apr 2023

ETH Zurich 2023 ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Program, Switzerland

Published: 03 Feb 2023 Type: PhD Study in: Switzerland Deadline: 30 Apr 2023

ETH4D 2023 Doctoral Mentorship Programme for Developing Countries

Published: 01 Feb 2023 Type: PhD Deadline: 30 Apr 2023

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• Funding opportunities
• Special Research Fund (BOF)
• Doctoral Scholarships for candidates from developing countries

Special Research Fund - Doctoral Scholarships for Candidates from Developing Countries - call 2024

With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University grants PhD “sandwich” scholarships to promising PhD students from developing countries who wish to carry out half of their PhD research at Ghent University ('North') and half at a university in a developing country ('South'). Ghent University only finances the part of the research that will be carried out in Ghent (24 months). The candidate must have full-time funding for the other 24 months of research to be carried out in the South.

Who can apply for this scholarship

• Candidates need to come from - and have the nationality of – one of the selected developing countries (see country list );
• The proposals must be jointly submitted by a candidate, a supervisor (promoter) at Ghent University and a supervisor at the partner university (South);
• No restrictions are imposed on the field of research, nevertheless  preference will be given to topics that are relevant for development;
• Only degree students (students who intend to obtain a (joint ) PhD degree at Ghent University) can apply. Exchange students cannot apply for this scholarship; 
• This program is meant for students at the beginning of their PhD. To a limited extent, PhD students are allowed to have already completed preliminary research. At the time the fellowship starts (1/10/2024), a minimum of 36 months of doctoral research must still be required to complete the PhD;
• Ghent university wants to encourage more female researchers to apply for this scholarship. That is why a Ghent University supervisor can support maximum 2 candidates per call on condition they are both of a different gender.

Co-funding is mandatory with this scholarship. Consult the call documents for more information on what co-funding is allowed.

In general, the following conditions must be guaranteed by the partner in the South:

• There must be a local PhD supervisor at the partner university or research center in the South;
• A written statement from the partner university is requested stating that the candidate will receive a fulltime local PhD scholarship or salary for a period of 24 months when working on the PhD at the partner university in the South AND
• will be sufficiently exempted from teaching or other assignments as to be able to fully concentrate on the PhD research in the South. Applicants can dedicate maximum 10 % of their time (fulltime appointment) to other tasks (teaching and other tasks)

Mobility scheme of the scholarship

The following mobility scheme is mandatory:

• Students need to start and end with a research stay of 3 -12 months in at Ghent University.
• The first research stay at Ghent University needs to be started between 1 October 2024 and 28 February 2025.
• At least 24 months of locally funded research in the South must be scheduled in between the first and last research stay at Ghent University.

Exceptions to the mandatory mobility scheme

• Applicants who can demonstrate that they are unable to start their 4 year PhD research with a research stay at Ghent University because the partner university/research center in the South requires a successful completion of a PhD study program in their university before commencing further research activities, can request an exception to the mobility scheme;
• Applicants who can demonstrate that they are unable to start their 4 year PhD research with a research stay at Ghent University because they must first complete a period of field research in the South can apply for an exception to the mobility scheme;
• Applicants who can demonstrate that they have successfully completed a full-time funded PhD study period (of up to 12 months) at the partner university/research center in the South can request to integrate this period in the required 24 months of locally funded research stay in the South;
• Applicants who can demonstrate that they have successfully completed a full-time funded PhD study period (of up to 12 months) at Ghent University can request to integrate this period in the required 24 months of researach period at Ghent University.

Applicants who want to make use of one of those exceptions have to request an approval from the research administration of Ghent University before Jan 19, 2024. To do so, they complete the form "R equest exception funding and mobility scheme " form and submit it along with the requested supporting documents via email to [email protected] .

• PhD scholarship at Ghent University  (in total 24 months).

The Ghent University promoter receives a bench fee of € 310/per month of research in Ghent + € 8.000 travel budget to cover (part of) the operational costs, as well as part of the travelling costs of the student and both the Ghent University and the local promoter.

How to apply for this scholarship

Application forms must be submitted (in English) electronically to [email protected] . 

• An advice on the candidate , stating the supervisors opinion on the capability of the candidate as a future researcher.
• An advice on the ethical and biosafety context  of the proposed research project

Deadline scholarship applications

• 20 February 2024

Results scholarship selection 

• From 15 May 2024 onwards, the result of the selection will be announced online .

Research Department Research Co-ordination Office - Special Research Fund

E [email protected]

Call and application forms

• All information on the call:  Call 2024    - C all 202
• For the candidate: Application form 2024
• For the promotor: Advice on the candidate  
• For the promotor: Advice on the ethical and biosafety context  
• Country List 2024

Scientific report

Final report : within three months following upon the end of the grant a final scientific/scholarly report has to be sent electronically to [email protected] . The promoter and co-promoter (if applicable) are included in this e-mail (either as sender, or in CC).

TWAS-Samira Omar Innovation for Sustainability Award

Twas-dfg cooperation visits programme - mena, twas-dfg cooperation visits programme - ssa, twas-fayzah m. al-kharafi award, twas-abdool karim award in biological sciences, phd fellowships.

For developing countries, and especially the Least Developed Countries, PhD scientists help build a foundation for scientific strength and human prosperity. TWAS offers between 100 - 160 PhD fellowships a year at some of the most respected institutions in the developing world. These fellowships are hosted in Brazil, China, India, Pakistan and South Africa.  

The results for the 2022/2023 NRF-TWAS PhD fellowships are available  here .

Before applying:

• Applications can only be submitted via the online portal once the call is open.
• Please use the "Apply now" button at the bottom of each programme page to start your application once the call is open.
• Both the opening and closing dates will be mentioned on each individual programme page.
• Applicants are encouraged to apply for the preliminary acceptance letter as early as possible, even before the opening date of the call. Only Acceptance letters dated the same year as the year of application are eligible.
• Please be advised that applicants may apply for only one programme per calendar year in the TWAS and OWSD portfolio. Applicants will not be eligible to visit another institution in that year under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes. One exception: The head of an institution who invites an external scholar to share his/her expertise under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes may still apply for another programme.

TWAS and the S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences in Kolkata, India, offer fellowships to young foreign scientists from developing countries who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in physical sciences

• S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences

The International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) — comprising the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry and the Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular and Drug Research in Karachi, Pakistan — and TWAS offer fellowships to young scientists from developing countries (other than Pakistan) who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in chemical and biological sciences.

• International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Pakistan

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology in India, and UNESCO-TWAS established a fellowship programme for foreign scholars from developing countries who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in biotechnology.

• Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and TWAS have established a sandwich fellowship programme for foreign scholars from developing countries in the South who wish to pursue part of their research toward a PhD in a field of the natural and related applied sciences, in departments and laboratories of public and private universities of Türkiye (Turkey) and TÜBİTAK Research Centers and Institutes.

• Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye

The Lahore University of Management Sciences, (LUMS), Pakistan — and TWAS offer fellowships to young scientists from developing countries (other than Pakistan) who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in Natural Sciences and Engineering.

According to an agreement between the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS/UNESCO) for the advancement of science in developing countries, up to 40 students/scholars from developing countries will be sponsored to study in China for doctoral degrees for up to 4 years

• Chinese Academy of Sciences
• The Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO)

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India and UNESCO-TWAS have established a number of fellowships for foreign scholars from developing countries, who wish to pursue research toward a PhD in emerging areas of science and technology, for which facilities are available in CSIR laboratories and institutes.

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India

Under this scheme, PhD scholarships are awarded to promising candidates from LDCs. Applicants must have obtained their MSc in an area relevant to the topics under the umbrella of climate change – which is a broad and interdisciplinary field– or they must obtain the MSc degree by December 2022.

• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

UNESCO-TWAS has partnered with the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMSTECH) for TWAS-COMSTECH Science in Exile Fellowship Programme for displaced and refugee scholars and scientists. This PhD Fellowship Programme aims to provide displaced and refugee scholars and scientists, who have not yet found a safe and long-term host country, to pursue doctoral studies in Pakistan, at institutions members of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence.

• Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC (COMSTECH)

Fellowships for women scientists from Science and Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) to pursue their PhD in the sciences in another country in the South. The call for applications is open and will close on 19 April 2022.

• Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World

Through calls for research proposals, we fund projects that aim to foster climate-resilient food systems, global health, education and science, democratic and inclusive governance, and sustainable and inclusive economies in developing countries. Gender equality and inclusion are also central to our strategy and the research we support.

Browse our open calls and learn about the experiences of some of our past  Research Awardees , or browse our rich portfolio of active and completed  research projects  to learn more about the work we do.

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Archived calls, which offer a sense of the types of calls IDRC manages, are kept on the site for one year. 

• The World Academy of Sciences: Research Grants for Developing Countries

RESEARCH GRANTS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The Call for Applications is now open for the research grants for developing world scientists at TWAS, the World Academy of Sciences. https://twas.org

Under this scheme, grants are awarded to promising high-level research projects in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics carried out by scientists in one of the eligible S&T-lagging countries identified by TWAS. Grants are available for both individual early career scientists as well as research groups. 

Research Grants to individual scientists amount to a maximum of USD 15,000; grants to research groups may be up to USD 30,000. 

The grants, which are normally provided for a period of 24 months, may be used to purchase scientific equipment, consumables and specialized literature (textbooks and proceedings only). They do not cover salaries of researchers and/or students, field expenses, or travel expenses. In addition, the purchase of laptops, tablets, drones and laboratory animals is not supported.

Eligibility

• Individual applicants must be nationals of developing countries. They must hold a PhD, be at the beginning of their careers, but already have some research experience. They must hold a position at a university or research institution in one of the S&TLCs and be under 45 years of age.
• Applying research units must be led by a renowned researcher who is a national of a developing country, who holds a PhD and who has good research experience. The research unit should operate within a university or a research institution in one of the S&TLCs and should include a minimum of the Principal Investigator (group leader), plus at least two PhD-qualified researchers and a number of PhD and MSc students, technicians, etc. There is no age limit for unit leaders.
• Applicants must at the time of application NOT have an active research grant with TWAS or OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowship.
• Applications from women scientists and those working in Least Developed Countries are especially encouraged.

For more information about the individual research groups including how to apply, see: https://twas.org/opportunity/twas-research-grants-programme-basic-sciences-individuals For more information about the grants to research groups, including how to apply, see: https://twas.org/opportunity/twas-research-grants-programme-basic-sciences-groups The deadline for applications for both grants is April 14, 2021 . 

For opportunities for women, see also  www.owsd.net @OwsdSecretariat * COUNTRIES ELIGIBLE FOR THE GRANTS  Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, São Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, West Bank & Gaza Strip, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. 

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scientify RESEARCH research funding database

Research funding for developing countries, a list of funding for research and researchers based in low and middle-income economies , including research grants, fellowships, travel grants and awards..

TWAS-ICCBS Postgraduate Fellowship Programme (developing countries | Pakistan)

Twas-iccbs postdoctoral fellowship programme (developing countries | pakistan), imu-simons research fellowship program for developing countries (mathematics), conference support program (mathematics | developing countries), international development fund (microbiology | developing countries), abel visiting scholar program (mathematics | developing countries), reach-the-world fellowships (thrombosis and haemostasis | lmic), global brain and nervous system disorders research across the lifespan (r21 clinical trial optional) (usa + developing countries), new grants are added daily- check back regularly for new funding opportunities., to see all funding opportunities and benefit from extensive eligibility filters, sign up for our premium research funding database., advertising : premium members do not see google ads., find more funding faster with our premium funding database..

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World Bank Scholarships Program

• Japanese Nationals
• JJ/WBGSP - Reports

Update on Developing Country Nationals

The next windows for scholarship applications will open in January and March 2024.  

• Developing Country Nationals

The World Bank’s  Development Economics  Vice Presidency (DEC) provides scholarships to students and young researchers, contributing to the World Bank’s mission of forging new dynamic approaches to capacity development and knowledge sharing in the developing world.

It is an important component of the World Bank’s efforts to promote economic development and shared prosperity through investing in education, capacity building, and developing human resources in the developing world. 

Since 1982, the DEC’s scholarship programs have helped to form a pool of over 6,000 well-trained and experienced development professionals and scholars, transforming their countries and positively impacting future generations.

Active Programs

• Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program  (JJ/WBGSP): Since 1987, JJ/WBGSP has enabled more than 6,000 mid-career professionals from 160 developing countries and Japan to complete graduate degrees in development-related fields. On an annual basis, the Government of Japan solely funds the JJ/WBGSP.
• Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program  (RSMFP): Since 1982, RSMFP has provided support to young researchers on a wide variety of topics in development-related fields. Currently, the program connects promising young researchers to World Bank research, data resources, and tech­nical expertise. Selected fellows are hosted as a cohort at the World Bank in Washington D.C. and work on DEC research projects, receiving formal training and participating in policy relevant research.

Inactive Program

Japan Indonesia Presidential Scholarship Program (JIPS):  This Program is no longer accepting applications.  With a one-time $10 million grant from the Government of Japan, this scholarship supported three cohorts (2008–2010) of 43 Indonesian PhD students to study abroad under the sponsorship of one of the program’s ten partner Indonesian universities. This window is now closed to new applicants.

JJ/WBGSP SCHOLARS & ALUMNI PROFILES

The Scholarship Program enhanced and maximized my learning experience at school, allowing me to commit my entire energy to build my foundation in econometric analysis and statistical programming at the professional level.

IMPORTANT LINKS

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Announcements

• JJ/WBGSP Scholarship Program:
• ⇨ The 2024 application window for Japanese nationals will open from February 12 to April 19, 2024
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WHO WE ARE // ADDRF

African doctoral dissertation research fellowship (addrf).

In line with its mission to build sustainable research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa, APHRC in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), established the African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowships (ADDRF) Program in 2008. The goals of the ADDRF program are to facilitate more rigorous engagement of doctoral students in health systems research, to provide them with an opportunity for timely completion of their doctoral training, and to launch fellows as independent scholars and support them to generate and contribute to health systems and policy evidence. Taken together, these are expected to lead to higher retention of a new generation of highly-skilled and locally-trained African scholars in research and academic positions within the region.

The African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowships are awarded to advanced doctoral students who are within two years of completing their doctoral thesis at an African university. The fellowships target candidates whose dissertation topics address health policy or health systems issues.

Funding The Program is currently funded by IDRC, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through a grant to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls in Conflict and Humanitarian Settings project, Pathfinder International, which aims to support two fellows working in the Population, Health and the Environment (PHE field) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is funding five fellows working on sanitation management policy and practice, focused on fecal waste management. Previous phases of the ADDRF program have been co-funded by the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through a project grant to APHRC, and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through a grant to the Population Council for the Strengthening Evidence for Programming on Unintended Pregnancy (STEP UP) Research Programme Consortium.

Between 2014 and 2016, the Program awarded 60 dissertation fellowships (16 in 2014, 23 in 2015, and 21 in 2016) that were funded by IDRC (Grant Number 107508-001). In 2014, one additional fellowship supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was awarded to a doctoral student conducting research on the governance of the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme in Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria. In 2015, the Program also awarded seven (7) fellowships to support doctoral research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Vaccine Trials in West Africa. These 7 fellowships are supported by IDRC as part of a separate grant. The goal of these fellowships is to contribute to the creation of sustainable capacity and leadership to conduct HIV/AIDS prevention trials with special focus on innovations in HIV/AIDS prevention technologies, particularly HIV vaccines in the following countries: Benin, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Senegal. In 2016, two fellowships supported by DFID were awarded to doctoral students working on projects related to the prevention of gender-based violence and violence against women and girls (VAWG).

The Program also continued to support 133 doctoral fellows who were awarded fellowships between 2008 and 2013 with grants from various funders including IDRC, Ford Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) formerly the Department for International Development (DFID).

Project duration Start Date: 2008 End Date: Continuous subject to funding

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Call for Proposals: African Researchers’ Small Grants Program (SGP VI)

This call is now closed., a. overview     .

Maximum funding per award:   USD 30,000  

Call Opening date:  September 01, 2022, 08:00 GMT

Call closing date:  September 30, 2022, 17:00 GMT

Projected Announcement of awards:  December 12, 2022, 15:00 GMT

Successful proposals will be facilitated by implementing partner, ARNTD.

Introduction

The African Research Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ARNTD) with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation), through the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD), is seeking proposals for both operational and implementation research on ‘’Emerging Challenges facing Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) program implementation in Africa.’’ This sixth edition of the Small Grants Program (SGP VI) is to support African researchers in both early and mid/late career to undertake operational or implementation research aligned with the goals established in the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.  SGP VI is comprised of two small grant funding tracks:

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

Funding Organizations

Who is the target group?

This call for proposals is targeted at outstanding researchers – especially beginning researchers – and academics based in 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 and senior researchers at the Masters or PhD level will provide grants ranging from USD 10,000 - 30,000. Applications are accepted in English, French, and Portuguese. However, shortlisted applicants will be required to submit full proposals and additional documentation in English in order to be eligible for the award.

Objectives of the call

• To increase African leadership, involvement and visibility in NTD operational and implementation research, including through direct engagement with national NTD programs;
• To contribute to improving the research capacity of an existing cadre of African NTD researchers and strengthening African research institutions in the process by supporting operational and implementation research on NTDs that is locally originated and African-led;
• To improve South-South communication and collaboration among researchers, policymakers and implementers, and for community participation in research and agenda-setting; 
• To provide an opportunity for young upcoming researchers not only to gain experience in research, but also in preparation of grant applications and management;
• To supplement a clearly defined aspect of ongoing research or to answer a new question linked to ongoing research being carried out by mid-career/senior researchers;
• To encourage a model of North-South collaboration which promotes engagement between researchers in the South and their control programs, and improves local leadership and ownership of initiatives and activities.

What’s in Scope?

In order to be considered for funding, the proposed research must be informed by existing evidence and identified gaps. Proposals must demonstrate significant potential to inform or develop further research activities.

The program duration of this edition is 10 months. Applicants must therefore provide clear evidence by stating specific variables which will ensure the completion of the projects within the 10 months’ timeline of the program. Applications must focus on the five preventive-chemotherapy (PC) NTDs (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, soil transmitted helminthiasis, schistosomiasis, and trachoma).  Eligible proposals may focus on:  

Implementation and/or operational research that aims to improve the effectiveness of NTD programs. This may include:

• Identifying factors that hinder equitable delivery of NTD program interventions to vulnerable groups.
• Developing, testing, and scaling practical solutions that are evidence-based, adaptive, and context-specific.
• Identifying ways to improve uptake, adaptation, and adoption of existing evidence-based strategies, tools to achieve elimination and control targets. 
• Studies to develop or validate innovative new diagnostic technologies to support NTD program implementation and improvement in operations.

This edition of the Small Grants Program includes several new focus areas:

Testing new models for post-validation surveillance or integrated surveillance strategies. As NTD programs achieve success and scale down mass drug administration, implementing surveillance as part of program monitoring and evaluation to assure that program goals are sustained has emerged as a priority.

Projects focused on post-validation surveillance for trachoma and lymphatic filariasis are an additional specific interest.

• Development of scalable solutions to the integration of morbidity management and disease prevention (MMDP) services into the national health system
• Developing and testing cost-effective, scalable, community-based strategies for vector collection and xenomonitoring in onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis hotspots
• Testable solutions to improve equitable access to NTD interventions for vulnerable populations (e.g. nomads, groups in conflict zones, hard-to-reach areas, refugees, etc. 

What’s out of Scope?

SGP VI funding cannot be used for paying salaries, participating in meetings/conferences, payment of tuition/course fees, purchase of restricted commodities (e.g., contraception, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, etc.), and for supporting existing programmatic M&E activities such as, but not limited to, mapping, mass drug administration, transmission assessment surveys (TAS), Kato-Katz impact evaluations, trachoma impact surveys/surveillance surveys, data quality assessments, onchocerciasis impact evaluations, onchocerciasis Stop MDA surveys, coverage surveys, knowledge attitude perception surveys, etc.).  

B. Eligibility

General criteria:.

• Must be currently employed by or enrolled as a student in 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 as the 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
• Applications are accepted from all African countries. We particularly encourage applications from the following countries that have not yet had an applicant : Algeria, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Guinea, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Tunisia.
• We especially encourage female researchers to apply.

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 (i.e., ≥USD 200,000)
• 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 five 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
• Must be able to provide written evidence of commitment to providing mentorship and supervision from a senior researcher with a track record and ongoing commitment to NTD research.

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
• Must demonstrate that the intended project is a clearly defined aspect of ongoing research or aimed at answering a new question linked to ongoing research.

C. Application 

How to apply.

• Access the online application form and instructions here , complete all required sections and submit ahead of the deadline [1]
• The application form provides a lin k here to download a budget template. Complete all required sections by following the funding rules as outlined in the Review Guide and Instructions page of Budget template. Upon completion, please clic k here to upload a copy of your budget. Please note that an application without an accompanying budget using the prescribed template will not be reviewed. 

Review of the application will take the following into consideration:

• Eligibility of the applicant and possession of a qualified team 
• Scientific merit and overall quality of the proposed project
• Significance of the research and potential impact
• Potential for scaling up the research [2]
• Feasibility of the project’s successful completion within the 10 months’ period of the grant funding
• Demonstration of reasonable and realistic estimation of costs

An independent panel will review all complete applications submitted, culminating in the preliminary shortlisting of grant awardees. You may download the reviewers’ guid e here .   You are kindly advised to go through the application checklis t here to ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and conform to all the requirements. Applications which do not check all the boxes of the checklist will not advance for review. All shortlisted awardees will be supported through training to write and submit a full proposal based on a template. The final award and disbursement of funds will be conditioned on the head of department/unit of the host institution in which this award will be based confirming in writing that the research will be supported with appropriate space and facilities and administered in the name of the organization. In addition, successful applicants for the junior researchers’ grants will be required to submit a letter of support from a senior researcher and mentor who will serve as their “research quality guarantor”, and will be equally responsible for the success of the research project. Funded research will be closely monitored via bi-weekly calls with the ARNTD Secretariat, submission of quarterly reports, and field monitoring and evaluation visits by the ARNTD where necessary. 

Please click here to find answers to Frequently Asked Questions by previous applicants. For further inquiries, email with the subject line “ Inquiry SGP VI ” to [email protected]  

[1] All applications submitted after the deadline of September 30, 2022 at 17:00 GMT will not be reviewed, and all unsolicited attachments will not be considered.

[2] We encourage proof-of concept projects which demonstrate potential for scale-up to benefit program implementation (control and elimination of NTDs) as proximally as possible and which could be attractive for later funding from other sources.

Chamada para propostas em português.

Appel à propositions en français..

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Call for proposals

The IGC call for proposals is now closed and we are no longer accepting applications.

What we work on

The IGC’s research focuses on sustainable growth policies in developing countries . Sustainable growth refers to countries developing their potential in an inclusive way that improves social, environmental, and economic well-being for all, including for future generations. As developing countries have an urgent need for economic growth to increase living standards and reduce poverty, balancing this growth trajectory with environmental sustainability is crucial. Sustainable growth encompasses not just job creation, income enhancement, and poverty elimination but also increasing resilience to climate shocks and reducing the negative externalities of growth.

Our research direction is anchored in productivity and innovation, and the microeconomic transformations that drive sustainable growth. These include enhancing firm capabilities, improving state effectiveness, developing sound urbanisation strategies, and transitioning towards sustainable energy practices, all while safeguarding our natural environment.

Fundamental to our mission of contributing to informed policymaking is the use of data. We embrace all quantitative research methods and approaches that are grounded in data, and encourage the use of administrative data as well, which can offer important insights due to its detailed and often longitudinal nature. 

We are particularly interested in projects that address these issues through one of our four themes:

• Firms, trade, and productivity – Increasing productivity through structural changes in firms’ capabilities, the functioning of markets and how firms interact with world markets, while promoting green innovation and enhancing resilience against climate shocks.
• State effectiveness – Escaping fragility and improving the capabilities and effectiveness of states to deliver higher rates of inclusive growth, while addressing the challenges of environmental externalities.
• Cities – Making cities more productive and inclusive while addressing the downsides of density and ensuring resilience to climate change.
• Energy and environment – Improving access to reliable, cost-efficient energy, supporting the transition to clean energy, reducing global and local environmental externalities, and more effectively managing natural capital.

For more information read our research priorities  and our research strategy .

Where we work

We have resident teams in 10 partner countries throughout Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Country offices allow the IGC to sustain long-term policy engagement, and help ensure our work is demand-led. Our partner countries are Bangladesh , Ethiopia , Ghana , Jordan , Mozambique , Pakistan , Rwanda , Sierra Leone , Uganda , and Zambia . We also have flexible engagements in Tanzania and Yemen , and we encourage research in those countries as well.

More information on the research priorities for each of our partner countries can be found here .

Researchers are strongly encouraged to conduct their research in IGC partner countries , and to reach out to IGC country offices or to staff covering flexible engagement countries (e-mail [email protected] ) as they develop their proposals, as well as during the implementation phases of their projects.

Conducting research in countries where we have a country office comes with advantages – access to local research partners, datasets, and established, well-connected country teams. IGC staff provides dedicated support for policy engagement, facilitating meetings with policymakers and key stakeholders, and providing feedback on proposals and project outputs.

We also accept exceptional proposals for research in any other developing country that have the potential to influence global debates on sustainable growth, demonstrate a potential to significantly push the frontier of knowledge on a particular issue, and provide clear policy recommendations that are also relevant for IGC countries. These proposals will receive a higher level of scrutiny, and we expect them to be subject to a much higher level of competition.

For more information on our model, please visit our about section.

Types of awards

We offer two types of awards: full research grants and small research grants.

Full research grants : These grants are for fully-developed research projects. Not only must the research question be clear, but applicants must also demonstrate a commitment from implementing partners (if applicable), well-defined instruments, and a clear and compelling research design. Proposals can be for any type of research, and we encourage the use of a variety of approaches, including using secondary data. Proposals can also be submitted for funding the continuation of research projects that have already started where new research opportunities arise. The expectation is that these projects will result in a paper publishable in a top Economics journal, as well as generate significant policy impact. There is no limit on the amount that can be awarded. However, our average project budgets are GBP 60,000, and we rarely fund projects over GBP 125,000.

Small research grants: These grants are for pilot studies and exploratory research. We also strongly encourage applicants who want to work purely on administrative data to apply through this window. All small grants will be capped at GBP 30,000 , while research that is purely exploratory in nature will be capped at GBP 20,000 . Researchers must conduct their research in one of our 10 IGC resident countries ( Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia) or two flexible engagement countries (Tanzania and Yemen). They are expected to connect to the IGC country team during proposal development, which comes with several advantages including potential access to policymakers, access to feedback, and data. Small grants are designed to enable researchers to further refine and test innovative research ideas with high potential policy impact by conducting preliminary research and engaging with partners, which will enable stronger full applications in future funding rounds. We encourage any researcher to apply for these, but in particular PhD students, early-career researchers, and researchers based in developing countries.

• Pilot grants will be awarded to projects with a reasonably well-developed research question, but for which the design and implementation requires further testing and pilot data before scale-up into a larger research study. New evidence from the pilot can also sometimes lead to an adjustment or reformulation of the research question. There is also an expectation that grant awardees engage with relevant policy stakeholders, implementation partners, and IGC country team for feedback during the pilot, to further shape their interventions and research design for scale-up.
• Exploratory work relates to preliminary research ideas, such as conducting background research, developing partnerships, visiting field sites, and collecting preliminary data. The expectation is that these funds will be used to support costs related to the researcher’s travel and IGC country team and policymaker engagement to develop a proposal for a pilot or full-scale study during subsequent call for proposals. We do not expect to award more than GBP 20,000 for purely exploratory work that does not involve a pilot component.

Evaluation of proposals

Proposals are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Alignment with research strategy
• Quality of research design
• Policy impact
• Academic impact
• Engagement with local institutions, including IGC country teams
• Value for money

If you are interested in applying, please follow these steps.

Any researcher is allowed to apply for both the full research grant and the small grant. However, please see here some guiding principles.

Frequently asked questions

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PhD scholarship for developing country

UCLouvain is organising a call for applications for doctoral scholarships, or for mobility scholarships in the framework of a doctoral or post-doctoral stay, for nationals of developing countries. Through this approach, UCLouvain wishes to contribute not only to the strengthening of the academic fabric of developing countries, but also to the establishment of new partnerships between UCLouvain and research or higher education institutions in these countries.

The 2023-2024 call is a joint call for two streams of funding opportunities for Doctoral candidates:

• UCLouvain's Conseil de l'Action Internationale (CAI) South Partnership Doctoral grants
• ARES-CCD (Commission pour la coopération au développement) Doctoral mobility grants

Both instruments provide funding for doctoral theses for nationals from the Global South, with slightly different conditions for access and funding. In addition, post-doctoral stays are also funded by ARES-CCD:

• ARES-CCD post-doctoral mobility grants

1. Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, the applicant must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• UCLouvain-CAI Doctoral scholarship “South Partnership”: Eligible countries are: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Congo, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Ivory Coast, Cuba, South Africa, Djibouti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini (Kingdom of), Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Micronesia (Federated States of), Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Uganda, Philippines, Central African Republic, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Chad, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.  
• ARES-CCD mobility grants in the framework of a doctorate or post-doctorate: Eligible countries are: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
• Be supported by at least one member of the academic staff of UCLouvain;
• Having initiated the process to be admitted by the Doctoral Domain Commission (CDD) of the candidate's research field at UCLouvain;
• Be free of any commitment to return to the country with respect to a granting organization that has financed training;
• For students who have already started their doctorate and are regularly registered at UCLouvain, not be a recipient of a scholarship.

Nationals of a country eligible for this call who, because of their administrative status within the EU, are comparable to Belgian students in terms of residence and/or social rights , are not eligible for this competition.

2. Selection criteria

The International Action Council (IAC) of UCLouvain will select the beneficiaries of the doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships on the basis of the following criteria:

Research dimension

• Academic quality: CV of the candidate.
• Quality of the research project.
• Quality of the environment: Suitability and quality of the teams at UCLouvain and in the partner institution(s) supervising the candidate

Development cooperation dimension

• Partnership: it is expected that the projects will directly involve a partner from a Southern institution (co-supervision or other form of collaboration with a scientist from the South). At a minimum, the project will describe one of the following elements: the involvement of one or more scientists from an institution in the South in the supervision of the thesis or post-doctoral research, collaborations with other ongoing projects in the South or in the North, or dissemination, awareness-raising and/or networking activities that are foreseen at UCLouvain and in the partner institution(s) in the South with a view to transferring skills and knowledge.
• Relevance in terms of global development and societal issues: scientific projects are expected to address development issues (in the sense of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs), beyond the objective of quality education (higher education), or the development of competences that are relevant for the partner institution or at least the country of origin. The project should refer to at least one of the following elements: the link with one of the MDGs, the capacity building components for the Southern partner(s) or the relevance of crossing South-North views on the project theme.
• It is expected that the project respects, where relevant, the dimensions of human rights, ethics and integrity, academic freedom, gender equality, and plurality of South and North views.

In case of multiple applications for new theses from the same promoter, the IAC members will select a maximum of one application, except for reasons deemed exceptional by them.

After the selection, a reasoned feedback will be sent to the promoter and the candidate upon request.

The deadline to respond to this call is February 28, 2023 . The application file and the exact conditions of each scholarship are available on the university intranet and can be requested from the promoter who will lead the project.

To find a promoter, you can contact the Committee for the doctoral programme which is relevant to you.

Many other general information on doctoral programmes at UCLouvain are also available on this website.

Support for Programs in Developing World

The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation seeks to protect the environment, improve food production, and promote public health in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. 

The Foundation supports projects and applied research that:

• Generate local or regional solutions to problems affecting the quality of the environment and human life;
• Advance local leadership and promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences;
• Develop the capacity of local organizations and coalitions; and
• Address challenges in the field. 

The Foundation prefers to support projects that address under-funded issues and geographic areas.

The Foundation funds applied research, pilot projects, new initiatives, training, and technical assistance, rather than ongoing support for programs that are already well underway.  An important goal for the Foundation is to provide seed money to help promising projects, organizations, and individuals develop the track record they need to attract major foundation funding in the future.

The foundation has an online, two-phase application system comprised of a short concept application, followed by a limited number of invited full proposals.

The foundation will not consider more than one proposal from an organization in any calendar year.    Interested applicants from within Duke should contact  [email protected]  as early as possible.

Duke is not eligible again until the July 1, 2024 due date.

Deadline for Concept Applications: January 1, July 1

The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation supports special projects and programs of non governmental organizations in three primary fields of interest: conservation, food, and health. Examples of areas of interest within these fields follow, but are not meant to be exclusive.

Conservation

• Conservation grants help improve ecological and environmental conditions in the developing world. The foundation supports field research and related research activities, training, and technical assistance efforts that:
• help conserve viable ecosystems and protect biological diversity in developing countries
• train local leaders in conservation and protection of resources, with an emphasis on technical and scientific training

Food Food grants support focused efforts to improve access to food for consumption in developing countries. Areas of interest include projects that:

• promote or develop specific sustainable agriculture practices with potential to advance science and practice in other countries;
• explore and refine innovative education and training interventions for small scale food producers and farmers; and
• advance new approaches to control pests and diseases affecting important food crops of developing countries

The foundation supports public health programs that are preventive rather than curative in nature. It supports research, technical assistance, and training projects that:

• improve public health through community-based efforts that address health promotion, disease prevention, family planning, and reproductive health.
• increase the understanding and treatment of tropical diseases

Eligibility

The Foundation supports local, state, and regional organizations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East in the countries where the projects are based.  It also supports organizations located in upper-income countries working with local partners in these areas.  It does not support projects in post-Soviet states or Balkan states.

Most types of organizations that can provide evidence of their non-governmental status or charitable purpose are eligible to apply, including non-governmental organizations, nonprofit organizations; civil society organizations; community-based organizations; and colleges, universities, and other academic institutions.

There is no minimum or maximum grant size. It is anticipated that most grants will fall in the $25,000-$50,000 per year range.

Grants are made for a one- or two-year period.  Second-year funding is conditional on the provision of a satisfactory progress report, interim financial report, and work plan.  Renewal requests for projects that were not originally approved as a multi-year project may be considered, but require a new application.

2016 - Charles R. Welch - Lemur Center - $19,000 to develop conservation priorities for lemurs in Madagascar by mapping populations in core reserves, habitat corridors and forest fragments.

2011 - Nichols School of the Environment $20,936 to study how lowland Amazonian forests in southeastern Peru regenerate after large seed dispersing monkeys and birds have been eliminated by hunting by settlers.

2009 - Duke University Center for Tropical Conservation $24,269 to study the migration, ecology, and management of the Orinoco Goose in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru.

Duke University Center for Tropical Conservation $25,000 to study how lowland Amazonian forests in southeastern Peru regenerate after large seed dispersing monkeys and birds have been eliminated by hunting by new settlers.

​International funding opportunities

The funding landscape has changed in recent years to incorporate more international funding opportunities, particularly those focused on developing countries.

The majority of funding to support research for developing countries sits under three funders: The Global Challenge Research Fund, Newton Fund and Department for International Development.

Global Challenge Research Fund

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government in late 2015 to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.

GCRF forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, which is monitored by the  Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) .

The GCRF delivery partners are: UK Research and Innovation, Scottish Funding Council, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, Department for Education Northern Ireland, Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal Society, British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and UK Space Agency.

The Fund is advised by a Strategic Advisory Group and a  UKRI International Development Peer Review College  forms part of the GCRF global engagement strategy for Official Development Assistance (ODA) research.

For more information visit the GCRF website .

Newton Fund

The Newton Fund aims to promote the economic development and social welfare of either the partner countries or, through working with the partner country, to address the well being of communities. It will do so through strengthening partner country science and innovation capacity and unlocking further funding to support this work. It is also part of the UK’s official development assistance (ODA).

The Fund was launched in 2014 and originally consisted of £75 million each year for 5 years. In the 2015 UK Spending Review it was agreed to extend and expand the Fund. The Newton Fund was extended from 2019 to 2021 and expanded by doubling the £75 million investment to £150 million by 2021, leading to a £735 million UK investment to 2021, with partner countries providing matched resources within the Fund.

Additional information can be found on the Newton Fund website .

Department for International Development (DFID)

Research is at the heart of DFID’s thinking. High quality research which generates strong and applicable evidence helps us build good development programmes. Research can open up new possibilities and empower us to deal with difficult problems. Outputs from DFID funded research projects and programmes are available on  Research for Development Outputs .

DFID has an  open and enhanced access policy  to help make the research we fund freely available and to increase the uptake and use of it.  DFID’s Research uptake guidance  and  accompanying checklist  provide information on DFID’s approach to research uptake and advice for designing a research uptake strategy.

DFID research has 3 strands of work:

• to develop new technologies and products such as drought resistant crops, better drugs for malaria and neglected diseases
• to help us understand what development approaches work most effectively in order to improve the impact and value for money of spending on development
• to improve our understanding of key development questions so that we make the best policy choices. For example, predicting the onset of the West African rains, finding out why girls leave school early and understanding causes and effects of corruption and how to address them.

Additional information can be found through the DFID website .

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• 07 May 2024

US funders to tighten oversight of controversial ‘gain of function’ research

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A US policy that goes into effect next year tightens oversight of risky pathogen research conducted in biosafety facilities. Credit: Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo

After years of deliberation, US officials have released a policy that outlines how federal funding agencies and research institutions must review and oversee biological experiments on pathogens with the potential to be misused or spark a pandemic.

The policy, which applies to all research funded by US agencies and will take effect in May 2025, broadens oversight of these experiments. It singles out work involving high-risk pathogens for special oversight and streamlines existing policies and guidelines, adding clarity that researchers have been seeking for years.

“This is a very welcome development,” says Jaime Yassif, vice-president of global biological policy and programmes at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a research centre in Washington DC that focuses on national-security issues. “The US is the biggest funder of life sciences research [globally], so we have a moral obligation to guard against risks.”

Balancing act

Manipulating pathogens such as viruses inside an enclosed laboratory facility, sometimes by making them more transmissible or harmful (called gain-of-function research), can help scientists to assess their risk to society and develop countermeasures such as vaccines or antiviral drugs. But the worry is that such pathogens could accidentally escape the laboratory or even become weaponized by people with malicious intent.

Policymakers have had difficulty developing a clearly articulated review system that evaluates the risks and benefits of this research, while ensuring that fundamental science needed to prepare for the next pandemic and to advance medicine isn’t paralysed. The latest policy, released on 6 May by the US Office of Science and Technology Policy, is the next stage of a long-running US balancing act between totally banning high-risk pathogen research and assessing it with standards that some say are too ambiguous.

The shifting sands of ‘gain-of-function’ research

In 2014, after several accidents involving mishandled pathogens at US government laboratories, the presidential administration announced a moratorium on funding for research that could make certain pathogens — such as influenza and coronaviruses — more dangerous, given their potential to unleash an epidemic or pandemic. At the time, some researchers said the ban threatened necessary flu surveillance and vaccine research.

The government ended the moratorium in 2017, after the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), a panel of experts that advises the US government, concluded that very few experiments posed a risk. That year, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) instead implemented a review framework for proposals from scientists seeking federal funding for experiments involving potential pandemic pathogens. This framework applied to proposals to any agency housed under the HHS, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.

Researchers raised concerns about the transparency of this review process, and the NSABB was asked to revisit these policies and guidelines in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed any action until 2022. During that time, the emergence of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 , and the ensuing debate over whether it had leaked from a lab in China, put biosafety at the top of researchers’ minds worldwide. The NIH, in particular, was scrutinized during the pandemic for its role in funding potentially risky coronavirus research. In response, some Republican lawmakers have — so far unsuccessfully — put forward legislation that would once again place a moratorium on research that might increase the transmissibility or virulence of pathogens.

Finding a balance

The latest policy aims to address concerns that have arisen over the past decade about lax oversight, ambiguous wording and lack of transparency.

It breaks potentially problematic research into two categories. The first includes research on biological pathogens or toxins that could generate knowledge, technologies or products that could be misused. The second includes research on pathogens with enhanced pandemic potential.

Research falls into the first category if it meets several criteria. For example, it must involve high-risk biological agents, such as smallpox, that are on specific lists. It must also have particular experimental outcomes, such as increasing an agent’s deadliness.

Research that falls into the second category includes pathogens intended to be modified in a way that is “reasonably anticipated” to make them more dangerous. That criterion means that even research on pathogens that are not typically considered dangerous — seasonal influenza, for example — can fall into the second category. Previously, pathogen surveillance and vaccine-development research were not subject to additional oversight in the United States; the latest policy eliminates this exception, but clarifies that both surveillance and vaccine research are “typically not within the scope” of research in the second category.

Layers of review

Scientists and their institutions are responsible for identifying research that falls into the two categories, the policy states. Once the funding agency confirms that a research proposal fits into either group, that agency will request a risk–benefit assessment and a risk-mitigation plan from the investigator and institution. If a proposal is deemed to fit into the second category, it will undergo an extra review before the project gets the green light. A report of all federally funded research that fits into the second category will be made public every year.

NIH reinstates grant for controversial coronavirus research

The directive also mandates that agencies outside the HHS that fund biological research, such as the US Department of Defense, must abide by the same rules. This is a huge step forward, says Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, Maryland. But it applies only to federally funded research; the policy recommends, but does not require, that non-governmental organizations and the private sector follow the same rules.

Federal agencies and research institutions will now create their own implementation plans to comply with the policy before it goes into effect in 2025. Yassif says that the policy’s success will hinge on how these stakeholders implement it.

Nevertheless, the policy sets a worldwide standard and might inspire other countries to re-evaluate how they oversee life-sciences research, says Filippa Lentzos, a biosecurity researcher at King’s College London who chairs an advisory group for the World Health Organization (WHO) on the responsible use of life-sciences research. Later this month, at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO member states will consider a proposal to urge nations to cooperate on developing international standards for biosecurity.

Nature 629 , 510-511 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01377-x

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Sigma Nursing Announces 2023 International Award Recipients and Honorary Members

Awards will be conferred during sigma’s 47th biennial convention in san antonio, texas, usa .

INDIANAPOLIS —The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) is proud to announce the nurses and healthcare professionals being honored for their contributions to professional excellence with the 2023 International Awards for Nursing Excellence, Board Awards, and Honorary Membership. The awards will be presented during Sigma’s 47th Biennial Convention, 11-15 November 2023 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Sigma’s International Awards for Nursing Excellence reflect the organization’s dedication to fostering high professional nursing standards, recognizing superior achievement, developing leadership, and encouraging creative work.

“On behalf of Sigma’s international Board of Directors, the staff, and our members worldwide, I congratulate all of Sigma’s International Award recipients. These are outstanding individuals, recognized by their peers for superior achievement and dedication to the advancement of global health, who have made profound contributions to Sigma, the nursing profession, and global health,” said  Sigma President Kenneth Dion, PhD, MSN, MBA, RN, RCSI, FAAN .

Sigma’s biennial convention is the organization’s largest event and attracts nearly 2,500 nurse leaders from more than 50 countries. During the event, Sigma members and global leaders in nursing come together to celebrate Sigma’s 100-year heritage, build upon successes, and embrace the 2021-2023 organizational call to action: Be Bold . To view details or register for the event, visit SigmaNursing.org/Convention .

2023 SIGMA INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARDS

Archon Award

Houston, Texas, USA

Medical Bridges is a leader in global health equity and a life-changing and lifesaving nonprofit serving the global poor by providing needed medical supplies and equipment to clinics and hospitals. During the past two years, Medical Bridges shipped 300 tons of desperately needed medical supplies and equipment valued at more than $15 million to Ukraine, Haiti, Afghanistan, and developing countries in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, as well as to rural clinics and charitable hospitals in Texas during emergencies. 

Richmond, Virginia, USA

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the mission-driven non-profit serving as the United States’ transplant system under contract with the federal government. UNOS leads the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers dedicated to honoring the gifts of life entrusted to the organization and to making lifesaving transplants possible for patients in need. 

Austin, Texas, USA

Luci Baines Johnson is the daughter of former US President Lyndon Baines Johnson. She is Chairman of the Board and manager of LBJ Asset Management Partners, and Chairman of the Board of BusinesSuites, which she co-founded with her husband Ian J. Turpin. Lifelong philanthropists, they have contributed to numerous organizations in the state of Texas and are the benefactors of the Luci Baines Johnson and Ian J. Turpin Center for Gerontological Nursing at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. 

Nell J. Watts Lifetime Achievement in Nursing Award

The Nell J. Watts Lifetime Achievement in Nursing Award, one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the Board of Directors, is given to a Sigma member who has demonstrated exemplary achievements in nursing throughout their lifetime.

2023 INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR NURSING EXCELLENCE 

Sigma’s International Awards for Nursing Excellence are based on the society’s dedication to fostering high professional nursing standards, recognizing superior achievement, developing leadership, and encouraging creative work.

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP

Honorary membership is conferred by Sigma’s Board of Directors on individuals throughout the world who are not eligible for regular membership but have demonstrated sustained superior achievements that have contributed to the advancement of nursing and healthcare at the national or global levels.

About Sigma

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve healthcare everywhere. Founded in 1922, Sigma has more than 100,000 active members and 600 chapters at institutions of higher education and healthcare partners from Armenia, Australia, and Botswana to Thailand, the United States, and Wales. Sigma members include clinical nurses and administrators, academic nurse educators and researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others working to fulfill the organization’s vision of connected, empowered nurse leaders transforming global healthcare. Learn more at  www.SigmaNursing.org . 

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