Global Infectious Disease (GID) Research Training Program (D43) (PAR-14-193) & Planning Grant (D71)

Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (GID)

Status: Open

Announcement(s)

• Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D43) (PAR-14-193)
• Planning Grant for Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D71) (PAR-15-160)
• Optional: Apply using NIH ASSIST (NOT-OD-15-126)

Deadlines

• Deadlines for D43 and D71 letters of intent:
  30 days prior to the application due date
• Upcoming deadline for D43 and D71 applications: July 29, 2016

Eligibility

• Notice of Change in Country Eligibility for Fogarty International Training Grants (NOT-TW-12-011)

Eligibility: Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D43)

• U.S. Institutions with a demonstrated collaboration with a researcher in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) institutions may apply.
• Foreign institutions in LMICs may also apply.
• Applicant institution must have robust and high-quality research ongoing in the area(s) proposed.

Eligibility: Planning Grant for Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D71)

• Applicants may only be submitted by foreign institutions in LMICs, as defined by theWorld Bank Classification system.
• Foreign applicants should apply in collaboration with U.S. institutions and must name an individual in the proposed institution as the major collaborator.

Applicant institutions for both the full institutional grant and the planning grant may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

Program Overview

The Global Infectious Disease (GID) program addresses research training needs related to infectious diseases that are predominantly endemic in or impact upon people living in developing countries. The training programs include a variety of research training options to match the needs of the developing country institution. The ultimate goal is to build a critical mass of researchers and support staff to conduct independent infectious disease research in developing country institutions.

Training programs may include:

• Long-term (master's or doctoral degree and other training that is six months or longer) training for the full range of skills necessary to support research and research administration with the understanding that the focus of thesis and training-related research will be in their country.
• Medium-term (three- to up to six-months) training or mentoring, including specialized clinical, laboratory, research or administrative/business skills necessary to support research that is planned or ongoing.
• Short-term (less than three months) training or mentoring that focuses on research methodology, laboratory skills necessary to support research ethics and compliance issues, program and grants administration and financial management, grant writing, preparation of scientific manuscripts, data management, informatics, and other relevant areas.
• Institutional capacity-building efforts such as in-country training workshops in advanced research techniques, distance learning and informatics.
• Advanced in-country mentored research undertaken by the trainee in his/her home country upon completion of his/her initial period of long-term training under the program.

Inquiries

Programmatic Issues

Barbara Sina, Ph.D.Program Director
Division of International Training and Research
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Building 31, Room B2C39
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: (301) 402-9467
FAX: (301) 402-0779
Email: barbara_sina@nih.gov

Grants Management

Satabdi RaychowdhuryGrants Management Specialist
Fogarty International Center
Building 31, Room B2C29
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: 301-496-9750
Fax: 301-594-1211
Email: Satabdi.Raychowdhury@nih.gov

NIH/NIAID Tropical Medicine Research Centers (U19)

U19 Research Program – Cooperative Agreements

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number RFA-AI-16-002

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-16-002.html

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications from institutions/organizations that propose to conduct research on the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of tropical diseases in endemic areas. The scope of the research to be supported is limited to select Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and their corresponding vectors. Research may be focused on a single pathogen or more than one pathogen causing NTDs. Multi-disciplinary research and/or study of multiple pathogens is encouraged. This program is not intended to support research which can be conducted primarily in U.S. institutions.  

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) May 3, 2016

Letter of Intent Due Date(s) May 3, 2016

Application Due Date(s) June 3, 2016, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on this date.

Earliest Start Date  April 2017

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.  PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.

NIAID intends to commit $3.5 million in FY 2017 to fund 6-8 TMRC awards.

The budget for each TMRC cannot exceed $500,000 in direct costs per year excluding consortia F&A costs.     A maximum of 15% of the requested annual direct cost budget may be used to fund institutions in, and consultants from, economically developed countries (seehttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/CLASS.XLS).

The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 5 years.  

EDCTP-TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellowships (close 28 Jan 2016)

Call for Proposals

TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellowships

Deadline for applications: 28 January 2016, 16:00 (GMT)

This joint call for proposals provides fellowships to early-to-mid-career scientists and clinical
staff in low- and middle-income countries to learn how to conduct clinical trials. Selected
applicants are placed in pharmaceutical companies or product development partnerships for
6-24 months.

Scope
The purpose of this Joint Call for Proposals is to provide funding support to researchers and key members of clinical trial research teams from LMICs to acquire essential skills in clinical research and development through placements in pharmaceutical companies and PDPs. The scheme targets early to mid-career researchers or clinical staff (clinicians, pharmacists, medical statisticians, data managers, other health researchers) who are employed by a legal entity in LMICs where they are currently working on activities in the scope of EDCTP or TDR.

TDR will fund fellows employed by a research institution in any LMIC to be placed in pharmaceutical companies and PDPs either in or outside Europe to train and develop new research skills on infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, Ebola and NIDs

For TDR, Neglected Infectious Diseases (NIDs) include: dengue/severe dengue; rabies; chagas disease; Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness); leishmaniases; cysticercosis/taeniasis; dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease); echinococcosis; foodborne trematodiases; lymphatic filariasis; onchocerciasis (river blindness); schistosomiasis; soil-transmitted helminthiases; buruli
ulcer; leprosy (Hansen disease); trachoma; yaws.

Eligibility
At the deadline for submission of proposals, the fellow should:
 be a post-graduate (MSc or PhD) or medical graduate with clinical and/or research
experience in infectious diseases;
 have obtained their first degree within 15 years of submission of the application;
 have been a researcher or clinical staff member employed for the last 12 months in an
institution with a registered legal entity in LMIC (TDR), conducting clinical research activities in the scope of the EDCTP24 and WHO/TDR programme.

For further details, please see: http://www.who.int/tdr/grants/call-EDCTP_TDR-5.11.pdf?ua=1

Round 7 of the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS): Grant Opportunity for Organizations in Thailand Engaged in Tuberculosis Response

The Stop TB Partnership, with support from the Global Fund, launched Round 7 of the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS) in September of this year. CFCS supports civil society and community engagement in national tuberculosis (TB) response.

Round 7 has three primary objectives:

1. Strengthen existing or new national level TB constituencies that engage, represent and are accountable to communities.
2. Reinforce the capacities & responses of local communities who are part of the TB response.
3. Tighten linkages, collaboration and coordination between local communities and government. 

This round will invest significantly (USD60,000) in community responses in Global Fund supported countries, that are integrated and are part of a comprehensive response to TB. Like Global Fund investments in community systems strengthening, Round 7 aims to build the capacity of communities who engage in the TB response at community and national levels.  

Eligibility:
Applicant organizations must:

1. Have documentation to confirm that it is a registered organization.
2. Demonstrate that the organization have been operating for at least one full year according to date exhibited on registration certificate.
3. Have some experience working on HIV or TB.
4. Have experience or work on civil society and community related issues.
5. Have a demonstrated understanding of Global Fund processes.
6. Have a track record in strengthening community engagement.
7. Be proposing to work in a country that has an active Global Fund TB or TB/HIV grant and/or be a High Burden TB or MDR-TB or TB/HIV country (Thailand is eligible).

Organizations who apply should ideally have experience in building communities and strengthening community responses (not necessarily in TB) .

Dates:
Application deadline: 30 October 2015

Award details:

Grant implementation will be in 2 phases.

1. Phase I (3-5 month period): Grantees will strengthen or build a national TB constituency that engages, represents and is accountable to communities (objective 1)
2. Phase II (9-12 month period): Grantees will support the development and implementation of the nationally led constituency engagement and work-plan to reinforce community responses (objective 2) and strengthen collaboration between community and government structures (objective 3).

 The call is for phase I only, so those applying should develop a work-plan that focuses on building a national TB constituency. 
If you have any questions, or are interested in applying to this grant, please contact Paul at the Office of Research Services.   

Emerging Global Leader Award (K43) PAR-15-292

NIH has announced a call for applications for their Emerging Global Leader Award. The purpose of this program is to provide research support and protected time to a research scientist from a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) with a junior faculty position at an LMIC academic or research institution. This intensive, mentored research career development experience is expected to lead to an independently funded research career.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications from LMIC scientists from any health related discipline that propose career development activities and a research project that is relevant to the health priorities of their country

Eligibility:
Applicant must be an LMIC citizen 
Applicants must currently hold a full-time academic junior faculty position or research scientist appointment
Applicants who are or have been the PD/PI of a multi-year independent research grant from an external research funding organization are not eligible.
Applicant must identify a primary mentor at his/her LMIC institution and a primary mentor at a collaborating U.S. institution who, together, will supervise the proposed career development and research

Dates:
Application Deadline: December 16, 2015
Earliest project start date: July 2016

Award details:
Project length: 3-5 years
Salary: NIH will contribute up to 75,000 USD per year towards the salary of the awardee (based on the salary at the LMIC institution)
Program-related expenses: NIH will contribute up to 30,000 USD per year toward research development costs (these include, but are not limited to, supplies, equipment, technical personnel, tuition or registration fees for activities related to the proposed career development plan, fees for statistical and computational services, and travel to research sites, research meetings, or training)

Read the full announcement.

If you have any questions, or are interested in applying to this grant, please contact Paul at the Office of Research Services.

NIH-NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program: A Joint Program for Multidisciplinary Research (NOT-TW-15-005)

NIH-NSF has recently announced a call for application for the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program.

The purpose of the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) Program is to support multidisciplinary teams in the development of predictive models that integrate ecology and evolution with the goal of discovering principles governing the transmission dynamics of infectious disease agents to humans and other hosts. Proposed projects should include research and associated expertise in diverse disciplines including, for example, modelers, bioinformaticians, genomics researchers, social scientists, economists, epidemiologists, entomologists, parasitologists, microbiologists, bacteriologists, virologists, pathologists or veterinarians, as relevant to understanding the disease transmission system proposed. The EEID program scope includes socio-ecology, pathogen evolution and translational research in the overall context of the ecology of disease transmission.

The FIC mission prioritizes collaborative projects with scientists in LMICs focused on significant health threats in their countries. The NIGMS mission prioritizes basic biomedical research that increases understanding of life processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. Other NIH components have participated in the past and may do so again in the current cycle

Application Deadline: November 18, 2015
Duration of project: Maximum 5 years
Project Budget: up to 350,000USD Direct Costs per year

Read the full Request for Applications

If you are interested in applying to this opportunity, please contact Paul Adams at the Office of Research Services

Gates Foundation Grand Challenge: Develop malaria diagnostics to accelerate toward eradication

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Grand Challenges Explorations

http://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenges

DATE OPEN: 9 SEP 2015    DEADLINE: 11 NOV 2015

Develop malaria diagnostics to accelerate toward eradication

As we drive toward malaria eradication, we seek new ideas for malaria diagnostics to enable the eradication of malaria. Specifically:

• More sensitive diagnostics. In the control phase, microscopy and commercial rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) seem to be sufficient to carry out the goals of malaria control programs to reduce morbidity and mortality. However, to move from “Control” to “Elimination”, we need more sensitive tests to identify individuals in the community with lower parasite densities who are not diagnosed with current RDTs but contribute significantly to malaria transmission.

• Non-invasive RDTs. As we move toward elimination, we anticipate that it will be difficult to “actively” test the population using finger prick, especially in very low prevalence regions. Therefore, we seek RDTs performed on non-invasive samples such as saliva. To fit the need, these tests must be simple, fully integrated, as sensitive as RDTs performed on blood, and importantly, remain very low cost.

Successful proposals will:

• Clearly describe how the idea, if successful, would help solve one of the challenges described in the call;
• Be directly relevant to the developing world (e.g. low-cost, useful across multiple geographical and cultural settings, self-sustaining);
• Have a clear and testable hypothesis and include an associated plan for how the idea would be tested or validated;
• Yield interpretable and unambiguous data in Phase I, in order to be considered for Phase II funding.

Application Instructions

STEP ONE

To get started, download and read the Rules and Guidelines document (PDF). It contains detailed information on all aspects of Grand Challenges Explorations. You may need to download Adobe Reader to view PDF documents.

Please also read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Any information submitted by you or on your behalf with respect to the Grand Challenges Explorations Initiative (including your proposal, reports, and any related documentation and communications) will be subject to and handled in accordance with the provisions in these documents.

Changes to the Rules and Guidelines will be posted on the Frequently Asked Questions page of this website. Please read the current FAQs before submitting any questions or concerns.

STEP TWO

Each Grand Challenges Explorations application round consists of requests for proposals targeting multiple specific challenges. Read the list of GCE challenges on the Grant Opportunities page and then follow the links to read the detailed descriptions of each challenge.

STEP THREE

Please download the Application Form for specific instructions on the format and content of your application. Please note that some users may see a screen asking them to log in when opening the Application Form. This is an issue with some versions of Microsoft Office. Click Cancel and the Application Form will open for you.

All proposals must be written in English.

Read the Tips for Applicants for additional guidance as you write the proposal.

STEP FOUR

You can create an account using our online Explorations Application Tool.  This tool will enable you to register for an Explorations challenge as well as create, edit, or submit your proposal.  After you have created an account and registered for a challenge, you can start the online application process. All applications must be submitted through this online system.

 If you are interested in applying for this opportunitiy and need some help or advice, please contact Paul (paul.ada@mahidol.ac.th) or Glad (gladgeorge.rot@mahidol.ac.th) at the Office of Research Services. 

Integrated Preclinical/Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development Program (IPCAVD) (U19) (PAR-15-330)

NIAID recently announced a request for applications for an Integrated Preclinical/Clinical AIDS Vaccine program (PAR-15-330)

Purpose:

The goal of the Integrated Preclinical/Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development Program (IPCAVD) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to facilitate the translation of sufficiently advanced, innovative and promising vaccine candidates into early clinical testing. The IPCAVD program is designed to enable a multi-disciplinary team of investigators to complete all steps necessary from down-selection of a vaccine candidate through CGMP manufacture/testing/product release and into clinical trials.

The award will provide support for:

(1) All stages of vaccine platform research and development through facilitation of Non-Human Primate (NHP) proof-of concept studies and down-selection of the final lead candidate

(2) All product development stages including processes development, CGMP manufacturing and formulation; and

(3) Support  for all IND-enabling studies and regulatory submissions. 

The IPCAVD will not support clinical trials. However, investigators are expected to begin clinical studies under other funding mechanisms no later than year five of this award.  Applications consisting of preclinical research alone without a direct pathway to clinical testing will not be supported.

Dates:

Letter of  Intent Due Date: 8 February 2016

Application Due Date: 9 March 2016

Earliest Project Start Date: December 2016

Award Budget:

Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. As a guideline, the approximate range of funding in direct costs is expected to be $1.5 to $2.5 million per year.

The maximum project period is 5 years.

To read the full RFA, click on the following link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-15-330.html

If you are interested in applying to this grant, please contact Paul (paul.ada@mahidol.ac.th) or Glad (gladgeorge.rot@mahidol.edu) at the Office of Research Services.

Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award (K43, PAR-15-292)

NIH has announced a call for applications for the Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award (K43, PAR-15-292) grant, open for young researchers who are citizens of a Low or Middle Income Country (LMIC).

The grant provides research support and time to a research scientist from  a LMIC who holds and academic junior faculty position, or research scientist appointment at an LMIC academic or research institution. Applications are invited from any health-related discipline who propose both critically needed career development activities and a research project that is highly relevant to the health priorities of their country.

Dates:

• Application Due Date: 16 December 2015
• Earliest start date: July 2016

Duration: Project should be minimum 3 years, maximum 5 years

Budget:

• A salary of up to 75,000 USD (for a minimum of 75% effort or 30h/week)
• Research and development costs: Up to 30,000 USD per year toward the research development costs of the recipient (supplies, equipment, technical personnel, tuition/registrations)

For the full Request For Applications, and more details, go to the RFA homepage: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-15-292.html

If you are interested in applying to this grant, or have any questions, please contact Paul or Glad at the Office of Research Services.

FY15 DOD PRMRP Program Announcements and SOCOM Broad Agency Announcement

The US Department of Defense has announced the funding opportunities for the Fiscal Year 2015, which include the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP), consisting of the following awards:

Mechanism	Deadline
Clinical Trial Award	Pre-application: June 18, 2015 Application: October 22, 2015
Discovery Award	Pre-application: June 25, 2015 Application: July 9, 2015
Focused Program Award	Pre-application: June 18, 2015 Application: October 28, 2015
Investigator-initiated Research Award	Pre-application: June 11, 2015 Application: October 15, 2015
Technology/Therapeutic Development Award	Pre-application: June 11, 2015 Application, October 15, 2015

For full details about the different award mechanisms can be found at the DOD homepage, http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prmrp.shtml

Submission is a two-step process requiring both (1) pre-application submission through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org/) and (2) application submission through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/). If you are interested in applying to this funding opportunity, please contact Paul Adams (paul.ada@mahidol.ac.th) or Glad Rotaru (gladgeorge.rot@mahidol.edu) at the Office of Research Services.

TDR Call for applications: Research on innovative approaches for safety monitoring of preventive chemotherapy interventions for the control of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Research teams are invited to submit letters of interest for research on piloting innovative approaches for safety monitoring in the context of preventive chemotherapy and mass drug administration implemented for the control of neglected tropical diseases. Under this call, one or two research teams are expected to be selected for funding for a maximum amount of US$ 100 000 each. 

Background and rationale 

Preventive chemotherapy programmes for the control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are being expanded in many countries. These programmes often target very large but vulnerable populations (e.g. children) and use non-medical staff (e.g. teachers or community health workers) for drug distribution at the community level. Adequate safety monitoring should be ensured where such programmes are carried out, and guidance has been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help programme managers establish a safety surveillance system (1, 2). However, many low and middle income countries lack a robust system and tools at the community level for collecting in an efficient and reliable manner information on safety for these mass treatment interventions. New tools, in particular m-health tools, have been proposed as a way of improving reporting of safety information, but little evidence has been gathered on the field. Implementation research is needed to determine effective and sustainable methods for monitoring the safety in MDA, as part of a broader system of pharmacovigilance in health programmes. This call fits within TDR’s focus to help low- and middle-income countries develop innovative tools and strategies targeting neglected tropical diseases. 

Objectives 

The overall objective of the call is to support one or two research teams from Africa, Asia or Latin America and the Caribbean to pilot innovative approaches to improve safety monitoring in the context of preventive chemotherapy and mass drug administration (MDA) put in place for the control of NTDs. The expected outcome is data that would aid evidence-based decisions for recommendations on methodologies to be implemented for safety monitoring in preventive chemotherapy and MDA programmes. 

 Application 

Applications should be submitted online. A 6-10 page letter of interest should provide a brief outline of the technical and operational feasibility for the proposed project (see below). A one-page summary CV of the principal investigator and a supporting letter from the institution’s director should also be attached. 

Deadline for submission: 10 April 2015

For full details about this grant and the application procedures, please click on the following link: http://www.who.int/tdr/grants/en/

If you are interested in applying to this opportunity, or have any questions, please contact Paul (paul.ada@mahidol.ac.th) or Glad (gladgeorge.rot@mahidol.edu) at the Office of Research Services

Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development

REMINDER: SAVING LIVES AT BIRTH ROUND 5

The Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partners invite global problem solvers to answer their fifth call for groundbreaking prevention and treatment approaches to better support for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the time of childbirth.  The Challenge seeks to identify and develop transformative approaches that integrate forward thinking science and technologies, better service delivery models and improved "demand side" innovations that empower pregnant women and their families to practice healthy behaviors and access health care during pregnancy, childbirth and the early postnatal period, especially the first two days after birth. This year, in addition to the seed and transition awards used in previous rounds, the partners introduced a third funding stream.  'Validation' funds will be used to introduce and validate the effectiveness of innovations to reach proof-of-concept. Round 5 will also place an increased focus on advancing the most successful and transformational innovations in their transition to scale. The number of awards in each category varies.    The Challenge will be accepting applications until Friday March 27, 2015 (closes at 2:00 p.m. ET). For more information and to apply online, visit the Saving Lives at Birth  website.   Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partnership, launched in 2011, includes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada (funded by the Government of Canada), and the U.K’s Department for International Development (DFID).

Joint Health Research Call: MRC - TRF - NSTDA - Newton Fund

• Status: Open
• Open date: 09/03/2015
• Closing date: Tuesday 02 June 2015 16:00
• Type: Calls
• Categories: Infections and immunity, Molecular and cellular medicine, Global health

       

• Objectives and scope
• Infectious disease
• Cancer
• Research activities
• Funding available
• The Newton Fund
• Assessment process
• Decision making process
• How to apply
• Contacts

Objectives and scope

“NATIONAL STRATEGIC DISEASES OF THAILAND”

Thailand is presently in a period of epidemiological transition, reflected in key changes in the morbidity and mortality. Today, the major and rising causes of death among Thai citizens are non-communicable diseases. The number one cause of death is cancer. The prevalence rate of communicable (infectious) diseases, which used to be significant health problems have been declining, however drug-resistant and re-emerging infectious diseases are a growing challenge for disease control and prevention in Thailand. For further details please refer to the Thailand’s Health Profile prepared by Bureau of Policy and Strategy, Ministry of Public Healthopens in new window.

To tackle these important, evolving health priorities, key research funding partners in Thailand and the UK have worked together to support this new joint funding initiative, as part of the Newton Fund.

The MRC is working with NSTDA and TRF to support research within the remits of both Thai funders to tackle disease areas of critical importance to the Thai population.

The following areas have been identified by UK and Thai partners as highlight areas and eligible diseases for this call.

The research proposed must be specifically relevant to the Thai population. For example, this may include understanding the cause of disease or epidemiology in the Thai population, or development or implementation of interventions for resource-poor communities.

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Infectious Diseases (to be supported by the MRC and NSTDA)

• Dengue:   basic research related to dengue vaccine development
• Malaria:    research and development related to drug resistant parasites (in particular artemisinin), detection, diagnostic kits, etc.
• Outbreak prediction systems using mathematical models and novel data management systems (IT): particularly to inform emerging infectious disease outbreaks
• New solutions for important emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) of pandemic threats / endemic infectious diseases: basic research, diagnostic kits, etc.

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Cancer, particularly those outlined below which are major causes of death in Thailand (to be supported by the MRC and TRF)

• Lung cancer: basic research to understand the disease mechanisms, and research and development related to biological markers for disease detection, monitoring and treatment
• Cholangiocarcinoma: basic research on early diagnostic markers, and potential new more effective therapies
• Oesophageal cancer: basic research related to disease development mechanism, and biological marker for treatment

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Research activities

The funders, MRC NSTDA and TRF, welcome proposals for research in these diseases across the spectrum of research activities, from basic discovery research, understanding the mechanisms of disease, novel detection and diagnosis to development of novel preventatives (vaccines) and therapeutics

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Funding available

Funding will be provided by a partnership consisting of:

• The National Science Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)
• Thailand Research Fund (TRF)
• Medical Research Council

The Medical Research Council will lead administration of this call in the UK. Funding from the Medical Research Council has been secured through the Newton Fundopens in new window.

NSTDA, MRC and TRF have earmarked up to £2,889,000 for this call.

NSTDA area:

• MRC – GBP 1million (in support to the successful UK applicants)
• NSTDA – GBP 556k (THB 30 million) in support to the successful Thai applicants

TRF area:

• MRC – GBP 1million (in support to the successful UK applicants)
• TRF – GBP 333k (THB 18 million) in support to the successful Thai applicants

It is expected that this funding will support up to 4 joint projects at a level of up to GBP 389k per project for infectious diseases, and 3 joint projects at a level of up to GBP 444k per project for non-communicable diseases.

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The Newton Fund

The UK contribution will be channeled from the Newton Fund. The Newton Fund is an initiative intended to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging knowledge economies. It was launched by the Chancellor in April 2014, and will deliver £375 million of funding over the course of five years.

The Fund forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment which is monitored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). ODA funded activity focuses on outcomes that promote the long-term sustainable growth of countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list. Newton Fund countries represent a sub-set of this list. For more information please visit the MRC Newton Fund pageopens in new window.

The Newton Fund requires that the funding be awarded in a manner that fits with Official Development Assistance (ODA) guidelinesopens in new window. All applications under this call must therefore be compliant with these guidelines. 

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Assessment Process

To be funded, proposals must be internationally competitive and at a standard equivalent to that normally expected to be supported by each funding organisation.

Key assessment criteria for the submissions will be:

• Significance and Impact of the research
• Scientific Rationale: novelty, importance and timeliness of the research;
• Design and Feasibility of the Project Plan
• Partnership: including strength and clarity of collaborations and opportunities provided, quality of the project management structure proposed;
• Quality and suitability of the research environment and of the facilities;
• Value for money for Thai and UK science;
• Ethical considerations and governance arrangements.

Applications received and comments from all peer-reviewers will be assessed by MRC and TRF and NSTDA Review Panels in September. 

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Decision making process

Researchers planning to submit to this scheme are asked to submit an Expression of Interest including the names of the leading UK and Thai investigators and a preliminary project title, by Friday 1 May. The deadline for full applications is Tuesday 2 June

Full applications must be submitted by UK PI’s to MRC via the Je-S application system by 4pm, Tuesday 2 June 2015.

Funding decisions will be made through a joint process. This will include:

1. Joint Expression of Interest emailed to international@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk by Friday 1 May 
2. Joint application from  the UK and Thai researchers by Tuesday 2 June via Je-S
3. Joint panel meetings of academic experts for MRC, TRF and NSTDA 
4. Joint peer review process including UK and Thai academic reviews (plus other international reviewers as appropriate);
5. Joint panel meetings of academic experts for MRC, TRF and NSTDA
6. Funds released

The panel’s decision shall be final and will not be open to appeal

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How to apply

UK applications will be submitted to and processed by MRC. Please see guidance (PDF, 331KB)for further information.

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Contacts

For further information, UK applicants should contact:

• Melanie.bundhoo@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

For further information, Thai applicants should contact:  

• monta@nstda.or.th   (for infectious diseases)
• saengpetch@trf.or.th  (for non-communicable diseases)