MESA (Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance) Operational Research Grants

MESA (Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance) is delighted to get in touch with an exciting update on activities from 2014.  We remind you that you can follow MESA on Twitter (@MESAmalaria) and watch MESA's blog space on MalariaWorld for up-to-date information.

Keystone Symposia Meeting "The Science of Malaria Eradication" 

'The Science of Malaria Eradication', a conference co-organized by MESA and Keystone Symposia, brought together 170 scientists from 37 different countries during 2 - 7 February 2014 in Merida, Mexico.  There was participation in exciting presentations and engaging discussions that showcased the cutting edge of malaria eradication science.  

Daily blogs from the meeting can be read here, and you can see the abstract book online here.  A group photo from the Mayan ruins of Mayapan is attached in this email.

Operational Research Grants 

Four new operational research projects in malaria elimination are under-way after being selected for funding through MESA. The MESA operational research portfolio includes: novel diagnostic and vector control tools, mapping technologies for surveillance, and mobile phone applications for hard to reach populations. Each project has a strong partnership between the country stakeholders and researchers, and the operational research questions addressed will generate information directly relevant to the country programmes.  

You can read the project summaries here, and find a schematic of the review process here.

MESA Alliance YouTube Channel 

MESA is proud to bring to your attention a new way to view great lectures on malaria elimination and eradication science, and learn from malaria programmes from all over the malaria community.  The new MESA Alliance YouTube channel highlights videos provided by you, for you!  

Browse the various playlists from 'basic science' to 'eradication strategies', and subscribe to the channel to receive notifications when new content is posted.  Please do not hesitate to send video suggestions toMESA@isglobal.org.

Global Partners Pledge $240 Million to Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases

APRIL 3, 2014

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Uniting to Combat NTDs, a partnership of foundations, global health organizations, and pharmaceutical companies, has announced commitments totaling $240 million to fight neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that disproportionately affect the world's most vulnerable populations.

A new commitment of $120 million by a group of the partners of will be used to combat soil-transmitted helminths (STH), intestinal worms that are among the most common cause of infections in poor children. The funding includes commitments of $50 million from theChildren's Investment Fund Foundation to provide technical assistance to national deworming programs; $50 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to explore the feasibility of interrupting transmission and mitigating the risks of drug resistance; $8 million over five years from the Buenos Aires-based nonprofit Mundo Sano to test strategies for deworming and develop combination treatments; and $4.5 million from Vitamin Angels to scale deworming with Vitamin A distributions and  implementation support.

In addition, Dubai Cares will design programs that integrate nutrition, deworming, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions in schools; WaterAid will deliver WASH programs in NTD-endemic areas; and the World Food Programme will work to ensure deworming interventions are provided as part of school feeding programs.

The World Bank also announced that it is committing $120 million from the International Development Association, its fund for the poorest countries, to support NTD control and elimination programs across Africa, including support for school-based deworming programs.

Spearheaded by the Gates Foundation and launched two years ago to support efforts to meet theWorld Health Organization's control, elimination, and eradication targets for ten specific NTDs by 2020, the Uniting to Combat NTDs effort also includes the U.S. Agency for International Development, the UK Department for International Development, more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies, and a number of nongovernmental organizations. In conjunction with the announcement of the new commitments, the partnership released a report highlighting the progress made over the past two years.

"We're taking the 'neglect' out of neglected tropical diseases, thanks to the commitment of partners from across the public and private sectors," said Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates. "Pharmaceutical companies are providing drugs free of charge, endemic countries are scaling up integrated screen-and-treat programs for multiple diseases, and donors are delivering essential funding. If we stay focused, we can reach the London Declaration's 2020 goals and help provide millions with access to health."

"Global Partners Are Taking the 'Neglect' Out of 'Neglected Tropical Diseases'." Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases Press Release 04/02/2014.

SUBJECTS: GIVING PLEDGE; HEALTH; INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS/DEVELOPMENT; MEDICAL RESEARCH

PEOPLE: BILL GATES

ORGANIZATION: BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION; CHILDREN'S INVESTMENT FUND FOUNDATION;DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; MUNDO SANO; U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; UNITING TO COMBAT NTDS; VITAMIN ANGELS; WATERAID; WORLD BANK; WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME; WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

UNITAID Call for Letters of Intent

UNITAID has announced the second Call for Letters of Intent (LOI) of its 2013-2016 strategic period. UNITAID is a global health initiative, established to provide sustainable, predictable and additional funding to significantly impact on market dynamics to reduce prices and increase the availability and supply of high quality commodities for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, primarily for people living in low-resource settings. In 2013 UNITAID approved over $160 million in funding.

The UNITAID funding process begins with an LOI: a short conceptual presentation of a proposed project that is submitted to UNITAID electronically using a web-based tool. Proponents with successful LOIs are then invited to submit full proposals for UNITAID funding.

This Call for LOIs is open to interventions supporting any one of the six Strategic Objectives outlined in UNITAID’s 2013-2016 Strategy. LOIs must be submitted to UNITAID by 17:00 Geneva (Switzerland) time (GMT+1) on 15 May 2014. The LOI is submitted electronically through the UNITAID homepage. Proponents will be notified by early June 2014 as to whether they will be invited to submit a full project proposal for UNITAID funding. Full project proposals will be due in early September 2014.

To submit an LoI, register at the UNITAID homepage.

For full details about the call for letters of intent, and further instructions, click here.

About UNITAID:

UNITAID focuses on markets and market-based approaches because access to health products is often inhibited by one or more market shortcomings that can only be corrected with targeted intervention. By correcting these shortcomings, UNITAID works to decrease prices, improve quality, and improve acceptability of products, and these positive externalities ensure other countries and purchasers have access to improved, more affordable public health commodities.

UNITAID strategic objectives:

• Increase access to simple, POC diagnostics for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.

• Increase access to affordable, paediatric medicines to treat HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.

• Increase access to emerging medicines and/or regimens, as well as new formulations, dosage forms, or strengths of existing medicines that will improve the treatment of HIV/AIDS and co-infections such as viral hepatitis.

• Increase access to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and emerging medicines, that, in combination with appropriate diagnostic testing, will improve the treatment of malaria.

• Secure supply of second-line TB medicines, and increase access to emerging medicines and regimens that will improve treatment of both drug-sensitive and multi drug-resistant TB.

• Increase access to products for the prevention of HIV, TB, and malaria.

Pre-announcement: Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2014

This week a pre-announcement has been released by the U.S. Department of Defense, listing the research areas of the PRMRP for 2014. Full details, application instructions, and application deadlines will be released in April, but it has already been announced that the Department of Defense has allocated 200 Million USD to the program – funds divided across a number of projects.

The program aims to improve the health and well-being of all U.S. military personnel, so it is important to keep the military relevance in mind when preparing a proposal for this funding opportunity.

For details about the different award mechanisms, and eligibility requirements, please click here for the full press release. Further updates will follow

The topic areas are listed below:

•          Acupuncture
•          Arthritis
•          Chronic Migraine and Post-Traumatic Headaches
•          Congenital Heart Disease
•          DNA Vaccine Technology for Postexposure Prophylaxis
•          Dystonia
•          Epilepsy
•          Food Allergies
•          Fragile X Syndrome
•          Hereditary Angioedema
•          Illnesses Related to Radiation Exposure
•          Inflammatory Bowel Disease
•          Interstitial Cystitis
•          Lupus
•          Malaria
•          Metabolic Disease
•          Neuroprosthetics
•          Pancreatitis
•          Polycystic Kidney Disease
•          Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
•          Psychotropic Medications
•          Respiratory Health
•          Rheumatoid Arthritis
•          Segmental Bone Defects
•          Tinnitus

REMINDER: International Research in Infectious Diseases, including AIDS (IRIDA) (R01) due date 22 May 2014

International Research in Infectious Diseases, including AIDS (R01)

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number: PAR-14-080

Purpose: 

This FOA encourages Research Grant (R01) applications from organizations/institutions in foreign countries that propose research related to infectious diseases that are of interest/importance to that country. Collaborations with investigators in the United States are encouraged but not required. These grants will serve to build independent research capacity by providing direct funding to investigators who do not currently have NIH-funded grant or contract awards for research projects. The intent of these activities is to advance the development of local scientific expertise.

Research Objectives and Scope: 

Studies may be proposed on any aspect of infectious disease research (except clinical trials), including but not limited to: the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases; epidemiologic studies to define the incidence, clinical presentations, and outcomes of diseases; identification of resistance patterns; characterization of susceptible cohorts for a particular pathogen; pilot and feasibility studies in preparation for larger studies. Applications are particularly encouraged from institutions in eligible countries where NIH has significant investments through extramural research grants, cooperative agreements or contracts or through NIH intramural programs. Current NIH or NIAID funding is not a requirement.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to establish multi-institutional collaborations and to include in their research plans activities that involve the transfer of technologies and research methods, sharing of core resources including the administration of research grant programs, and expansion of linkages to other sites via attendance at national and international meetings and other methods of communication.

Eligible Organizations: 

Non-US Entities (Foreign Institutions) from resource-constrained countries are eligible to apply. Applicant organizations must be headquartered in non-U.S. resource-constrained countries (i.e. low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, and upper-middle-income economies by World Bank definition).

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator): 

PDs/PIs must have a primary appointment at an institution/organization in an eligible country. Foreign investigators who currently serve as Principal Investigators on grants (other than an expiring IRIDA) or contracts funded by NIH are not eligible to apply.

Posted Date: 30 January 2014

Letter of Intent Due Date: 30 days prior to application due date

Application Due Dates: 22 May 2014; 22 May 2015; 20 May 2016

AIDS Application Due Dates: 22 August 2014; 21 August 2015; 19 August 2016

Earliest Start Date: April 2015; April 2016; April 2017

Project Period Length: 5 years

Award Budget: Up to USD 125,000 per year in direct costs, and a maximum of USD 625,000 direct costs over a five-year project period

Full FOA: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-080.html

REMINDER: NIH/NIAID funding opportunity: International Research in Infectious Diseases, including AIDS (R01): Deadline Approaching

REMINDER: NIH/NIAID funding opportunity: International Research in Infectious Diseases, including AIDS (R01): Deadline Approaching

We would like to remind you of the approaching deadline for this NIH R01 grant opportunity, and urge those interested to start preparing the application process. A brief summary of the grant can be seen below, and full details can be found here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-080.html

NIH/NIAID funding opportunity: International Research in Infectious Diseases, including AIDS (R01)

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number: PAR-14-080

Purpose: This FOA encourages Research Grant (R01) applications from organizations/institutions in foreign countries that propose research related to infectious diseases that are of interest/importance to that country. Collaborations with investigators in the United States are encouraged but not required. These grants will serve to build independent research capacity by providing direct funding to investigators who do not currently have NIH-funded grant or contract awards for research projects. The intent of these activities is to advance the development of local scientific expertise.

Research Objectives and Scope: Studies may be proposed on any aspect of infectious disease research (except clinical trials), including but not limited to: the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases; epidemiologic studies to define the incidence, clinical presentations, and outcomes of diseases; identification of resistance patterns; characterization of susceptible cohorts for a particular pathogen; pilot and feasibility studies in preparation for larger studies. Applications are particularly encouraged from institutions in eligible countries where NIH has significant investments through extramural research grants, cooperative agreements or contracts or through NIH intramural programs. Current NIH or NIAID funding is not a requirement.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to establish multi-institutional collaborations and to include in their research plans activities that involve the transfer of technologies and research methods, sharing of core resources including the administration of research grant programs, and expansion of linkages to other sites via attendance at national and international meetings and other methods of communication.

Eligible Organizations: Non-US Entities (Foreign Institutions) from resource-constrained countries are eligible to apply. Applicant organizations must be headquartered in non-U.S. resource-constrained countries (i.e. low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, and upper-middle-income economies by World Bank definition).

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator): PDs/PIs must have a primary appointment at an institution/organization in an eligible country. Foreign investigators who currently serve as Principal Investigators on grants (other than an expiring IRIDA) or contracts funded by NIH are not eligible to apply. 

Posted Date: 30 January 2014

Letter of Intent Due Date: 30 days prior to application due date

Application Due Dates: 22 May 2014; 22 May 2015; 20 May 2016

AIDS Application Due Dates: 22 August 2014; 21 August 2015; 19 August 2016

Earliest Start Date: April 2015; April 2016; April 2017

Project Period Length: 5 years

Award Budget: Up to USD 125,000 per year in direct costs, and a maximum of USD 625,000 direct costs over a five-year project period

BMGF Grand Challenges Explorations

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its funding partners in the Grand Challenges family of grant programs are inviting innovators to apply for two grant opportunities:

1) Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health and development solutions, is now accepting grant proposals for its latest application round. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies.
•    Explore New Ways to Measure Fetal and Infant Brain Development 
•    Innovations in Feedback & Accountability Systems for Agricultural Development    
•    Inciting Healthy Behaviors: nudge, leapfrog, disrupt, reach    
•    Novel Enabling Tools and Models Supporting the Development of Interventions for Severe Diarrhea and Enteric Dysfunction    

Submission Deadline: May 6 2014

Topics:

•    New Ways of Working Together: Integrating Community-Based Interventions 

Funds: USD 100,000 initial grant, and projects showing promise have the opportunity to receive additional funds up to USD 1 million. Full details about the topics and application instructions can be found at: www.grandchallenges.org/explorations.

2) Grand Challenges Canada, Round 7, through their Stars in Global Health program, is seeking ideas that use scientific, social, or business innovation to address some of the most pressing challenges in global health.  Talented innovators in both low- and middle-income countries and Canada are invited to apply. 

Submission Deadline: March 10  2014

Topics:

In the Round 7 Request for Proposals, Grand Challenges Canada seeks bold ideas aligned with innovative social entrepreneurial approaches that could be easily implemented in developing countries to save and improve lives. These bold ideas could come from non-profit organizations and for-profit organizations, as well as other recognized institutions. The ideas may encompass development/ deployment of products and/or services in any spectrum of global health, including drug discovery, vaccine development, diagnostics, health and medical education, maternal and child health, non-communicable diseases (including cancer and mental health), health-related water and sanitation, and health-related agriculture and nutrition.

Funds: CAD 100,000 for up to 12–18 months to demonstrate proof of concept of the idea. Phase I grantees who complete a minimum of nine months of their Grand Challenges Canada grant, complete their proof-of-concept projects and have solutions that are ready to transition to scale will be invited to submit Phase II – Transition to Scale proposals. The Phase II – Transition to Scale program will require 50% matching of funds through partnerships to be eligible for Grand Challenges Canada funding.

Full details about this opportunity can be found here: http://www.grandchallenges.ca/grand-challenges/stars-phase-i/