Doctoral Programmes in Germany

DAAD research grants provide young foreign academics and scientists with an opportunity to carry out research and continue their education in Germany. There are funding programmes for various qualification phases and stages in a career. The grants also promote the exchange of experience and networking amongst colleagues.

Who can apply?
Excellently-qualified young academics and scientists who have completed a Master's degree or Diplom, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree at the latest by the time they begin their grant-supported research.

What can be funded?
Doctoral programmes at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany.

Duration of the funding
A maximum of four years.
Grants are initially awarded for a maximum of one year. Extensions depend on whether the selection committee considers the previous award period to have been successfully completed.

Application deadline
October 15 2017

More information 
https://www.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/?status=&origin=15&subjectGrps=&daad=1&q=&page=3&detail=57135739

Who to contact
DAAD Information Centre Bangkok
c/o Thai-German Cultural Foundation
18/1 Soi Goethe, Sathorn 1
Bangkok 10120
Thailand
Tel.: +66 (2)/286 8708-09
Fax.: +66 (2)/286 48 45
info@daad.or.th
http://www.daad.or.th

Wellcome Trust - Seed Awards in Science

Seed Awards in Science help researchers develop new ideas to make them competitive for larger awards (from Wellcome Trust or other organisations).

Researchers:

• at the start of their independent careers
• who want to develop ideas outside their discipline or area of expertise

are particularly encouraged.

These awards give scope for innovative methodologies and activities, such as:

• pilot and scoping studies
• preliminary data gathering
• proof-of-principle studies
• planning sessions
• collaborative network meetings. 

Seed Awards in Science are not for:

• discrete projects with no follow-on plans
• bridge funding or short-term fellowships.

Eligibility: you must have a PhD and be based at a university in the UK or an LMIC ( low and middle income country, this includes Thailand) 

Budget: Applicants may request up to 100,000 GBP   

Duration: The maximum project period is 2 years.

Deadline: 2 October 2017, 17:00 BST

Full details:  https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/seed-awards-science ( You can also contact the Wellcome team for more information) 

AHRC-MRC Global Public Health: Partnership Awards Call 2

The overarching driver of this partnership building activity is to develop inter-disciplinary research capacity and capability in both the UK and developing countries, jointly and collaboratively and across career stages. The aim is to generate reciprocal benefits through integrating an understanding of cultures and histories into medical and public health challenges in a global context and to equip the next generation of researchers to work collaboratively and blend scientific, cultural and policy research.

In order not to limit the potential for inter-disciplinary innovation under this call the call is open to proposals addressing any global public health issue affecting low and middle countries.


The following activities are permissible under this partnership grant scheme:

• Establishing inter-disciplinary collaborative partnerships or consortia
• Developing strategy to strengthen research activity across the field
• Knowledge sharing across research departments and/or between institutions and across sectoral boundaries both within the UK and with LMIC based colleagues.
• Small scale/pilot/proof of principle/exploratory/ higher risk inter-disciplinary projects to explore innovative boundary crossing collaborations
• Cross-disciplinary (and cross-cultural / language) literature reviews/ research synthesis/ evidence analysis or integrative data sharing and analysis,
• Widening/ extending the disciplinary breadth of existing teams / partnerships (e.g. through placements, embedding, ethnographic research)
• Career development, inter-disciplinary skills enhancement and capacity building.
• Establishing shared infrastructure, for example, staff, systems, equipment, data, seminars, workshops.  This could include a co-ordinated set of needs-led and complimentary networking activities (including outreach work and travel) with a defined output.

Eligibility: a UK university will be the applicant but they must partner with an LMIC institution ( Low and middle income country, this includes Thailand)  

Budget: Applicants may request up to 200,000 GBP   

Duration: The maximum project period is 2 years.

Deadline: 4 pm BST Thursday 26 October 2017

Full details:  www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/browse/ahrc-mrc-gcrf-2/ahrc-mrc-global-public-health-partnership-awards-call-2/ 

Mobile Health: Technology and Outcomes in Low and Middle Income Countries (NIH, R21)

The purpose of this funding is to encourage exploratory/developmental research applications that propose to conduct research to develop or adapt innovative mobile health (mHealth) technology specifically suited for low and middle income countries (LMICs) and determine the health-related outcomes associated with implementation of the technology.

Of highest interest are innovative, well-designed multidisciplinary projects that aim to generate generalizable knowledge for the field.

The overall goal is to contribute to the evidence base for the use of mobile technology to improve clinical outcomes and public health while building research capacity in LMICs and establishing research networks in this area.

Applicants are required to propose partnerships between at least one U.S. institution and one LMIC institution and the proposed research plan should strengthen the mHealth research capabilities at the LMIC institution.

Important Points for Consideration:

• If the mHealth intervention or tool aims to produce a specific clinical outcome, applicants should incorporate appropriate biological endpoints and/or observational behavioral data to measure this outcome.
• Interventions that aim to produce behavior change should be based on existing social and behavioral science theories.
• The interventions or tools studied should take advantage of the unique functionality of mobile and wireless devices. Utilization of real-time data collection and feedback is encouraged where appropriate.
• New software, devices, and systems should be interoperable with existing infrastructure and resulting data should integrate with relevant health information systems where applicable.
• The reliability, safety, simplicity, affordability and power requirements of new technology being studied should be considered in the LMIC context where it will be used.

Eligibility: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply ( but must partner with a US institution) 

Budget: Applicants may request up to $125,000 direct costs per year.    

Duration: The maximum project period is 2 years.

Deadline: August 31 2017

Full details: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-16-292.html

Zika Virus (ZIKV) Complications (NIH, R21)

The purpose of this funding is to provide support for research on Zika virus (ZIKV) and its complications.
The R21 activity code is intended to encourage new exploratory and developmental research projects. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.

Areas of high priority include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Demonstrate the causative role of infection in pregnancy with ZIKV in the etiology of fetal microcephaly, structural brain defects, and other congenital malformations
• Basic research to understand the ZIKV infection pathogenesis and transmission to the fetus, whether in-utero, postpartum, or breastfeeding
• Population-based studies to characterize the epidemiology of ZIKV infection in the mother-infant dyad
• Clinical studies to improve the understanding of the mechanisms and risks of maternal-to-child transmission of ZIKV
• Determine the timeline for when and how women transmit ZIKV to the fetus
• Strategies to prevent transmission of ZIKV to the fetus after infection in the mother
• Studies to determine the optimal screening for and management of ZIKV infection in pregnant women and in exposed fetuses
• Studies to understand the mechanisms by which ZIKV affects the developing nervous system and other organ systems
• Studies to characterize the association of ZIKA virus infection with ocular phenotypes
• Research to develop lab-based or point-of-care diagnosis for ZIKV using saliva as a biofluid
• Studies to characterize the outcome of viral infection on craniofacial skeletal and dental phenotype with or without microcephaly
• Studies to understand pregnancy outcomes in women infected with ZIKV
• Studies to identify sequelae in infants infected with ZIKV as well as potential sequelae in exposed but uninfected infants
• Strategies to identify neurologic and other manifestations in infants with and without microcephaly such as developmental delays and other neurologic or physical disorders
• Studies to assess and characterize the natural history and long-term neurodevelopmental consequences of ZIKV infection in children
• Strategies to identify effective treatments for exposed infants with and without microcephaly as they develop into childhood.  Such strategies must take into account cultural acceptance and resources.
• Investigations of mediating and moderating factors affecting variability in neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and socio-emotional impact of ZIKV exposure on infants prenatally and postnatally
• Develop novel, simple, feasible and cost-effective testing methods and/or strategies for infection screening during pregnancy
• Develop novel, simple, rapid, feasible and cost effective testing methods and/or strategies for infection screening in the infant
• Develop culturally sensitive strategies to increase knowledge about the relative efficacy of contraceptive methods, and use that knowledge to plan for pregnancy
• Strategies to integrate the discussion of risk of ZIKV infection into contraceptive counseling and pre-pregnancy and prenatal care at medical facilities in ZIKV endemic areas
• Determine long-term implications of ZIKV infection in non-pregnant women and men including impact on fertility and subsequent pregnancy
• Studies to ascertain if ZIKV is present in reproductive fluids such as semen, cervical mucus, vaginal secretions and/or follicular fluid; persistence of ZIKV in these fluids; and the mechanisms by which ZIKV enters the reproductive tract Studies to understand ZIKV infection in the testis
• Studies to understand ZIKV infection in the testis
• Studies on effects of ZIKV on in vitro fertilization
• Studies on whether ZIKV can be transmitted by direct sexual contact or artificial reproductive technology procedures
• Once causality is demonstrated, studies on vaccine development in pregnant women and children
• Once causality is demonstrated, development of methods to explain risk of ZIKV infection and  
• risk of harm to the fetus to pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant.
• Basic research to understand ZIKV infection, replication, pathogenesis, transmission, immune
• responses and immunological interactions with other flaviviruses
• Studies on the evolution and emergence of ZIKV including the identification of factors that affect
• host-range and virulence
• Natural history studies of ZIKV in mosquitos, non-human primates and humans, with particular
• emphasis on hosts(s) reservoirs and cross-species transmission
• Basic research on the biology of the mosquito vectors, vector competence studies for replication
• and transmission of ZIKV, host-virus interaction and studies on novel vector control methods
• Development of novel diagnostic, vaccine and therapeutic strategies against Zika
• Characterization of the prevalence of the virus among blood donors in different geographical regions
• Studies of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), encephalitis or encephalomyelitis associated with ZIKV infection to determine disease course and outcomes, causality, disease mechanisms, effectiveness of current treatments and to develop novel treatments
• Studies to understand the effects of ZIKV infection on the development of epilepsy and its sequelae
• Studies related to both the short and long-term effects of Zika virus infection on hearing.

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

Budget: Direct costs are limited to $275,000 over the two-year period, with no more than $200,000 in direct costs allowed in any single year.   

Duration: The maximum project period is 2 years.

Deadline: October 16 2017

Full details: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-17-085.html

Research to Advance Vaccine Safety (NIH, R01)

The purpose of this funding is to support research that will contribute to the overall understanding of vaccine safety.

This research opportunity encourages studies that address scientific areas potentially relevant to vaccine safety such as:
 1) physiological and immunological responses to vaccines and vaccine components
 2) how genetic variations affect immune/physiological responses that may impact vaccine safety
 3) identification of risk factors and biological markers that may be used to assess whether there is a relationship between certain diseases or disorders and licensed vaccines
4) creation/evaluation of statistical methodologies for analyzing data on vaccine safety, including data available from existing data sources such as passive reporting systems or healthcare databases
5) the application of genomic/molecular technologies and systems biology approaches to evaluate vaccine safety.

( Clinical trials will not be supported.)

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

Budget:  Budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Duration: The maximum project period is 5 years.

Deadline: October 5 2017

Full details: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-15-312.html

Indian Council of Medical Research - Biomedical Fellowships

The Council is offering fellowships of one to six months. The fellowships offer opportunities for scientists from developing countries to work in Indian institutes/laboratories.

There are 20 available locations, including: 

• National Institute of Malaria Research in Delhi
• National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad
• Enterovirus Research Centre in Mumbai

Funding: around $40 per day plus return flights to India. Subsidized housing will be available. 

Eligibility: under 45 years old and a university employee 

Deadline: not stated 

More information: http://icmr.nic.in/ihd_research.htm