The Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) invites applications for advanced postdoctoral research and/or training grants from individuals who are nationals of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Research and training grants:
Two types of grants are offered: strategic support for re-entry and postdoctoral research and training grants for the acquisition of special skills relevant to research, research management or leadership:
- Re-entry grants: Research-based mentor-ship and support (maximum US$ 25 000 per year for up to 2 years) for PhD holders employed and returning to their home institution within 24 months after graduation.
- Postdoctoral advanced training and research: including short-term attachments to acquire leadership and research skills related to leadership and research activities not available within the home country or institutions.
The research/training proposal must provide the following information (not exceeding 20 pages using Times New Roman 12 point font and 1.5 line spacing):
- A half page abstract of the proposed activity/project
- A rationale for potential impact in the candidate’s career and home institution
- Specific objectives and expected outputs of the project/training
- A description of the specific needs to be addressed with the proposed activity
- A plan to extend the benefits of the research to the health system (dissemination)
- The type of capacity to be built and the benefit to the home institution
- A justified and itemed budget, including publication costs.
The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to support the acquisition of competencies in implementation research and research management, including effective use of research findings to inform policy and practice. In the case of advanced training skill acquisition, TDR reserves the right to recommend the most suitable and cost-effective academic/training institution within the country or region. To promote gender balance and a greater role for women in health research, applications from qualified women are particularly encouraged. Barriers that hinder the full participation of women should be brought to the attention of TDR during the application process and will be addressed on a case by case basis and addressed taking into account budgetary limitations.
Eligibility:
The target age bracket is 35-40 years old. Applications from individuals returning to their home institutions from an institution within their country, another LMIC or high-income country are eligible. All applications must be proposed as an integral part of an institutional development program where they are employed and the career plan for the applicant defined. For both schemes, priority will be given to proposals addressing themes related to implementation research in public health. Grantees are expected to exhibit scientific expertise in their chosen field, promote the development of their home institution research environment and disseminate their research findings, including peer-reviewed open access publications, on completion of their grants.
Applications are welcome from individuals working in ministries of health with responsibility for planning, implementing research and/or evaluating disease control programs related to infectious diseases of poverty.
Selection criteria:
All applications will be screened for completeness and eligibility by the TDR Secretariat according to all of the conditions stated in this call, and then reviewed and scored by external referees. Training proposals will be reviewed on the basis of the applicant’s CV, relevance of training to home institution, career development plans and experience to justify requested support.
Re-entry grants will be reviewed on the basis of scientific quality of the project, its potential public health impact and the engagement of stakeholders. The external evaluation will be considered by the Research Strengthening Group (RSG) which will recommend funding taking into account budget ceilings and geographical and gender balance. Priority will be given to candidates from the public sector with high potential to impact the research development in their home country after completion of the grant.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution which led to the establishment of TDR, five special “MAKING A DIFFERENCE – TDR@40” grants will be awarded to the most outstanding re-entry grant proposals submitted. The selected grantees will be awarded additional funds for attendance at one international conference in line with their research interest or purchase of a laptop (maximum US$ 3000). In addition, the grantees will be featured in TDR publications.
How to apply?
Applications can be submitted in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese. All application forms must be completed and submitted online using the WHO DataCol portal form found on this link:
https://extranet.who.int/datacol/survey.asp?survey_id=2720
Only applications submitted through this portal will be considered.
The log-in credentials are: User name: leadership Password: grants
An active email address is required, to which a confirmation email will be sent on successful submission and the selection outcome will be communicated. Multiple applications from the same individual are not allowed and can result in failure to process the application. The submission form will guide applicants on the documentation required. It is recommended that applicants prepare the supporting documentation prior to starting the submission process, which includes uploading requested information.
Additional application information
- Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the DataCol application form, in particular the requested information and the mandatory fields.
- Applicants are advised to avoid last minute submissions as this could overload the system or fail due to internet connectivity. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
- Please contact TDR (rcstdr@who.int) if you encounter problems during the completion and submission of the application form.
Application Deadline: 7 February 2014
For further information: TDR advanced postdoctoral research and training grants
