Deadline: January 12, 2016
GSK is pleased to announce a call for research proposals from outstanding African scientists based in research institutions or universities in Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal or Tanzania.
GSK’s Africa NCD Open Lab was established in 2014 as part of a series of GSK strategic investments to provide long term support for scientific research in the field of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in sub Saharan Africa. The goal is to work in partnership with funders, researchers and academic groups to share expertise and resources to conduct research in Africa aimed at increasing scientific understanding of the unique attributes of NCDs.
Objectives
- To encourage research that will further the understanding of the specific variations of NCDs in African settings, to subsequently inform their prevention and effective management in African patients.
- To provide support for researchers from African institutions at an early stage of their research career to develop their own competitive, independent research programmes and careers as outstanding independent researchers.
- To fund innovative NCD research projects by promising African scientists that will generate significant data to strengthen further funding proposals that could lead to additional more sizeable grant funding from other organisations in the longer term.
Eligibility
The Applicant:
- Will be the principal investigator and 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, and is no more than ten years from their highest degree of study (career breaks and time out of academic research will be taken into consideration).
- Must be currently employed by an eligible academic, health or research institution in Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal and Tanzania for the duration of the project.
- Must hold a PhD or equivalent higher degree (e.g. DrPH) in a health related discipline. Applicants pursuing a clinical academic career, who have not obtained a PhD, must have completed their specialist training in a relevant aspect of medicine and demonstrate relevant research experience (e.g. MSc with a research component).
- Must not currently hold positions above lecturer level or equivalent.
- Must demonstrate that they have a track record and ongoing commitment to health-related research and the skills and experience required to carry out the proposed work. Evidence of research output, including publications in peer reviewed journals and/or presentations at scientific conferences, is required.
- Must have a career development plan showing commitment to NCD research in Africa, of which support from relevant supervisors and mentors will be an important component.
The Institution:
- The head of department of the host organisation in which this award will be based must confirm that they support the application and that if funded, the research and training will be supported with appropriate space and facilities and administered in the name of the organisation.
- A local supervisor/mentor, with relevant research experience and output and evidence of previous funding employed in the institution of the applicant must confirm their support of the applicant and the proposed project. The supervisor does not have to be working in the field of NCDs to be eligible.
Awards
The award offers up to two years of funding. A total of up to £100,000 will be available per award.
- The call will offer funding to cover the costs of an appropriate research project including costs for equipment, field work and data collection, consumables and research assistance, travel to conferences, subsistence and conference fees.
- Funding is not provided for the applicants’ PhD/MD tuition fees.
- In addition to financial support, GSK will provide scientific support throughout the duration of the award term. GSK is exploring links with academic groups in the UK and leading African scientists to provide mentorship to successful applicants.
- GSK in collaboration with the British Medical Journal (BMJ) will offer up to 50 researchers from each shortlisted institution (those invited to submit full proposals) free access to the BMJ’s Research to Publication eLearning programme for 12 months. This programme provides six online courses with 48 modules aimed at supporting the academic writing of early career researchers.
How to Apply
- Download and complete the preliminary application form available on Africa NCD Open Lab website.
- Submit the completed form as an attachment via the submission portal.
- The preliminary application must be accompanied by the CV of the principal applicant and
- a statement of support from the proposed supervisor/mentor, an
- an institutional statement of commitment from the principal applicants’ Institution.
For more information, visit GSK- Africa NCD Open Lab
