Deadline: May 4, 2018
To mark World Leprosy Day, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) has opened a call for applications for the remaining £1,000 of the Robert Cochrane Fund for Leprosy. The funding is to be awarded to further research in the field of leprosy and in honour of Robert Cochrane, the eminent leprologist.
Since 1983, RSTMH has managed the Robert Cochrane Fund for Leprosy. The fund was established to support travel awards to obtain or provide practical training in fieldwork or in research into leprosy.
About
Leprosy remains a debilitating illness for hundreds of thousands of people across the world – many of whom are children. Even though numbers of people living with leprosy and prevalence rates of the disease are dropping, due to WHO’s programme to provide treatment for free and drugs donation from many including the Novartis Foundation, around 210,000 new cases are still diagnosed each year.
The elimination of leprosy as public health problem was achieved globally in the year 2000, with prevalence rates dropping from under 5 million cases in the mid-1980s, to under 200,000 cases at the end of 2016. Actual numbers are estimated to be higher though, as many of those affected don’t complete treatment or don’t receive it at all.
Grant
The maximum value of the Robert Cochrane Fund for Leprosy grant is £1,000. Travel needs to be completed by end of June 2019, with dates agreed between RSTMH and the recipient
The travel scholarship may cover economy travel (airfares and transfers), visas, accommodation, meeting registration fees, training fees.
Eligibility
Open to anyone working on a research in the field of leprosy
- It is open to applicants from any country as long as they hold a registered bank account.
- Priority will be given to those who:
- Have clear career plans
- Have few alternative sources of funding
- Have an adequate level of supervision (if application is for a clinical or research training visit)
Requirements
- The RSTMH travel grant may only be used for the activities described in the original application. Any funds not used for that specific purpose must be returned
- A report (minimum 1,000 words) must be submitted to RSTMH for formal review by the Grants Panel and for dissemination on the RSTMH website within three months of the activity/activities being completed, i.e. by end June 2018. The report should contain the following elements:
- Outcomes of the activity/ies
- Information about any leverage or impact of the activity on 1) furthering your career, 2) your ongoing research/project
- Tell us any other ways this scholarship has helped you
- Let us know if you would like us to consider showcasing the results of your activity/ies at events or in other materials
- Let us know of any information in your application form that is sensitive.
- Failure to submit a report within this time-frame will result in the scholarship-holder having to reimburse the full value of the scholarship to RSTMH. In such cases, future applications for funding will not be considered
- The support of RSTMH must be acknowledged in all written publications and oral presentations arising from the project. The RSTMH logo will be supplied for this purpose. Failure to disseminate results and to acknowledge the support of RSTMH will result in monies being recovered and future grant applications being disregarded. You agree to us publishing information about you and your award on RSTMH materials or at events
Application
The closing date for applications is Friday 4 May 2018, disbursements will be from July 2018. All applicants must travel between July 2018 and July 2019.
References
- Your application must be supported by one referee, either a senior member of your employing organisation or a direct supervisor
- Referees should assess:
- The relevance of the conference/training course to your career development
- The benefit of your attendance to you, your colleagues, institution and wider community
- References must be on your organisations headed paper
- References should be sent to Tamar Ghosh, [email protected]
- The subject line of their email to us should read ‘applicant name’–‘referee name’ e.g. Jones-Smith
For more information, visit RSTMH.
