Career Development Fellowships – 2019

Description

Background
For many young scientists in developing countries the bridge between doctoral qualification and an established research career is the most difficult to cross due to lack of continued research funding and lack of access to established research networks. As research in the field of poverty related diseases (PRDs) gains momentum, it is paramount to facilitate opportunities for early and mid-career scientists in sub-Saharan Africa to develop their clinical research skills. Providing possibilities for individual training would enable talented scientists to establish themselves as independent researchers and team leaders at host institutions in sub-Saharan Africa for long-term continuity, networking and research ownership in the region.

Scope
The purpose of this Call for Proposals is to support early to mid-career researchers (“fellows”) by providing them an opportunity to train and develop their clinical research skills.

The objectives are:

1. to promote retention of postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate medical researchers in the research field of sub-Saharan Africa
2. to equip the fellows to establish themselves as independent researchers with ability to initiate their own research teams at host institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

The proposed training should specifically enhance the ability of the fellow to design, plan and execute clinical biomedical and/or social science/ethics research projects within the scope of the EDCTP2 programme^*. Novartis aims to co-fund this call with at least five additional fellowships (to a maximum value of € 750,000) for proposals conducting research in the area of maternal and child health on the interaction between PRDs^* and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The contribution from Novartis aims to address a shortage of suitably trained mid-career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa working on maternal and child health in the context of a growing double burden of infectious diseases, malnutrition, and child and maternal mortality, in addition to emerging challenges of NCDs.

The proposed training should include an independent research activity and a clear description of the skills that will be acquired by carrying out the research. Fellows with training activities involving clinical trials and related studies must ensure that studies are appropriately designed and GCP-compliant. Individuals targeted by this Call for Proposals should have a track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals in their chosen area of research; a mentor who is an internationally recognised scientific leader working in sub-Saharan Africa; and a career development plan as part of the research proposal.

Proposals for an EDCTP Career Development Fellowship must be submitted by the prospective fellow in conjunction with and on behalf of their proposed host organisation (hereinafter ‘the applicant legal entity’). The grants are awarded to the host organisation with the explicit commitment that this organisation offers appropriate conditions for the career development fellow to direct and manage its funding for the duration of the fellowship. Fellows can only be funded once under this grant scheme.

Expected impact
Projects funded under this Call for Proposals should:

• contribute towards the achievement of SDG3 ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’
• promote career progression
• encourage entry and reintegration of African scientists trained abroad and
• enable the retention of postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers in their respective research fields and that the researchers develop into independent researchers and team leaders in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ultimately these grants will contribute to the generation of a critical mass of researchers and institutional research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Eligibility
A proposal/application will only be considered eligible if:

1. 1. its content corresponds, wholly or in part, to the topic/contest description for which it is submitted
   2. it complies with the eligibility conditions for participation set out below, depending on the type of action:

• The applicant must be a legal entity established in sub-Saharan Africa (the applicant legal entity)**.
• The fellow must be employed or have guaranteed employment by the applicant legal entity (the host organisation) where they intend to remain working for a minimum of two years after the expiration of the grant.
• The applying fellow must:
  • be a resident of or be willing to relocate to a sub-Saharan African country;
  • be either a graduate in a subject relevant to the EDCTP2 programme, with a PhD and up to five years’ relevant postdoctoral research experience, or a medical doctor with up to five years’ research experience;
  • have at least one publication in an international peer-reviewed journal;
  • not have been funded under this fellowship scheme before***.
• The requested EDCTP2 contribution per action shall not exceed EUR 150,000
• The maximum fellowship duration shall be 36 months.

Notes
* In the EDCTP2 programme, “poverty-related diseases (PRDs)” include HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and the following neglected infectious diseases (NIDs): dengue/severe dengue; rabies; human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness); leishmaniases; cysticercosis/taeniasis; dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease); echinococcosis; foodborne trematodiases; lymphatic filariasis; mycetoma; onchocerciasis (river blindness); schistosomiasis; soil-transmitted helminthiases; Buruli ulcer; leprosy (Hansen disease); trachoma; yaws; diarrhoeal infections; lower respiratory infections; as well as emerging infectious diseases of particular relevance for Africa, such as Ebola or yellow fever.

** This additional condition for participation according to the Rules for Participation (RfP) Art. 9.5 is required due to the objectives of this Training & Mobility Action. It aims to support junior fellows in sub-Saharan Africa in line with the activities called for by the EU legislator (EDCTP2 Basic Act, Annex II, activity 1c). It contributes to the specific objectives of the EDCTP2 programme which calls, e.g., for cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa on building their capacity for conducting clinical trials in compliance with fundamental ethical principles, relevant legislation, and international standards, and for extended cooperation with private partners (EDCTP2 Basic Act, Annex I, objectives 2b).

*** This additional condition for participation according to RfP Art. 9.5 is required due to the objectives of the EDCTP2 programme which requires that the capacity for conducting clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa are built and strengthened (EDCTP2 Basic Act, Annex II). Allowing fellows in sub-Saharan Africa to only receive once a specific EDCTP2 fellowship will increase the number of different fellows supported and promoted under the EDCTP2 programme, and in turn, strengthen more broadly the corresponding clinical research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Procedure and application process

Submission and evaluation procedure
This is a single-stage application procedure. Proposals must be submitted by 27 November 2019, 17:00 CET via EDCTPgrants. Evaluation results are expected to be made available by 19 April 2020.

The host organisation (applicant) must provide a support letter confirming that the organisation is supportive of the proposed action and willing through its financial and administrative systems to enable the fellow to direct independently the proposed action and manage its funding for the duration of the fellowship.

Evaluation, scoring and thresholds
Following an admissibility and eligibility check, full proposals are evaluated by external, independent experts. Proposals are evaluated according to the criteria Excellence, Impact and Implementation (see Article 15 of the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation Regulation No 1290/2013). Each criterion will be scored out of 5. The threshold for individual criteria will be 3. The overall threshold, applying to the sum of the three individual scores, will be 10.

For all proposals involving human participants, and/or human tissues, cells or personal data, the evaluation process will include an assessment of ethical issues.

The following aspects are considered under the evaluation criteria:

1. Excellence

• Fit with the scope and objectives of the EDCTP2 programme, the EDCTP Association strategic research agenda and the call topic description.
• Importance, relevance/pertinence and clarity of the objectives.
• Soundness of the concept and credibility of the proposed approach/methodology.
• Suitability of the candidate, considering their track record, degree of independence and/or potential, and how the fellowship will further the individual’s career.
• Quality of the project and its fit with the fellow’s expertise and career development plan, including acquired competencies and skills to be developed further.
• Quality of the mentorship and/or training plan

2. Impact

• Call specific aspects as listed under ‘expected impact’ in each individual call.
• The extent to which the outputs of the proposed work would contribute, at the European, African and/or International level, to each of the expected impacts listed in the work plan under the relevant topic.
• Likelihood to result in major advances in the field with potential benefit of the research to the affected populations.
• Advancing the fellow’s clinical research skills and career development.
• Contribution to development of research independence and/or scientific leadership.
• Contribution to strengthening clinical research capacity at the home or host organisation.
• Effectiveness of the proposed measures to exploit and disseminate results generated during the fellowship (including management of IPR), to communicate the fellowship activities, and, where relevant, to manage clinical data.
• Sustainability and retention of capacity beyond the end of the grant.

3. Quality and efficiency of the implementation

• Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, including extent to which the resources assigned to work packages are in line with their objectives and deliverables;
• Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including risk and innovation management, and how responsibilities for research data quality and sharing, and security will be met.
• Complementarity of the participants within the consortium, and the extent to which the consortium as whole brings together the necessary expertise.
• Appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources, ensuring that all participants have a valid role and adequate resources in the project to fulfil that role.
• Feasibility and appropriateness of the methods and project management to achieve the objectives within the timeframe of the grant.
• Compliance with national and international standards of research, Good Clinical Practice, ethics and safety related issues.
• Participants have the operational capacity, to carry out the proposed work, based on the competence and experience of the individual participant(s).
• Suitability of the fellow’s home and/or host organisation to support the fellowship project.
• Intention of the fellow’s home organisation to develop and commit to a career post-fellowship or re-integration plan.

Financial provisions
The call budget is EUR 3.25 million.

The requested EDCTP contribution per project should not exceed EUR 150,000. The funding level is 100% of eligible costs.

Grant agreement
The legal entity employing the successful fellow (‘host organisation’) will be required to sign a General EDCTP2 mono-beneficiary grant agreement .

Applicant legal entities (host organisations) selected for funding from this Call for Proposals will be required to conclude an employment agreement with the fellows prior to the conclusion of the EDCTP2 grant agreement.

Application process and guidance

• The application must be submitted online via EDCTPgrants
• Only registered users of EDCTPgrants system can apply for grants and therefore you are advised to register on the system as soon as possible
• For questions related to this call for proposals, please access the call-specific FAQ (PDF) or contact: Dr Montserrat Blázquez-Domingo at blazquez@edctp.org.
• For questions and issues about EDCTPgrants and the online application submission please contact EDCTP via edctpgrants@edctp.org.
• For proposal templates and guidance documents, see the Guidance and FAQs pages.

Projects awarded under this call

2020 – RVA Nanokit
Career Development Fellow: Dr Margaret Japhet
Improving paediatric diarrhoea management through development of nanoparticle-based rotavirus diarrhoea diagnostic kits and viral diarrhoea awareness to reduce diarrhoea morbidity/mortality

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Starting date: 1 September 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,781
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2731

ACCEPTU2U
Career Development Fellow: Dr Moses Kumwenda
Developing “U=U” communication messages in Malawi: Establishing evidence on feasibility and acceptability

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Malawi
Starting date: 1 March 2021
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2704

AIDR-HiDAVARTI
Career Development Fellow: Dr Joseph Bukulu Sempa
Analysis and interpretation of dynamic range of HIV diagnostic assays for viral load monitoring after antiretroviral therapy initiation

University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Starting date: 1 February 2021
Duration: 24 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2760

AZT-TB
Career Development Fellow: Dr Laure Stella Ghoma Linguissi
Assessment of immunomodulatory effects of azithromycin in pulmonary tuberculosis patients

Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
Starting date: 1 January 2021
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2737

COPSMEDS
Career Development Fellow: Dr Felix Khuluza
Countering the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines in Malawi

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Malawi
Starting date: 1 February 2021
Duration: 30 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,188
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2768

CORD
Career Development Fellow: Dr Edith Majonga
Characterisation of cardiac disease in adolescents with perinatally-acquired HIV infection in the antiretroviral therapy era

Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
Starting date: 01 June 2021
Duration: 30 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,471
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2776

ECP&FOB
Career Development Fellow: Dr Evans Chadeka
Intestinal schistosomiasis in preschool and school children residing along shores and on islands of Lake Victoria western Kenya: Investigation of eosinophil cationic protein and faecal occult blood as potential markers for schistosomiasis induced bowel morbidity

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
Starting date: 1 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2746

EFFICACY
Career Development Fellow: Dr Nyanyiwe Masingi Mbeye
Efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in HIV-infected Malawian children on antiretroviral treatment

Training and Teaching Unit of Excellence (TRUE), Blantyre, Malawi 
Starting date: 1 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,875
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2767

EIMT-GM
Career Development Fellow: Dr Nikita Naicker
Evaluating the impact of metformin on Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in macrophages

Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
Starting date: 1 September 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 141,580
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2709

e-MANIC
Career Development Fellow: Dr François Kiemde
Development and evaluation of an electronic algorithm using a combination of a two-step malaria rapid diagnostic test detecting PfHRP2 and pLDH, and other rapid diagnostic tools for the management of febrile illness in children under 5 years attending outpatient facilities in Burkina Faso

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Starting date: 1 December 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,425
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2697

ESKAPE-TB
Career Development Fellow: Dr Suventha Moodley
The influence of tuberculosis treatment on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance amongst the ESKAPE bacteria

Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Starting date: 1 December 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149, 362
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2738

HIVDR
Career Development Fellow: Dr Juliann Makau
Determination of HIV-1 drug resistance among patients failing second-line treatment in Kenya using an in-house phenotypic assay

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
Starting date: 1 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2716

HIVDR-MIT
Career Development Fellow: Dr Benjamin Chimukangara
Monitoring of HIV drug resistance in South Africa and innovative approaches to HIV drug resistance testing

Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
Starting date: 1 September 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 139,625
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2728

IRMiP
Career Development Fellow: Dr Francis Mungathia Kobia
Targeting foetal-maternal innate response conflict for better placental malaria outcomes

Mount Kenya University Trust (MKU), Thika, Kenya
Starting date: 1 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,578
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2736

IRTBHHC
Career Development Fellow: Dr Martha Zewdie Gebeyehu
Characterisation of innate and adaptive immune responses to mycobacterial antigens in household contacts of tuberculosis patients

Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Starting date: 1 October 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2791

ISAMIMA
Career Development Fellow: Dr Azizath Mousilliou
Impact of seasonal malaria chemoprevention on the acquisition and maintenance of immunity against malaria among children in northern Benin

Université de Parakou, Parakou, Benin
Starting date: 1 January 2021
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 147,322
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2774

MAL-Malaria
Career Development Fellow: Dr Kolapo Oyebola
Investigating artemisinin resistance  in Nigerian isolates of Plasmodium falciparum 

Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Lagos, Nigeria
Starting date: 1 January 2021
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,809
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2782

MeMoF
Career Development Fellow: Dr Herbert Itabangi
Metabolic and molecular ecological evolution of opportunistic pulmonary fungal co-infections 

Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbarara, Uganda
Starting date: 01 October 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 126,186
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2789

PEST4MEN
Career Development Fellow: Dr Joseph Matovu
Peer-led HIV self-testing to improve HIV and linkage to HIV care among men in two fishing communities in rural Uganda: a pilot intervention

Busitema University, Tororo, Uganda
Starting date: 01 May 2021
Duration: 24 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,625
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2729
Project website

Pfkelch13 emergence
Career Development Fellow: Dr Moses Ocan
Predictors of local emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance among Ugandan Plasmodium falciparum parasites 

Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Starting date: 01 January 2021
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,950
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2662

PHARMABIOME
Career Development Fellow: Dr Nicholas Ekow Thomford
Pharmacomicrobiomics in malaria-HIV co-infection (MHC) treatment outcome: finding causal therapeutic variation in artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a Ghanaian population 

University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Starting date: 01 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,692
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2670

PHYLECOG
Career Development Fellow: Dr Noé Patrick M’Bondoukwé
Pre-treatment of hypermicrofilaremic loiasis for eligibility to Community Directed Ivermectin Intervention for Onchocerciasis control in co-endemic settings of Gabon

La Faculté de Médecine, Université des Sciences de la Santé Libreville, Gabon
Starting date: 1 May 2021
Duration: 30 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,740
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2730

PKM-TB
Career Development Fellow: Dr Anil Pooran
Approaches to investigate pharmacokinetic mismatch and its effect on resistance acquisition in M. tuberculosis 

University of Cape Town Lung Institute Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa
Starting date: 01 January 2021
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 144,252
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2780

SCEPTRES
Career Development Fellow: Dr Musonda Simwinga
Supporting community engagement to promote tuberculosis research ethics and science

Zambart, Lusaka, Zambia 
Starting date: 01 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,032
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2788

SchIIP
Career Development Fellow: Dr Patrice Mawa
Exploring immune responses in primary and more advanced Schistosoma mansoni infection and treatment of preschool-age children using Aurora spectral flow cytometry

Uganda National Health Research Organisation (UNHRO), Entebbe, Uganda 
Starting date: 01 November 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,255
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2708

SERVE-Kenya
Career Development Fellow: Dr Primus Che Chi
Social, ethical and regulatory implications of conducting a malaria vaccine efficacy trial in a human infection study in Kenya

African Research Collaboration for Health (ARCH), Nairobi, Kenya
Starting date: 1 October 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2751

SiDIC
Career Development Fellow: Dr Olumide Ajibola
Role of schistosomiasis in dysbiosis, inflammation and bacterial translocation in children from Nigeria

First Technical University, Ibadan, Nigeria
Starting date: 1 September 2020
Duration: 30 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,775
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2762

TIMELY
Career Development Fellow: Dr Oghenebrume Wariri
Evaluating the contribution of sociodemographic characteristics and geographic access to immunisation service points on timeliness and delays of infant vaccinations in The Gambia

Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Starting date: 1 November 2020
Duration: 30 months
Grant amount: EUR 149,908
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2734

ULTRAPYRAPREG
Career Development Fellow: Dr Vivi Maketa
Comparison of intermittent screening (using ultrasensitive malaria rapid diagnostic test) and treatment (using a newly registered antimalarial pyronaridine-artesunate – Pyramax®) to standard intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine for the prevention of malaria in pregnant women living in endemic areas

University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Starting date: 1 October 2020
Duration: 36 months
Grant amount: EUR 150,000
Grant agreement: TMA2019CDF-2699