Call for Full Proposal

Institutional Capacity Building in Antimalarial Drug Discovery Research in Sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction
Call
Nature of the Awards
Eligibility criteria
Guidelines for the proposal
Evaluation criteria
Deadline

1. Introduction

AntiMal is an EU-funded project devoted to the development of new drugs for the treatment of malaria (www.antimal.eu). The project comprises leading groups of malaria researchers from a consortium of 34 institutions from 10 European and 3 African countries (Kenya, Gabon and South Africa). It is a special programme aimed at fast-tracking antimalarial drug discovery and development. AntiMal has received earmarked funding from the EU to strengthen malaria drug research in malaria-endemic countries in Africa. AntiMal is collaborating with the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) and the WHO Tropical Disease Research programme (TDR) to identify and select additional African partners for integration into the project. The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) (www.mimalaria.org) is an international alliance of organizations facilitating establishment of strong malaria research capability in Africa. The MIM is coordinated by a secretariat currently based at The African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET), Dar es Salaam. The overarching goal of MIM is to strengthen and sustain, through collaborative research and training, the capability of malaria endemic countries in Africa to carry out research required to develop and improve tools for malaria control and to strengthen the research-control interface. TDR (www.who.int/tdr) aims to foster a global effective research effort on infectious diseases of poverty, in which disease endemic countries play a pivotal role. Activities of MIM coordinated by TDR (MIM/TDR) represent a collaborative funding strategy to promote capacity building activities in the context of MIM.

2. Call

This call is addressed to African scientists who will contribute to strengthening the research capacities and infrastructure of the respective host African institutions through implementation of the selected projects. This will be achieved by developing an original and innovative line of research, establishing/improving the required infrastructure, and developing strong collaborative links with one or more European partner(s).

The aim is to develop capacity which is clearly sustainable in the long term and which has demonstrable institutional support at the highest level. Up to a maximum of three projects at African sites will be selected. Proposals must be in areas that have direct application to drug discovery and development and can include tenure track appointments of key staff (with an emphasis on young scientists), and must address the issue of infrastructure upgrade.

Interested candidates should submit a full proposal according to the guidelines listed below. Research areas of specific interest to the consortium include:-

Medicinal Chemistry
Pre-clinical pharmacology (including bioanalysis, pharmacokinetics, and drug disposition studies in vivo and in vitro)
Molecular target validation

It should be noted that applications are NOT restricted to these three specified areas. Potential host institutions need to demonstrate a commitment to areas of research compatible with malaria drug discovery and development. In addition, a clearly defined module of capacity building must be presented as an essential part of the project.

The allocated funds must be used in a way that will guarantee the long-term human resources/ equipment/infrastructure improvements that will outlive the duration of the project itself (i.e. 3 years). The aim is to ensure more active participation of African Institutions in collaborative drug discovery initiatives in the future.

An explanation of how the applying Institution intends to maintain this new capacity for drug discovery initiatives in the long term (after project termination) is expected. This should include a proposal to maintain and increase the knowledge base in the Institution in the form of permanent positions, research and training programmes that will ensure sustainability for the future.

3. Nature of the awards

The AntiMal award consists of a total amount of up to Euro 1,000,000 over a period of three years for this initiative. The funding received by each institution will depend on the number of grants awarded.

This award may be used to support:-

Infrastructure upgrade
Equipment
Supplies and consumables
Personnel
Travel costs

The Institutions are expected to provide a proportion of the salaries of personnel involved in the project.

4. Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for this award, the applicants must:-

Hold a PhD, MD or equivalent degree from an established University
Have received post doctoral training outside their African home institution or demonstrate successful research collaboration and links with institutions and scientists outside their home institutions in Africa
Secure a five year commitment from an African research institution or an institution of higher education providing adequate laboratory space and infrastructure to conduct the research proposed.
Demonstrate ability or potential for leadership (evidenced by post graduate training and mentorship of young scientists, contribution to institutional managements or academic curriculum development and grants track record)

Applicants are advised to visit the AntiMal website and familiarise themselves with the programme objectives before preparing their applications.

5. Guidelines for the proposal

The proposal should be written in Times New Roman, font 12 with a line spacing of 1.5. The proposal should be divided into the following sections:-

Title page
Extended abstract
Research proposal
Budget and budget justification
A complete CV of the principal / lead investigator and list of publications
Plan for integration with, and added value to, the African host institution
Plan for integration with, and added value to, the AntiMal network

1. Title page (1 page)

Should include title, name of the applicant, current affiliation, current contact address (phone number, email, fax number) and name and full address of the suggested host institution .

2. Extended abstract (1 page)

Should include a comprehensive summary of the research proposal and the plans to integrate with the African host institution and with AntiMal. Applicants are advised to pay special attention when preparing the abstract as it will be used for pre-screening of the proposals.

3. Research proposal (10 pages)

Should contain the scientific background of the project (2 pages), the general and specific objectives (1 page), a detailed workplan including a timescale (5 pages), relevant references (1 page) and relevant information regarding ethical and biosafety issues (1 page). National or institutional review board approval must be obtained for proposals involving human subjects.

4. Budget and budget justification (2 pages)

The budget must be presented in Euros and must be calculated in detail for one year and projected for the whole project duration (three years). The detailed budget plan must include justifications of all the cost items such as contribution of the grant to salary of the applicant and other personnel, infrastructure upgrade or renovation, equipment, supplies and consumables, travel costs, publication costs, communication costs and overheads.

5. Complete CV and list of publications

Personal information including the name, gender, birth date, nationality, marital status, number of children, current place of residence, current employer, current working address.
Education including copies of the University degree certificates (bachelor, masters, PhD, and MD, etc…)
Previous employment and experience (beginning with the immediate past employer)
Major research interest
Fellowships, prizes and awards received with dates
Research grants in the last 5 years (indicate granting agency, amount and title of the grant)
Other scientific and administrative activities (including teaching, supervision of students, peer review, invited lectures and symposia, coordination of research activities, lecture series and workshops).
Complete list of publications including chapters, books, reviews and originalarticles (abstracts of presentations at meetings should not be included).

6. Plan for integration with, and added value to, the African host institution (3 pages)

The applicant should provide a detailed description of how the applicant intends to integrate his/her research project into the agenda of the African host institution. The specific benefits for both the applicant and the host institution should be clearly presented, as well as a discussion of the long-term benefits from infrastructure/equipment improvements made possible through the project. If necessary, a chart may be provided. It is expected that this topic is jointly addressed by the applicant and appropriate administrative authority in a position to make a commitment on behalf of the host institution.

7. Plan for integration with, and added value to, the AntiMal network (1 page)

The applicant should provide a detailed description of how they intend to integrate the research project into the agenda of AntiMal. The benefits to the applicant, the African host institution and AntiMal should be made clearly presented. If necessary, a chart may be provided. Integration may include joint research with existing AntiMal partners. A detailed list of AntiMal partners and contact information is available on the consortium web site (www.antimal.eu/parners.htm).

6. Evaluation criteria

All eligible proposals will be subjected to an in-depth peer review process. The evaluation will be conducted by an evaluation committee composed of independent experts appointed by the European Commission, MIM/TDR and the executive committee of AntiMal. The proposal will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria outlined below:-

Scientific merit of the research project
Excellence and competence of the applicant
Benefits of the research program benefits to the applicant and the African host institution.
Benefits of the research program benefits to the applicant and AntiMal
Potential for developing sustainable malaria research capacity through the project.

Proposals will be selected after a site visits by the experts in the relevant fields to evaluate facilities available and ascertain the commitment of host institution.

7. Deadline

The full proposal should be sent as an e-mail document file (*.doc) to the coordination office of AntiMal (antimal@liv.ac.uk) with a copy to mimtdr@who.int no later than 15th July 2007. Short listed applicants will be notified early in August 2007. It is anticipated that implementation of the grants will commence by December 2007.