Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) Africa NCD Open Lab – Call for proposals from outstanding African Scientists (£100,000 )

Application Deadline: 12th of January 2017 4pm GMT (UK time)

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.

Awards offer up to two years of funding, with up to £100,000 available per award to cover the cost of an appropriate research project. A minimum of 10 awards will be funded.

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.

Requirements:

he applicant:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. Must not currently hold positions above lecturer level or equivalent.
5. 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.
6. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Benefits:

The award offers up to two years of funding. A total of up to £100,000 will be available per award.

1. 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.
2. Funding is not provided for the applicants’ PhD/MD tuition fees. Funding may be requested for training activities relevant to achieving the aims of the project including short courses and training visits to relevant research institutions. All training requests must be fully justified in the application.
3. In addition to financial support, GSK will provide scientific support throughout the duration of the award term.  The level of interaction will be determined through the application process and will be tailored to the individual needs of the project. GSK is exploring links with academic groups in the UK and leading African scientists to provide mentorship to successful applicants.
4. 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.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the GSK Africa Open Lab call for proposals