Wellcome Trust invites proposals

The Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) program was started to support a contemporary research approach for studying genomics and environmental determinants of common diseases. The basic aim of this approach is to improve the health of people of Africa. This goal can be achieved by development of the knowledge and infrastructure in the region and establish pan-African research networks. It is believed that the research work conducted through this H3Africa program will address the health inequities in both communicable and non-communicable diseases and ultimately result in health benefits in Africa.

The Wellcome Trust has now launched a call for proposals as part of the H3Africa initiative – a partnership between the African Society of Human Genetics, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Wellcome Trust. Over the next five years, H3Africa will receive £8 million from the Wellcome Trust and $24 million from the NIH, along with administrative and scientific support.

Aims of the call

Successful proposals will:

- bring together research groups from more than one African country, to study a defined scientific question(s) that will advance the understanding of the genetic and environmental determinants of a specific disease(s) of importance to African populations

- include, as appropriate, researchers in ethics and the social sciences, to develop models of best practice with respect to the ethical, legal and social aspects of the proposed research

- follow the principles of H3Africa, and as appropriate:

-> share data and samples across the Initiative

-> collaborate across the initiative with regards to training and use of infrastructure, such as bioinformatics and biorepositories

-> follow best practices with respect to ethical, legal and social issues

Eligibility

Awards will be made to African institutions; the principal applicant will be an African citizen or resident with a primary appointment in an African institution. It is expected that co-applicants will also be African citizens and/or based in African institutions, but collaborations with internationally leading-edge groups from outside Africa are encouraged.

Institutions may be required to provide the following additional information at the preliminary application stage:

- a statement of support from the head of the administering institution, explaining the mission of the institution and indicating how the proposal fits within the context of its strategic vision

- details of the main source(s) of funding and a description of the institution’s legal status, and whether it is able to enter into legal agreements in its own name and on its own account.

Initial expressions of interest must be submitted by September 16, 2011, and preliminary applications must be submitted by October 10, 2011.

For more information and details, visit this link.

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