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Call for Proposals: Scientific Knowledge for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Latin America and the Caribbean

- Guide for Protocols (8 pp, PDF, 75 Kb)
- Application Form for Collaborative Research Grants

PAHO-TDR   |   PAHO/RGP

Contacts:
Dr. Rebecca de los Ríos, PAHO Research Promotion and Development Unit.
Dr. Zaida Yadón, PAHO Communicable Disease Research Program.

This iniciative receives its funding from the PAHO Research Grants Program (RGP) and from TDR/UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO.

Deadline for submitting proposals extended to 30 June 2005

The PAHO Communicable Disease Unit and Research Promotion and Development Unit, in collaboration with the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), are pleased to invite researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean to present research projects aimed at the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) proposed by the United Nations.

Objective: Promote research projects that take a broad-spectrum approach to dealing with public-health problems that most frequently affect poverty-stricken population groups and that exert a significant impact on their living conditions of living and their levels of maternal and child health. Particular attention will be paid to analytical projects with a comprehensive view of the health problems of communities and population groups with the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality and who suffer from infectious diseases associated with conditions of poverty.

Knowledge Objectives

• Contribute to the production of evidence permitting a better comprehension of the risks, efficacy, effectiveness and impact of public-health programs and interventions to prevent and control diseases associated with poverty.
• Establish comparative and evaluative analyses of biomedical and/or social interventions aimed at reducing infant and maternal morbidity and mortality among the most neglected population groups and geographical regions in the continent.

Purpose

• Promote the use of study evidence and conclusions to improve disease prevention and control as well as both the programs themselves and health services to priority groups.
• Facilitate the publication and dissemination of research findings for different audiences and particularly for decision-makers and managers responsible for programs and interventions dealing with the living conditions and of health of poverty-stricken groups.
• Promote greater articulation between academic and research institutions, along with the institutions responsible for programs and health services aimed at reducing the risks and factors related to infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as programs for the prevention and control of infectious diseases among groups living in extreme poverty.
• Facilitate collaboration among the countries of the Region and particularly among those showing higher or lower level of development with regard to public health research.

Priority Areas

• Research proposals will be accepted that provide new contributions to existing knowledge and/or answer research questions where evidence is insufficient or inconclusive in terms of providing orientation to guide health policies, programs and interventions, and that contribute to meeting the Millennium Goals.
• Priority will be given to research projects evaluating the concrete conditions of interventions aimed at reducing infectious disease orevalence and the risk of disease and death among children under five and pregnant women, particularly those related to primary-care and community-level services.

Topics of Interest

• Identification of existing barriers at the health service level to the timely delivery of known technologies, to providing ample access, and to preventing and controlling the most frequent causes of death among mothers and/or children living in poverty.
• Evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of community interventions and/or of primary care services at the local level, comparing different models of services according to providers, to reduce maternal, infant, and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
• Impact of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Strategy in the proper use of antimicrobial drugs, mainly in managing infectious disease and in reducing morbidity and mortality, which constitute the most frequent causes of death among children.
• Evaluation of interventions at the primary care level to increase access to malaria diagnosis and treatment among children and pregnant women.
• Comparative analyses of the efficacy, effectiveness, and impact of interventions for malaria prevention and control in endemic areas.
• Evaluation of standardized methods and procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of congenital Chagas' disease, that are integrated into primary health-care services and programs.
• Evaluation of new strategies with intersectoral and of multi-disease approaches for preventing and controlling parasitic diseases such as onchocerciasis, geohelminths, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, cysticercosis/taeniasis, and fascioliasis in geographical areas and population groups with the greatest estimated prevalence.

Eligibility Criteria for Principal Investigators and Research Teams

Applications will be accepted from researchers and/or professionals affiliated with health services in programs dealing with communicable disease control and maternal and child health, who can certify their experience and suitability for the development of research projects and who have the corresponding institutional endorsement, either from universities, research institutions, government agencies, or nongovernmental organizations in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Under the coordination of the Principal Investigator, projects research teams should be formed that show due articulation between academia, programs and health services.

Only those projects will be accepted that are in line with the objectives and priority areas stated in this call for proposals. Priority will be given to those projects that address health problems in poverty-stricken localities and geographical areas and localities in the countries of the Region and that are aimed at meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Special attention will be paid to promoting collaborative projects between/among countries that address common problems and that facilitate exchange and strengthen research capacity. All applications submitted must include a detailed budget, duly justified.

Multinational Projects: Projects including more than one country can submit applications for funding to the Initiative for an amount no greater than US$ 25,000. These should be presented by the Principal Investigator from the country responsible for project coordination and administration and should incorporate the credentials of all the researchers and institutions from the country with which the cooperation is being set up.

Ethical Considerations: Paying due attention to ethical aspects is indispensable for obtaining a grant. All projects should present a detailed section explicitly indicating the mode and mechanisms to be followed to protect any human subjects, as well as the Informed Consent form to be used. The protocol must be approved by a National or Local Ethics Committee. The researcher should carefully review the corresponding section in the guidelines for preparing a research protocol, as well as the section their devoted to Informed Consent.

Duration: Projects should have a timeline not exceeding 12–18 months and results should be presented in written form in accordance with PAHO guidelines.

Funding: The amount requested should not exceed US$ 10,000. If there is any funding from other sources, it should be guaranteed and described in the proposal.

Exclusion Criteria

Projects will not be considered from

• Principal investigators in charge of active projects funded by PAHO, either through PAHO/TDR or the Research Grants Program (PAHO/RGP).
• Researchers who are staff members of PAHO/WHO or any other UN agency.
• Researchers not affiliated or working with institutions in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

How to Apply: Fill out the TDR Application Form for a collaborative research grant. The detailed research protocol should be attached in MS Word. It should not exceed 20 pages in length, including bibliography.

Submitting Proposals: The complete proposal (in English, Spanish, or Portuguese) should be electronically submitted to CDR@inppaz.ops-oms.org by 30 June 2005.

Should difficulties occur with electronic transmission, please contact

Communicable Disease Research Program

Attention: Ms. Alejandra Boggero

Communicable Disease Unit

Disease Prevention and Control (DPC/CD)

Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO)

Talcahuano 1660

CP 1640, Martínez

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Phone: (+54-11) 57 89 40 26

This announcement is also available in PDF (3 pp, 49 Kb).