VALIDATE Receives $1.5 Million Gates Foundation Funding
The VALIDATE Network is excited to announce that we procured funding to continue beyond our MRC grant end date of November 2021!
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded VALIDATE $1.5M to continue our activities for early career researchers through to 2023. This will include future calls for Fellowships, pump-priming grants, training grants, mentoring, workshops and meetings.
VALIDATE Network Director Prof Helen McShane welcomed the news:
‘We are delighted that the Gates Foundation has recognised the value of the VALIDATE Network that we have established, both scientifically and to support career development. We look forward to working with the Foundation to continue to support career development, with a shared focus particularly on women and low- and middle-income setting researchers.’
The BMGF funding is only for TB research so the VALIDATE Management Team aims to find matched funding for our other focus pathogens, to continue to support VALIDATE members’ work against all four of our focus NTDs. However, the BMGF award is a great first step though for VALIDATE’s future.
Professor Samantha Sampson becomes VALIDATE Co-Director
We are also delighted to announce that Prof Sam Sampson, from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, will be joining Profs Helen McShane and Helen Fletcher as a VALIDATE Co-Director and on the VALIDATE Management Team.
Prof Samspon commented:
‘I am very excited about this opportunity to take a more active role in the VALIDATE Network. I am also very grateful for the support from the Gates Foundation, which will allow us to build on the already-strong network to further TB vaccine development through supporting research, collaboration and capacity development.’
Find out more and spread the word!
Further information about our future VALIDATE grant calls will be circulated to members as these calls approach. You can read further details about this award on the University of Oxford news site and can download the full press release.
This information is now public, so feel free to spread the word on social media and with colleagues.
