DELTAS Africa Phase II Call for Applications, 2020

Deadline for applications: 28 Feb 2020

 

DELTAS Africa invites applications for health-, social-, and sustainable development-focused, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scientific programmes aligned to the initiative’s strategic areas and key outcomes – taking into consideration pressing local, national and regional research needs, resources, priorities and existing capacity. This flexible approach is intended to encourage innovation by supporting alternative activities and processes, within the remit of the initiative.

The primary location of proposed programmes must be in Africa, and preliminary applications are invited from universities and research institutions based in Africa; institutions outside Africa are invited to collaborate on applications led by an African institution. Applications that strongly support and commit to safeguarding and diverse workplaces, balance excellence with equity in selection of partner and collaborating institutions and recruitment of trainees, and which can demonstrate value for money, risk management and ability to build strong research cultures and environments are strongly encouraged. Awards will be made for up to five years, with opportunities for competitive renewal anticipated after this period subject to continued funding of the programme.

 

Aims

The underpinning aim of DELTAS Africa II is to build a critical mass of globally-competitive African research leaders and strong research outputs that address local challenges and contexts, and of global relevance, strengtheining research capacity and translating research outputs to impacts over the medium to long-term, as espoused in the DELTAS Africa Theory of Change. Research studies supported by DELTAS Africa II are expected to lead to the following outcomes and outputs:

  • DELTAS Africa II programmes produce high quality scientific output measured by diverse outputs including publishing, the winning of competitive grants, citations and translations of research through policy, public and community  engagement.
  • Every DELTAS Africa Programme will have a specific influence on health or social policy or practice at national/regional level; or has an output directly translated into a tangible health or social influence, wellbeing and sustainable development.
  • A cumulative total of at least 1,500 African researchers will have been trained by 2025 (this includes DELTAS AfricaI) with about 50% of DELTAS Africa trainees being female.

 

Research Focus Areas

 

The DELTAS Africa II call shall receive applications for research in all priority areas including the broad underpinnings of social sciences and inter/transdisciplinary research particularly the nexus of health, food/nutrition, energy, and climate change/environment. Key focus areas could include but not limited to:

  • Major infectious diseases Including vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, discovery, translational and implementation and social sciences
  • Neglected Tropical Diseases and ONE Health The 20 WHO listed NTDs including a focus on R&D from discovery, translational, implementation and social sciences
  • Anti-Microbial Resistance   
  • Non-communicable Diseases
    ncluding Cancer, Diabetes, CVD, stroke, Hypertension, metabolic diseases and their interphase with infectious diseases
  • Mental health
    Including from basic neurosciences research to innovative approaches to delivery of mental health interventions in low resource settings
  • Clinical research
    Including applied, patient-oriented research for infectious diseases and NCDs, health systems and co-morbidities, but excluding late phase clinical trials
  • Accidents, injury, disability, snake bite
    Including prevention, treatment, technology and innovation
  • Implementation research, health systems research, public health research
    Including delivery and operational science for vaccines, drugs and diagnostics and other interventions as well as prevention and social care through the life course.
  • Social sciences and humanities
  • Climate Change and Planetary Health
    Including cross-disciplinary research the nexus of climate/environmental factors urbanisation and human pathogens

 

For more details, or to apply, visit the call webpage.

The African Academy of Sciences