MRC: Joint Global Health Trials Scheme, Sept 2017
The UK Department for International Development (DFID), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), and the Wellcome Trust have announced the launch of the eighth call for proposals under the joint global health trials initiative.
There is a £20million pot to fund the best proposals to generate new knowledge about interventions that will contribute to the improvement of health in low and middle income countries (LMICs). The scheme will give priority to proposals that are likely to produce implementable results and that are designed to address the major causes of mortality or morbidity in low and middle income countries. For call 8, the joint funders would like to stress that applications must engage with the potential of research for future implementation and impact for policy.
The scheme is open to the best proposals which address any major health related problem affecting LMICs, particularly those that affect the most vulnerable populations. Although the breadth of the scheme is deliberately wide, they particularly welcome proposals for research into chronic non-communicable diseases, including mental health, and reproductive, maternal and new born health.
The joint global health trials scheme is aimed at funding randomised controlled trials (RCTs), although other types of methodologies can be used alongside RCTs to explore implementation and operational issues. Nested studies to explore these issues and support future implementation are encouraged.
The scheme focuses on late-stage (equivalent to phase III/IV) clinical and health intervention trials that evaluate efficacy and effectiveness. They may consider Phase IIb trials of major relevance to the objectives of the call, but please contact the MRC office to discuss this beforehand.
The scope of the scheme includes, but is not limited to:
- Behavioural interventions
- Psychological therapies
- Disease management
- Drugs
- Vaccines
- Hygiene
- Diagnostic strategies
For call 8, the joint funders would like to highlight an interest in funding complex interventions delivered in community settings including primary health care.
Studies funded through this scheme should be based in countries with low or middle income economies.
For the full call text please visit the MRC grant call webpage.
