The NeTroDis Research group wins an ARNTD/USAID small grants
Dr K.B. Otabil is one of fourteen researchers
from eight African countries who have been identified as the fourth cohort of
the African Researchers’ Small Grants Program (SGP IV). The awardees were
announced at the first-ever Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected
Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD) virtual meeting.
“The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal
3 calls for the elimination of neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs, by 2030,
said John Amuasi, Executive Director of the African Research Network for
Neglected Tropical Diseases (ARNTD). “However, the involvement of African
entities in science, research and advocacy has been rather limited due to a
paucity of research experts, policy makers and implementers in the region.”
The African Researchers’ Small Grants Program aims
to address that gap by investing directly in promising scientists in Africa.
ARNTD facilitates the program through COR-NTD, with funding from USAID and UK
Aid.
“We are proud of our partnership with ARNTD,”
said Patrick Lammie, director of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Support
Center, which serves as COR-NTD Secretariat. “This important initiative
helps to build research capacity on the African continent.”
In addition to that capacity building, the
objectives of the Small Grants Program are to increase African involvement and
visibility in NTD operational research, improve South-South communication and
collaboration among researchers, policymakers and implementers, and
promote engagement between researchers and their control programs, and
improve local ownership of initiatives and activities.
“To increase African involvement and visibility
in the NTD operational research space – including the direct involvement with
NTD programs – we have established four pillars of investment for the Small
Grants Program,” said Joseph Shott, Health Scientist in the Division of
Neglected Tropical Diseases, Global Health Bureau, USAID. “Not including this
year’s awardees, there have been a total of 37 grants awarded, and we’re very
excited to support this year’s class.”
Following a call for proposals in July 2020,
ARNTD received 354 applications for SGP IV. The Small Grants Program –
launched in 2017 with support from the USAID and expanded in 2019 with support
from UK Aid – continues to be competitive among African researchers, resulting
in high-quality projects supported through the grants.
“It’s a great honor to congratulate the awardees
and winners of the Small Grants Program that we are funding, together with
USAID,” said Dirk Mueller, Senior Health Adviser in the Health Research
Team of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which
distributes UK Aid.
Reference link:
NeTroDisOH
13th
22nd
