EDCTP Career Development Fellowships 2020 for Researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa

The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is offering Career Development Fellowships for junior and mid-career researchers to acquire and develop clinical research skills in sub-Saharan Africa.

Application Deadline: 27th November 2019 17:00

Eligible Countries: sub-Saharan African countries

About the Award: Application for a Career Development Fellowship must be submitted by an organisation with an established legal entity in sub-Saharan Africa (‘the applicant legal entity’) on behalf of the prospective fellow employed by that organisation.

The grants are awarded to the host organisation with the explicit commitment that this organisation offers appropriate conditions for the fellow to direct and manage its funding for the duration of the fellowship.

The purpose of this Call for Proposals is to provide funding to actions that aim to support junior to mid-career researchers (‘fellows’) to train and develop their clinical research skills.

The objectives are:

1. To promote career development and retention of postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate medical researchers in the research field and in sub-Saharan Africa;
2. To equip the fellows with the ability to establish themselves as independent researchers and with the skills to initiate and manage their own research at host organisations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: 

• The applicant must be an organisation with an established legal entity in sub-Saharan Africa (the applicant legal entity)
• The fellow must be employed or have guaranteed employment by the applicant legal entity (the host organisation) where they intend to remain working for a minimum of two years after the expiration of the grant
• Fellows must:
  • be resident of or be willing to relocate to a sub-Saharan African country;
  • be either a graduate in a subject relevant to the EDCTP2 programme, with a PhD and up to five years’ relevant postdoctoral research experience, or a medical doctor with up to five years’ research experience;
  • have at least one publication in an international peer-reviewed journal;
  • not have been funded under this fellowship scheme before.

• The requested EDCTP contribution per action shall not exceed € 150,000.
• The maximum fellowship duration shall be 36 months.

Selection Criteria: Following an admissibility and eligibility check, letters of intent and full proposals are evaluated by external, independent experts. Proposals are evaluated according to the criteria Excellence, Impact and Implementation. Each criterion is scored between 0 and 5.

The following aspects are considered under the evaluation criteria:

1. Excellence

• Fit with the scope and objectives of the EDCTP2 Programme, the EDCTP strategic research agenda and the call topic description.
• Importance, relevance/pertinence and clarity of the objectives.
• Soundness of the concept and credibility of the proposed approach/methodology.
• Suitability of the candidate, considering their track record, degree of independence and/or potential, and how the fellowship will further the individual’s career.
• Quality of the project and its fit with the fellow’s expertise and career development plan, including acquired competencies and skills to be developed further.

2. Impact

• The extent to which the outputs of the proposed work would contribute, at the European, African and/or International level, to each of the expected impacts listed in the work plan under the relevant topic.
• Likelihood to result in major advances in the field.
• Contribution of the fellowship to the fellow’s clinical research skills and career development.
• Contribution to strengthening clinical research capacity at the home or host organisation.
• Effectiveness of the proposed measures to exploit and disseminate results generated during the fellowship (including management of IPR), to communicate the fellowship activities, and, where relevant, to manage clinical data.
• Sustainability and retention of capacity post-award.

3. Quality and efficiency of the implementation

• Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, including extent to which the resources assigned to work packages are in line with their objectives and deliverables;
• Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including risk and innovation management, and how responsibilities for research data quality and sharing, and security will be met.
• Complementarity of the participants within the consortium, and the extent to which the consortium as whole brings together the necessary expertise.
• Appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources, ensuring that all participants have a valid role and adequate resources in the project to fulfil that role.
• Feasibility and appropriateness of the methods and project management to achieve the objectives within the timeframe of the grant.
• Compliance with national and international standards of research, Good Clinical Practice, ethics and safety related issues.
• Participants have the operational capacity, to carry out the proposed work, based on the competence and experience of the individual participant(s).
• Suitability of the fellow’s home organisation to support the fellowship project.
• Intention of the fellow’s home organisation to develop and commit to a career post-fellowship or re-integration plan.

Number of Awards:  16-20

Value of Award: 

• Call budget: €3.25 Million
• Funding level: Up to 100% of eligible costs

How to Apply: This is a single-stage application procedure. Proposals must be submitted by 27 November 2019 via EDCTPgrants. Evaluation results are expected to be made available by 19 April 2020.

The host organisation (applicant) must provide a support letter confirming that the organisation is supportive of the proposed action and willing through its financial and administrative systems to enable the fellow to direct independently the proposed action and manage its funding for the duration of the fellowship.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: EDCTP