EDCTP Mobilisation of funding for COVID-19 research in sub-Saharan Africa – Call for Applications

EDCTP invites expressions of interest proposals for RIAs to support research activities in sub-Saharan Africa to manage and/or prevent the spread of the current COVID-19 outbreak. 

Application Deadline: 17th April 2020, 17:00

Call identifier: RIA2020EF

Eligible Countries: sub-Saharan African countries

To be Taken at (Country): sub-Saharan African countries

About the Award: The EDCTP “Emergency Funding Mechanism” allows rapid mobilisation of research funding based on a call for expressions of interest in exceptional and duly substantiated emergencies. EDCTP considers a situation as an emergency if it is unforeseen and presents a serious and immediate risk to human health. The “Emergency” status is adopted only after an official declaration of a situation as 1) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) according to the World Health Organization, or 2) a public health emergency under Decision 1082/2013/EU or 3) an emergency under applicable national frameworks and regulations.

Following the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in December 2019, there has been an unprecedented rapid spread across more than 181 countries, with more than 1 million confirmed cases globally(1) as of 3 April 2020.

On 30 January 2020, following the recommendations of the Emergency Committee, the WHO Director-General declared that the COVID-19 outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) (2). On 11 March 2020, the WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic (3), following alarming levels of infection spread and disease severity.

In the light of rising numbers of cases being reported from affected countries, including several sub-Saharan African countries, the EDCTP Association has agreed to activate the emergency funding mechanism to support Research & Innovation Actions (RIAs) as part of the European response to the COVID-19 emergency.

Type: Grant

Eligibility: A proposal/application will only be considered eligible if:

1. Its content corresponds, wholly or in part, to the topic/contest description for which it is submitted
2. It complies with the eligibility conditions set out below, depending on the type of action:
   • Consortia comprising a minimum of three independent legal entities are eligible to apply. Two of the legal entities shall be established in two different Participating States (European Partner States) (6) and one of the legal entities must be established in a sub-Saharan African country (7). All three legal entities shall be independent of each other.
   • ‘Sole participants’ formed by several legal entities (e.g. European Research Infrastructure Consortia, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation, central purchasing bodies) are eligible if the above-mentioned minimum conditions are satisfied by the legal entities forming together the sole participant.
   • Applicants from non-EU and non-sub-Saharan African countries are free to take part in the EDCTP2 programme, however, they are not automatically entitled to funding. Applicants may be granted funding if their participation is considered essential for carrying out actions in the grant. It has to be demonstrated that participation by the applicant has clear benefits to the consortium such as outstanding expertise/competence, access to research infrastructure, particular geographical environments and/or data.

Also,

Proposals must demonstrate the following:

• Addressing urgent research questions in the context of the current COVID-19 outbreak, in line with the research priorities of the Global Research Roadmap (4) and the WHO R&D Blueprint for rapid activation of R&D activities during epidemics.
• Strengthening of national and local research capacity.
• Coordination and collaboration with other research and/or humanitarian activities operational in the countries affected, following principles of good participatory practice for emerging and re-emerging pathogens (5).
• Compliance with International Council on Harmonisation – Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP), regulatory and ethical standards.
• Commitment to open access and data sharing principles.

Proposals should provide novel, critical and timely insights into the COVID-19 outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa and/or potential avenues for its management or prevention. Proposals must be timely, with rapid activation, to enable early and valuable outcomes to be established and/or to access time-dependent resources.

The call for expressions of interest priorities are based on the research gaps identified by the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH) in its meeting of 12 March 2020.

Number of Awards: 5-10

Value of Award: Maximum funding: €500,000

How to Apply: Apply below

• It is important to go through all application requirements in the Award Webpage (see Link below) before applying.
• GOODLUCK

Visit Award Webpage for Details