SciDev.Net

The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) was created in 2003 as a European response to the global health crisis caused by the three main poverty-related diseases of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. EDCTP is a partnership between European and sub-Saharan African countries that aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines and microbicides against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa.

As of July 2008, EDCTP has launched calls worth more than 150 million euros for funding research into HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. EDCTP now announces the launch of the following calls for proposals:

Clinical trials, capacity development and networking in Malaria vaccines development.
Deadline: 30 November 2008.
Available funds: EUR 6.5 million.

Clinical trials, capacity development and networking in Malaria treatment.
Deadline: 30 November 2008.
Available funds: EUR 6.0 million

Senior Fellowship.
Deadline: 30 November 2008.
Available funds: EUR 1.2 million.

Establishment and strengthening of African National Ethics Committees or Institutional Review Boards.
Deadline: 30 November 2008
Available funds: EUR 500,000.

Who can apply?

Malaria vaccines, malaria treatment and ethics: Participants in a proposal must be from at least two publicly-funded institutions from the EDCTP EEIG Member States (see full list below) and at least two sub-Saharan African institutions. The project coordinator must be employed by a not-for-profit institution and must be a resident of either an EDCTP-EEIG Member State or a sub-Saharan African country. Preference will be given to proposals where the project coordinator is a sub-Saharan African national based in Africa.

Senior Fellowships: Sub-Saharan African researchers with a MD and/or PhD degree, with a proven record in research and at least 3 years post doctoral experience. Candidates should be based at a sub-Saharan African Institution that is conducting clinical trials.

For more details on these and other eligibility criteria, please consult the call texts available on http://www.edctp.org.

Submission and review of proposals

Applicants are requested to follow the relevant guidelines closely and to submit their applications before the deadline specified (please refer to the call texts for the guidelines and deadlines). Once received, the EDCTP Secretariat will screen the proposals for completeness and eligibility. Eligible proposals will then be evaluated by the Scientific Review Committee who will make recommendations to the EDCTP General Assembly.The results will be communicated to the applicants shortly thereafter.

Further information

Applicants are encouraged to consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on www.edctp.org. For further information or questions on any aspect of the proposal preparation process, please contact the EDCTP Secretariat at proposals@edctp.org.

List of the EDCTP-EEIG member states

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

List of Sub Saharan African countries

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.