Open call for applications for the Joint Small Grants Scheme to research on tuberculosis-related services during the COVID-19 crisis

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and TDR, the UNICEF / UNDP / World Bank / WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, are pleased to announce the 2020-2021 call for applications for the Joint Small Grants Scheme for operational / implementation research to identify and address barriers and bottlenecks to implementing tuberculosis-related services during the COVID-19 crisis.

This call for applications is undertaken in close collaboration with one of TDR’s supported Regional Training Centres (Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan), with considerable expertise in bioethics and implementation research.

OBJECTIVES OF THIS CALL

  1.  Strengthen the TB research capacity of relevant individuals and institutions in target countries and enhance the use of research evidence in policy and decision-making.
  2. Generate new knowledge, solutions and implementation strategies that can ensure continuity of essential TB services (prevention, detection, treatment and care) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SCOPE OF THIS CALL

The scope of the call is to cover a spectrum of studies that utilize operational or implementation research methodology, focusing on ensuring continuity of essential TB services (prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care) during the COVID-19 pandemic, to support achieving 2030 milestones and 2035 targets to end TB globally, as set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO End TB Strategy respectively.

Deadline for submission: 31 December 2020

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES

Applicants must be researchers or health professionals working in public health institutions under the umbrella of ministries of health (such as: national TB programmes, national public health institutes, centers for disease control), universities, research institutions or NGOs, from the following 18 TB high priority countries for ending TB by 2030 in the European region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Proposals may be submitted in English or Russian.

For more details and to access application page use this link.