Ten Impact Grants have been awarded following a call for applications jointly issued by TDR and WHO’s Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO), who have a common interest in strengthening the capacity for health research in low- and middle-income countries. The call reflects a commitment to support implementation research that informs the delivery of high-quality and cost-efficient health care solutions to people in resource-poor settings.
These Impact Grants for Regional Priorities support researchers and public health practitioners as part of TDR’s collaboration with all WHO regional offices. The general objective of the Impact Grants is to promote SEAR-based research and innovations for accelerating elimination of infectious diseases of poverty under the Regional Flagship Priorities in South-East Asia including accelerating efforts to ‘End TB’ by 2030 as well as finishing the task of eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and other diseases on the verge of elimination such as malaria, HIV and syphilis. The specific objectives of the Impact Grants are to:
- strengthen the research capacity of relevant individuals and institutions in countries;
- generate new knowledge, solutions and implementation strategies that countries can apply for the control and elimination of infectious diseases; and
- encourage intersectoral dialogue and a One Health approach.
In total, 64 applications were received from six countries within the region. Each of the ten recipients will receive up to $15 000 for their research project. The duration of each grant will be up to 12 months.
Implementation research to address access to health services by populations in need can contribute to leveraging political commitments for health. It can also enhance multisectoral collaboration and create cross-programmatic efficiencies, as well as engage unreached communities in developing, implementing and evaluating strategies.
Country | Name of grant recipient | Institution | Project title |
India | Zinia Thajudeen Nujum | Government Medical College, Kerala | Implementation of Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) as part of a one health program for rabies at primary health care level in Kerala: cost-effectiveness, challenges and solutions. |
Indonesia | Ivan Pradipta | Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jawa-Barat | Engaging community pharmacy in tuberculosis detection (ENHANCE): a systematic and structured implementation study in Indonesia. |
India | Tanveer Rehman | ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar | Accelerating elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in Odisha, an endemic state of India: adaptation and evaluation of a multicomponent Intervention strategy for enhancing MDA coverage and drug compliance. |
India | Aiswariya JS | Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru | Empowering tuberculosis patients in slum settings of South Indian state: a strategic approach to reduce out of pocket expenditure and link TB patients to social insurance scheme. |
Sri Lanka | Asha Wijegunawardana | Department of Bioprocess Technology, Rajarata University, Mihintale | Evaluation of the citizen scientists’ leishmaniasis control program using morphological and molecular vector and parasite surveillances. |
India | Preeti Meshram | The Grant Medical College & Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals, Mumbai | Evaluating the usefulness of AI-based chest X-ray screening in enabling incidental diagnosis of tuberculosis in a hospital setting. |
Nepal | Pushkar Pal | Directorate of Research and Extension, Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan | Zoonotic tuberculosis in farming communities: an in-depth study |
Thailand | Suparat Phuanukoonnon | Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University | Effectiveness of school-based training on larval control in household using a mobile application among secondary school students in high risk of dengue areas in Thailand. |
Indonesia | Malida Magista | The Center for Tropical Medicine, Research and Development Building of FK-KMK UGM | Enhancing the health promotion and early detection capabilities of community-based health program to strengthen the resilience of marginalized communities against infectious diseases in Yogyakarta, Indonesia |
Bangladesh | Md Mahfuzur Rahman | Interactive R&D Bangladesh (IRD Bangladesh) | Evaluating ambulatory care for drug-resistant tuberculosis in Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study |
For more information, please contact Dr Garry Aslanyan at TDR or Dr Aya Yajima at WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia.