Many infectious diseases researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face difficulties when applying for research grants. Crowdfunding can help address these by allowing LMICs researchers to directly raise funds for their research. In partnership with Social Entrepreneurship to Spur Health (SESH), TDR Global launched a challenge contestto build capacity for crowdfunding for infectious diseases research.
The purpose of the contest was to solicit research proposals from LMICs researchers and then provide training and mentorship for selected finalists. TDR Global members volunteered as Steering Committee members, judges, workshop training faculty, and mentors. The response from the TDR Global community was particularly enthusiastic, with 592 individuals stepping forward as volunteer judges. We sincerely thank all for their interest and to the 47 judges for contributing their time and expertise.
A total of 121 researchers from 37 countries submitted proposals to the challenge contest. Five finalists have been identified, matched with 10 TDR Global mentors, and given public engagement training to prepare them for crowdfunding.
The five finalists are pictured below:
From left to right: Asha Wijegunawardana, Teerawat Wiwatpanit,
Renata Mendizábal, Mahmud Ali Umar, and Miguelhete Joaquim Lisboa
| Country | Principal investigator | Research proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala | Renata Mendizábal | Community mobile clinics for the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in rural communities of Guatemala |
| Mozambique | Miguelhete Joaquim Lisboa | Engaging community health workers on community-directed distribution of three-month weekly regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid (3HP) for tuberculosis prevention among people living with HIV in Mozambique |
| Nigeria | Mahmud Ali Umar | Integrated IEC and Community-Directed Intervention strategies for Controlling Urogenital Schistosomiasis in Communities Around Kafin Chiri and Wasai Dams, Kano State, Nigeria |
| Sri Lanka | Asha Wijegunawardana | Initiation of Mobile Vector Surveillance Unit (MVSU) and facilitation of Leishmaniasis vector surveillance in Madawachchiya MOH, Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka |
| Thailand | Teerawat Wiwatpanit | Blocking Zika virus maternal-to-fetal transmission |
The researchers joined a capacity building workshop hosted by TDR in Geneva, 13–14 November 2019, with the goal of enhancing their proposals and developing sharp pitches. Following the workshop, finalists will obtain institutional and ethical approvals in order to prepare for the research. In addition, they will receive feedback from TDR Global mentors, communications experts, and crowdfunding experts.
The finalists plan on launching their campaigns by February 2020, and we invite the TDR Global community to support their fundraising efforts.
TDR Global is a worldwide community of passionate scientists and experts who have been working with TDR on research on infectious diseases of poverty. SESH is a team focused on using crowdsourcing approaches to improve health.
For more information on the crowdfunding call for submissions, please visit: https://www.seshglobal.org/Crowdfunding
For more information about SESH, please visit: https://www.seshglobal.org