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WORKPLAN of RESEARCH CAPABILITY STRENGTHENING (RCS) (full text) BACKGROUND The mission of the TDR Research Capability Strengthening (RCS) is to foster self-reliance in biomedical and social science research in disease-endemic developing countries (DECs) by building a critical mass of human resources, institution capacity, and a conducive environment able to respond to public health research needs. RCS is thus a cross-cutting programmatic area of TDR, established to promote and fund research training and institution development, and to increase the participation of developing countries in the development and use of new tools for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of communicable diseases. Examples of TDR's investment in health and development can be seen in the publication Research capacity building in developing countries: investing in health and development (document TDR/RCS/GEN/03.1). RCS activities aim to contribute to the definition of research priorities, conduct of research, and translation of results into evidence-based health policy. This can be ensured by increasing access to, and use of, new scientific knowledge by DECs through modern information and communication technologies. The core of the RCS strategy is to create partnerships, increase networking, and promote equal opportunities, ensuring a gender and geographically balanced generation of scientists. In the TDR RCS Strategy 2002-2005 (document TDR/RCS/SP/02.1), research capability strengthening activities have been refocused along three lines of support within two major strategic directions, each with clearly distinguished budget targets, processes and procedures: a) researcher-driven capacity building, and b) R&D-driven capacity building. Lines of support are for:
MODUS OPERANDI The RCS workplan and research proposals are reviewed annually, and funding approved, by the Research Strengthening Group (RSG). The strategic plan is reviewed annually by TDR's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC). Capacity strengthening programme grants support long-term institutional and research group development in least developed countries and countries with low research capacity. The grants are expected to assist in developing research leadership, promoting the development of infrastructure and the research environment, improving training opportunities, and increasing scientific expertise in biomedical and social sciences areas. The grants also include support for information and communication systems, as well as Internet connectivity. Opportunities for collaboration with scientists and institutions in advanced developing and industrialized countries will be encouraged. Proposals will be developed with TDR's assistance and will be reviewed on the basis of soundness of the scientific development plan and vision, relevance of the research, and explicitness of the expected outcomes. Financial support will be for an initial period of one to three years (subject to annual review and satisfactory progress). Research and development (R&D)-driven capability strengthening grants (RCS-Plus) will support projects and activities announced through specific calls for applications as part of joint initiatives developed across TDR teams and respective steering committees. The initiatives will be introduced through recommendation by TDR's R&D areas and steering committees, and will be guided by TDR's comparative advantages and disease strategic emphases. An initiative team formed by TDR staff and external experts will be responsible for managing individual initiatives. Priority will be given to specific areas with the greatest potential impact on disease control and RCS outcomes. It is envisaged that the programme will address priority issues from laboratory-based research, through field intervention research, to social-economic behavioural research. Research training grants (RTGs) are awarded on a competitive basis to nationals from least developed countries (and countries with lesser developed research capacities) working in a developing country institution. RTGs aim to support higher degree training (locally or regionally) or short-term postdoctoral fellowships in the biomedical or social sciences on TDR target diseases. Applications for training must be designed as an integral part of an institution development programme rather than an individual request. Applicants must indicate how the proposed training will strengthen the research capabilities of the home institution and/or how it will assist in the planning and evaluation of a particular disease control programme. Further, the institute director must also identify the career development opportunities for the applicant upon return from training. All applicants must have fixed employment. Re-entry grants are awarded on a competitive basis to scientists from developing countries returning to their home institution after completing a minimum period of 12 months research training within the past 12 months. Priority is given to recent master's and doctoral graduates, as well as those completing post-doctoral studies. The awards aim to enable young scientist's to establish their research career, develop a career path, and continue collaborating with their training institution. All applicants must describe how this grant will facilitate these three aims. In addition, the director of the home institute must describe the career path of the scientist; the previous academic supervisor(s) must provide letters of recommendation; and, as appropriate, all potential collaborators must provide letters of support. The grants are awarded for a 3-year period for a maximum of US$ 40 000 over the 3-year period of the grant. FOCUSED RCS ACTIVITIES
A strategic emphasis matrix for RCS activities by TDR and expected results are described in RCS Strategy 2002-2005. Briefly, in least developed, high burden, low income countries, TDR will focus on developing a critical mass of investigators, increasing training in basic disciplines, and opening opportunities in preclinical and clinical development through within-project training and support to disease control-related projects. Implementation research and health systems and policy research are important approaches to developing research leadership and to introducing research culture into the health system. For some advanced developing endemic countries, emphasis will be placed on using the research capacity available in them for networking, carrying out multicentre studies, research partnerships within R&D driven-projects in basic research, product development, and applied field research. HOW TO APPLY Researchers interested in collaborating in the above activities should respond to the respective call for applications when posted on the website. When necessary, additional information and/or application forms can be requested from the Research Capability Strengthening secretariat:
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