BioMalPar

BIOMALPAR an EU-funded network of excellence devoted to research on the biology and pathology of malaria parasites ( www.biomalpar.org/ ), in partnership with the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria ( www.mim.su.se/ ) research grants program MIM/TDR (coordinated by the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO special program for Research and training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) www.who.int/tdr/ ) announces a collaborative malaria grant program to promote African scientists. The call is addressed to African post doctoral scientists currently working abroad and willing to return to an African Institution, or to African scientists who have returned to Africa within the last 3 years. It is expected that the applicant develops an independent and original line of research and strengthens the research infrastructure of the African host institution as well as South-North partnerships.

Interested candidates should submit a full proposal according to the guidelines listed below.

The research component of the re-entry grant application must be focused on studies related to the biology and pathology of the malaria parasite. Projects involving translational malaria research will also be considered.

For further details, please consult the BioMalPar web site ( www.biomalpar.org )

Priority will be given to multidisciplinary research projects jointly executed by institutions of the BioMalPar consortium, and the African partner institutions.

The BioMalPar-MIM/TDR Reintegration grants consist of an amount of up to Euro 100,000 per year over a period of up to three years. This award may be used to support:

hold a PhD, MD or equivalent degree from an established University
have received post doctoral training outside their African home institution
can secure a five year commitment from an African research institution or an institution of higher education providing adequate laboratory space and infrastructure to conduct the research proposed .

The proposal should be written in Times New Roman, font 12 with a line spacing of 1.5. The proposal should be divided into the following sections:

Title page
Extended abstract
Research proposal
Budget and budget justification
A complete CV and list of publications
Plan for integration with, and added value to, the African host institution
Plan for integration with, and added value to, the BioMalPar network

1. Title page (1 page)

including title, name of the applicant, current affiliation, current contact address (phone number, email, fax number) and name and full address of the suggested host institution

should include a comprehensive summary of the research proposal and the plans to integrate with the African host institution and with BioMalPar. Special emphasis should be paid in preparing the abstract as it will be used for an initial pre-screening of the proposal.

should contain the scientific background of the project (2 pages), the general and specific objectives (1 page), a detailed workplan including a timescale (5 pages), relevant references (1 page) and relevant information regarding ethical and biosafety issues (1 page).

The budget must be presented in Euros and must be calculated in detail for one year and projected for the whole project duration. The detailed budget plan must include justifications of all the cost items such as salary of the applicant, salaries for personnel, equipment, supplies and consumables, travel costs, publication costs, communication costs and overhead (max of 5% of the total sum).

5. Complete CV and list of publications

personal information including the name, gender, birth date, nationality, marital status, number of children, current place of residence, current employer, current working address.
Education including copies of the University degrees (bachelor, masters, PhD, and MD, etc…)
Previous employment and experience
Major research interest
Fellowships, prizes and awards
Research grants
Other scientific and administrative activities (teaching, supervision of students, peer reviewer, lectures at meetings, coordination of research activities, lecture series and workshops).
Complete list of publications including chapters, books, reviews and original articles (no abstract).

The applicant should provide a detailed description of how the applicant intends to integrate his/her research project into the agenda of the African host institution. The benefits for both the applicant and the host institution should be made explicitly clear. If necessary, a chart may be provided. It is expected that this topic is jointly addressed by the applicant and the host institution.

The applicant should provide a detailed description of how the applicant intends to integrate his/her research project into the agenda of BioMalPar. The benefits the applicant, the African host institution and BioMalPar should be made explicitly clear. If necessary, a chart may be provided. Integration may include joint research with BioMalPar partners, joint training/ teaching activities, or a research and/or technological platform for BioMalPar.

All eligible proposals will be subjected to an in-depth peer review process. The evaluation will be conducted by an evaluation’s committee with the assistance of two independent experts appointed by the European Commission. The proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria outlined below:

Scientific excellence of the research project (weighting 30%)
Excellence and competence of the applicant (weighting 30%)
How the research program benefits both the applicant and the African host institution. (weighting 30%)
How the research program benefits both the applicant and BioMalPar. (weighting 10%)

The full proposal should be sent as an e-mail document file (*.doc) to the coordination office of BioMalPar ( BMPoffice@pasteur.fr ) with a copy to MIM/TDR ( mimtdr@who.int ) no later than 31 st January 2006.