FHS Awards for Junior Faculty and Post- graduate Student Research

Objectives Support the development and implementation of innovative research that addresses questions related to FHS themes; Support the professional development of promising junior faculty and post-graduate students across FHS partners; Strengthen links between FHS partners, as well as members of African Hub institutions.

Nature of work supported Must be a health systems research study Must link to any of FHS’s 3 major themes (UCC, Innovation, CAS) or minor themes (gender, HSR ethics, learning) Must be completed within the time frame of 18 months

Eligibility Junior faculty employed at any of the partner institutions (or institutions within the African Hub). To be eligible for the award junior faculty should have no more than five years experience since their last/highest degree and/or should be at the rank of Assistant Scientist or Research Fellow. Postgraduate students must be currently registered for a postgraduate degree at one of the FHS partner institutions, or at an institution within the African Hub.

Funds Available Total funds US$50,000 (this comprises Year 1 and Year 2 budget for this activity) Junior faculty: 4-6 awards of a value of US$5,000-US$10,000 (approx US$ 40,000 in total) Post-graduate students: 5 awards of a value of US$2,000 each (approx US$10,000 in total)

Additional support Each successful applicant would also be provided with a mentor from one of the institutions within the consortium.

Application Format Applicants should submit a four page proposal outlining: 1. Research Topic (including relevance to either local or global audiences) 2. Research Plan (including research question, study design and methodology, and implementation plan) 3. Outcome and dissemination (products, forms of dissemination and/or engagement with target audience etc) 4. Timetable PLUS 5. A one-page budget 6. Applicant’s CV 7. Reference letter from someone known to FHS

Assessment of applications A committee of senior FHS faculty from across the consortium will adjudicate the awards. Applications will be assessed on:- – Relevance to policy and practice (20%) – Relevance to FHS themes (20%) – Technical quality (40%) – Feasibility (20%)

Time frame Finalization and issue of call – June 15 th Deadline for submitting applications – July 31 st Announcement of awards – August 31st

Questions Do we need to define who is eligible for awards more clearly (or assume that senior researchers will not be interested in small amounts of money)? Should ONLY researchers actually working on FHS be eligible? Should we include African hub partners within this initiative (or help the Hub run a separate awards program)? Do we wish to limit post-grad student eligibility to doctoral students (for fear of getting an overwhelming number of applicants)? Do we need to provide financial incentives to mentors? Are the amounts allocated approximately correct?