EFGH Rising Star Seed Award

Applicant Eligibility

• An LMIC national based at an EFGH partner institution
• Be actively participating in the EFGH consortium
• Be enrolled in, or within 5 years of graduation from, a PhD, Master’s program, or medical degree program
• Have a bachelor’s degree in a public health-related field, including nursing, medicine, microbiology
• Have a project mentor based in LMIC with research experience in the field of interest

Applicants are only allowed to submit one application to this program per cycle. To ensure a strong commitment from the local EFGH team, we encourage submissions by no more than two applications per EFGH country site.

Project Eligibility

• Research projects must relate to pediatric enteric diseases and either:
  • utilize existing EFGH samples or data
  • propose collecting new samples or data within EFGH
• Have ethical review board approval (not required for submission)
• Project duration 1 year (January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023)
• Not currently leading an EFGH sub-study

Budget Guidelines

The total direct costs must not exceed $20,000-$30,000 USD. No indirect costs will be provided. Funds may be used for:

• Personnel costs (Note: Indirect costs required by institutions will need to be included in total requested amount (or waived)).
• Supplies and equipment itemized by categories, such as medical supplies, chemicals, etc.
• Other expenses, such as communication expenses, printing, shipment costs, etc.

Application and Submission Guidelines

Please send the following, via Word document or PDF, to risingstars@uw.edu by September 15, 2023 at 11:59 AM PST.

• Completed application cover page
• A description of the applicant’s previous research experience and intended career pathway (1 page max)
• A research plan, that includes a brief background, project aims, and approach (2 pages max)
• A Curriculum Vitae (including bibliography)
• A letter of support from the applicant’s primary mentor. Strong letters should detail the candidate’s commitment to research and evidence that the applicant’s mentor and institution are committed to supporting this candidate
• A letter of support from the EFGH site PI
• Budget on the provided template (Note: Indirect costs required by institutions will need to be included in the total requested amount (or waived). Funds may be used to support salary.)
• Applications must be submitted in English.

Detailed application instructions can be found in the RFA packet.

Optional Application Support

Applications will not be judged on the quality of their written English, but language-limited grant-writing experience and/or language barriers may hinder reviewers’ understanding of the proposed scientific aims and approach. EFGH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are engaging Nyanja Health Research Institute as an optional pre-submission language and scientific communication support resource for applicants. This service is available free of charge to all applicants to help with English language editing and provide feedback on scientific communication within the application.

If you would like Nyanja to review your application prior to submission, please send a draft of your ‘Research Plan’ and the ‘Previous Research Experience and Next Steps in Your Research Career’ section to beth@nyanja-health.com before 5 PM PST on September 5th. This service can include a phone call to discuss your idea and a review of your application. If you’d like to have a call prior to developing your application, that can also be accommodated.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EFGH Scientific Advisory Committee members, and Global WACh. Applicants will be judged on:

• The scientific merit of their proposal
• Its feasibility given the limited budget and fit with other EFGH sub-studies
• Its likelihood of leading to future funding
• The candidates’ demonstrated commitment to a research career that includes pediatric enteric and diarrheal disease, and
• The likely impact that this award may have in catalyzing the research career.

Applicants will not be judged based on language skills. Reviewers will prioritize proposals from investigators not currently leading EFGH sub-studies and from diverse applicants, with an emphasis on gender diversity and diversity of expertise (e.g., laboratory, health economics, social science, and clinical backgrounds).

Reviewers will prioritize proposals from investigators not currently leading EFGH sub-studies and from diverse applicants, with an emphasis on gender diversity and diversity of expertise (e.g., laboratory, health economics, social science, and clinical backgrounds).