COSTECH announces $4.75 mln Covid-19 fund for researchers

TANZANIA Science and Technology has announced US$ 4.75 million Covid-19 African Rapid Grant Fund calling for Researchers and scientists in the country to apply.
Administered by NRF South Africa, the funds target stakeholders from eighteen countries in Africa including Tanzania.
In a media tele-briefing held yesterday, COSTECH Director General Dr Amos Nungu said the provision of the funds are aimed towards contributing to the African regional and continental response against Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that the funds also aim to support knowledge generation and translation to inform diagnostics, prevention and treatment of Covid-19 on the continent.
According to him, the Rapid Grant Fund supports three strands in respect of research and science engagement.
He named other beneficiary countries as Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and, in the context of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), Nigeria and South Africa.
He highlighted that, in research the fund will support knowledge generation on the increasing range of research questions on the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Rapid Grant Fund will also support communities of science journalists and communicators on the African continent, including multi-country collaborations, in efforts to produce and disseminate coordinated science communication outputs that will allow readers access to factual information and analysis to inform their actions and challenge misinformation," he said.
Dr Nungu further said, in science engagement the fund will support national African academies of science, African national young academies to provide rapid science advice in support of regional and continental responses to Covid-19.
He said that applications from women applicants, people living with disabilities and first responders to Covid-19, as principal investigators are highly encouraged.
The DG called upon all qualified stakeholders in the country to apply for the fund saying that the call is open effectively from May 18 to June 17 this year. At the national level Costech is commissioned to coordinate the fund.
The development partners contributed to the fund are the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and IDRF.

Post a Comment

0 Comments