HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship Programme and Application Webinar
Programme and Application Webinar HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship Programme Intersection of HIV and Drug Use Objectives and Expected Outcomes History of the Fellowship Programme Fellowship Types and Benefits Policies and Procedures Eligibility and Application Eligibility Criteria Eligible Research Topics Mentors and Host Institutes Application Process Questions and Answers / Further Information
HIV AND DRUG USE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME
DRUG USE Intersection of HIV and Drug Use HIV transmission Disease progression ARV treatment 22 People who inject drugs have 22 times the rate of HIV infection as the general population in 49 countries with available data. UNAIDS Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2012 Drug use: alcohol, heroine, cocaine, nicotine and other substances Drug use is driving the expansion of the epidemic in many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia 120 countries have documented HIV among people who inject drugs HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs generally higher than the national average Insufficient research and data on the intersection of HIV and drug use Low coverage of evidence-based interventions Source: UNAIDS Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2012; UNAIDS Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2013
History of the Fellowship Programme 2009: The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the International AIDS Society (IAS) established a research fellowship programme (IAS-NIDA Fellowship Programme) A total of 18 fellowships have been awarded in the first five years to fellows from 14 different countries covering a wide range of scientific disciplines A study of genetic divergence of transmitted HIV-1 strains among newly and recently infected injecting drug users of St. Petersburg, Russia Impact of Alcohol consumption and other substances on response to antiretroviral treatment in rural Uganda Concurrency of substance use and sexual risk behaviours among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia 2013: Programme has been renamed to HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship Programme and will be expanded with one additional fellowship annually thanks to the support of the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS)
Objectives and Expected Outcomes Objectives: Contributing to advances in the scientific understanding of drug use and HIV, while fostering international collaborative research and capacity building. "I recommend that any young researcher interested in the field of HIV and drug use takes the advantage of the fellowship offer and applies. To me, this fellowship was a door opener and a real boost for my professional development." Iko Safika, Fellowship Recipient World Map of HIV and Drug Use Fellows Expected outcomes: Fellows are expected to present their research at international conferences and other scientific meetings Fellows are expected to publish their research in peer-reviewed publications Fellows are encouraged to build collaborations with other HIV and Drug Use fellows and colleagues at their host institute Fellows are encouraged to contribute with the acquired skills and knowledge to capacity building in their countries
Fellowship Policies and Procedures General guidelines Fellows must start their fellowship before 1 June 2015 Fellows must spend part of the fellowship period at the host institutes to ensure adequate guidance by their mentors Fellowships must be served continuously for the duration of the award Reporting by fellows and mentors: Regular progress reports every four/six months Final fellowship report including expenses report Stipend US$75,000 Host institutes have to provide a budget outlining fellowship allowance, travel costs, insurance and other related costs Stipend will be made available to the host institution, which will provide the stipend to the fellow Stipend is not intended to cover direct research expenses Other stipends or awards: Additional funds to cover personal expenses are not allowed Additional funds to cover research expenses are allowed Distribution of fellowship types (2009-2013) Gender distribution of selected fellows (2009-2013) professional development fellowship post-doctoral fellowship male female
Eligibility and Application
Eligibility Criteria Post-doctoral fellowship The applicant: Has earned/will earn a doctoral degree no more than six years before the time of application in the case of PhD or no more than eight years before the time of application in the case of medical doctorate (e.g., MD, MBBS). Applicants must hold a doctorate before the start of the fellowship, but not necessarily when applying. Professional development fellowship The applicant: Is a well-established HIV or drug use scientist, who is not active in the field of HIV-related drug use research. Has a minimum of seven years experience beyond post-doctoral level (e.g., PhD, MBBS, MD). Has a documented scientific record that includes at least two relevant peer-reviewed publications. Both: Is affiliated with one of the following types of institutions: for-profit organization, non-profit organization, public or private institution (e.g., universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories), state/provincial government, local government, or non-governmental organizations. Is proficient in English. Is not an US citizen or a permanent resident of the USA. Has the commitment of an appropriate mentor in an institution different from their current institution. Is able to start the fellowship before 1 June 2015. Agrees to the Fellowship Policies and Procedures.
Eligible Research Topics Eligible: Research proposals focusing on the intersection of HIV and drug use are eligible. Drug use refers to illicit drugs (e.g., heroine, cocaine, amphetamine) and nonillicit substances (e.g., alcohol, tobacco). The fellowship programme covers many disciplines, including behavioural and social sciences, biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine, physics or public health. Ineligible: Research proposals that do not combine a drug use and an HIV component. Research proposals that focus on antiretroviral drugs or other medication in the context of treatment regimes or prevention interventions without reference to drug use are not eligible. Research proposals that focus on HIV only without a drug use component are not eligible. Research proposals that focus on drug use only without an HIV component are not eligible.
Mentors and Host Institutes Mentor has to be from a different institution than the current institution (e.g., university, research institute) of the applicant Post-doctoral applicant: Current institution refers to the institution where the applicant works and the institution that issued the doctoral degree of the applicant (if different) Professional development applicant: Current institution refers to the institution where the applicant works has to have a track record of at least eight years in the field of HIVrelated drug use research Peer-reviewed publications related to the intersection of HIV and drug use Experience in mentoring and training of early-stage investigators has to have an established post at a suitable institution for the duration of the fellowship has to play an active part in the application process and has to confirm the support available to prospective fellows at the host institution
Mentors and Host Institutes Verify your eligibility. Write a short summary of your planned research project and define the type of research and the country/region of data collection (if applicable). Online database of potential mentors Use the search tool to identify mentors with expertise in the area of your proposed research project. Read papers from the prospective mentor and check his/her website to confirm the compatibility of your research project and the mentors area of expertise and interest. Do not contact more than two or three mentors at the same time. Underline your eligibility and provide clear about your background (e.g., CV, list of publications) and the goal of the project. Explain why you think that he/she is especially suitable to support your application.
Application Process KEY DATES 8 December 2013 2014 application opens 10 February 2014 2014 application closes 18 February 2014 Mentor s statement due May 2014 Selection of fellows and notification 20 25 July 2014 New fellows will be announced at the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) to be held in Melbourne, Australia Applicant should have commitment of a mentor to support his/her application before starting the application process. Applicant can access the online application form on the IAS website from 8 December 2013 on. Applicant has to submit his/her online application by 10 February 2014 (CET). Mentor will receive an email with a link to the mentor s statement once the applicant has submitted his/her application. Mentor has to submit his/her mentor s statement by 18 February 2014 (CET).
Application Process Applicant s form Application Requirements I II III Attached files IV Submission provides about eligibility criteria, fellowship and application. about applicant and mentor. about the applicant s education and training history including peerreviewed publications. about applicant s current institution and his/her employment history. scanned copies of applicant s postsecondary degrees including his/her doctoral. detailed about the proposed research project. signature of acceptance and certification.
Application Process Applicant s Research Proposal Discipline Project Title Country Where Research will be Conducted Fellowship Goals Please provide a summary of your goals for the fellowship (maximum 75 words). Please describe the potential impact of the fellowship on your career goals and the capacity building in your home country (maximum 200 words). Research Proposal Abstract Please provide a summary of your proposal for the fellowship (maximum 300 words). Research Plan Specific aims (maximum 440 words) Background and significance (maximum 440 words) Research design and methods (maximum 1400 words) Sex and gender consideration (maximum 440 words) Expected outcomes (maximum 440 words) Literature citations (maximum 600 words)
Application Process Mentor s statement Application Requirements I II Attached files III Submission provides about role of mentor and host institute and application. about mentor. about most relevant peerreviewed publications and previous fellows of the mentor. CV of the mentor providing about his/her education, employment history and research experience. detailed about the support provided by the mentor and the host institute. ethical research declaration and signature of acceptance and certification.
Questions and Answers
Questions and Answers Thank you for attending the webinar. Now it s your turn! Questions and Answers: Time for your questions, comments and suggestions Online evaluation survey: We appreciate if you take the time to help us improve! Comprehensive about the HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship at www.iasociety.org/fellowship.aspx For assistance please contact researchpromotion@iasociety.org