Last Update: 02/16/2007 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Partnership for Infrastructure Development in Social and Behavioral Science Research on HIV/AIDS

The Partnership for Infrastructure Development in Social and Behavioral Science Research on HIV/AIDS, in the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch portfolio, began in 1999 through a request for application (RFA). From that RFA, 10 partnerships of U.S. and African institutions were funded. Each partnership pair is developing small research studies in which local investigators can hone their skills, and for which the U.S. partners are providing technical assistance. The partnership also provides resources to African institutions to support the development of appropriate research infrastructure, such as computer and internet connections and research skill training workshops.

The partnership currently ahs four partnerships working in South Africa (one each in Cape Town and Pretoria and two in Durban), and one each in Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya. The research studies are addressing a variety of topics, including social welfare departments’ responses to increasing orphanhood, family coping skills when a member becomes ill, adolescent risk behavior, and infant feeding practices of HIV-positive mothers. In-country skill building workshops have been held on ethnographic methods, data management, methods for effective dissemination of findings, and research report writing and research design methodology.

A second RFA was recently issued to expand the partnerships to those in other HIV-affected developing nations, with support from the NICHD, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Mental Health. Due date for applications is December 13, 2006, and the current RFA can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-06-007.html.

For more information on the partnership, please contact Susan Newcomer.