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Sub-Saharan Africa

Summary

The National Institutes of Health supports a very heterogeneous mixture of research projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, including large program project and center grants, medium-sized research projects (RO1s), and small fellowships and collaborative research awards. Various NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices support research and training in Sub-Saharan Africa. A number of awards have been made by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), followed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the Fogarty International Center (FIC).

Significant activities are supported in approximately 20 African countries. Countries of focused activity include South Africa, Mali, Uganda, Kenya, and Botswana. Areas of research include: (1) roughly 30 percent AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, including a substantial effort to understand mother-to-child transmission of HIV; (2) roughly 20 percent other infectious diseases, ranging from population-based research on malaria, schistosomiasis, and leishmaniasis, to molecular research on vectors and parasites; (3) roughly 12 percent cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurological diseases; (4) roughly 10 percent comparative population and behavior studies, particularly related to child growth and behavior; and (5) an assortment of primate research, biodiversity prospecting, and basic research studies.

Malaria Research Collaboration

FIC and NIAID have catalyzed an international effort to identify research priorities on malaria and to discuss funding mechanisms for collaborative efforts in malaria research in Africa. In 1997, following an international conference held in Dakar, Senegal, the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) was established. MIM aims to maximize the impact of scientific research against malaria in Africa through promoting capacity building and facilitating global coordination and collaboration. MIM is an alliance of organizations and individuals concerned with malaria research and control, including donor and funder organizations (governmental, non-governmental, international agencies, and private foundations), scientists, health professionals, and industry. FIC is currently the MIM Secretariat.