The Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center (NTD-SC) at The Task Force for Global Health is soliciting proposals for operational and implementation research led by country programs that address country-identified endgame challenges.[1]

This is an open call without a specific deadline. We welcome you to submit a paragraph describing your proposal to ensure it is in line with the scope of the call prior to submitting your full proposal. To do so, please email ntd-sc@taskforce.org. 

The neglected tropical diseases (NTD) community has made significant strides in the elimination and control of diseases that affect poor and vulnerable populations.  This notable progress has been achieved as a result of successful private-public partnerships, as well as effective advocacy, strategies and policies informed by operational and implementation research.  However, critical challenges remain and prevent countries from achieving epidemiologic targets necessary before scaling down mass drug administration and completing the elimination dossiers for submission to the World Health Organization (WHO).  

With this call, the NTD-SC (which serves as Secretariat of the Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs, or COR-NTD) seeks proposals for operational and implementation research nested in national programs targeting lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. 

The focus for this call for proposals is on country-identified endgame challenges impeding progress in achieving WHO NTD elimination targets. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS) or Trachoma Impact Survey (TIS) failure
• Achievement of effective coverage in urban, peri-urban, and hard-to-reach settings during end-game scenarios
• Strategies to identify and address isolated areas of ongoing transmission
• Coverage-compliance gap
• Sustaining program achievements after stopping of MDA

Selected projects should be nested within national neglected tropical disease (NTD) programs and aligned with WHO’s disease-specific targets and guidelines.  Applications will be evaluated based on:

1. The ability of the proposed research to contribute to the successful completion of country elimination dossiers,
2. Scientific merit and,
3. Value for money. 

Submissions can be made via web form here. The web form must be filled out in one sitting and changes cannot be saved for applications in progress. A PDF version of the form is available for use as a reference during the application preparation process.

Applicants are required to submit a budget with their proposal. A budget template and guide can be found here. Please note that the budget requires justifications for various line items.

Please send pre-submission inquiries to ntd-sc@taskforce.org.

[1] Projects will be supported through the Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs (COR-NTD), for which the NTD-SC serves as Secretariat, and which is funded at The Task Force for Global Health primarily by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, by the United States Agency for International Development through its Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, and by UK aid from the UK government.