Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) is calling for potential applicants from all medical universities in Tanzania to apply for Postgraduate Master’s thesis research grant. The call targets Master’s Candidates with research projects focusing in addressing NCD research gaps and advancing knowledge in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Tanzania, in line with the National Research Agenda for NCDs.

MUHAS in collaboration with Tanzania Diabetes Association (TDA) will provide master’s thesis funding sponsorship of up to TZS Five million (TZS 5,000,000), and the awards will be given to a maximum of five (5) successful applicants. The support aims to address the dearth of knowledge and evidence in addressing the raising burden of NCDs, strengthening research capacity, produce evidence that will help to inform national policies and strategies against the NCDs burden, and in the process, create the next generation of NCDs researchers in Tanzania.

Applicants should submit full research proposals in a topic related to NCDs that focuses on research priorities listed in the National NCDs Research Agenda (see Annex 1 for the themes in the national research agenda).

Requirement

  1. The proposal should be in English, following the MUHAS format for writing research proposal (available at this link)
  2. The proposal should clearly aim at solving an existing NCD research gap, and must be completed by July, 2023
  3. Proposals will be evaluated for originality, impact as well as for the feasibility of completing the project within a stated time frame
  4. The proposal should have a clear dissemination and publication plan.
  5. Budget and justification thereof will have to be realistic
  6. Progress report submission after every three months upon receipt of funds
  7. Manuscript to a peer reviewed journal submission by the end of the funding period

Eligibility criteria:

  1. Applicants must be postgraduate students pursuing master degrees of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health, and other health related fields from any recognized university in Tanzania.
  2. The applicants must have at least 12 months of working on the project before completion of their studies
  3. The applicants must demonstrate basic experience in health-related research using quantitative or qualitative methods.
  4. The applicants must demonstrate interest in building their research skills and joining efforts in combating the raising burden of NCDs.

Applications:

The application for this sponsorship should be accompanied with the following documents: :

  1. Application cover letter
  2. Introduction letter from the Dean of a respective School/Unit
  3. Bios ketch (containing academic and employment history, teaching/professional work, awards, publications/contribution to science)
  4. Two letters of support from potential academic supervisors from research or training institutions (indicating name, institution, e-mail, telephone number and relationship to the candidate)

Assessment plan for proposals:

There will be a two-tier assessment process:

  1. Document review of all proposal to select those that have fulfilled the minimum criteria.
  • Secondary review to select best five proposals eligible for the award

Submission process:

Apply through the link below; https://forms.gle/c32qnd61tvd3wECy6

For queries contact phone: +255 654 010 887 (Dr Davis Amani) Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): May 13, 2022

Deadline for Application is Monday, 30th July 2022 at 5:00pm

Note: NO APPLICATION WILL BE PROCESSED IF RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE

Annex 1: Themes in the NCD Research Agenda

Theme 1: Burden of NCDs Theme 2: Risk factors for NCDs Theme 3: Enabling environment Theme 4: Health systems

Theme 5: Innovative and implementation research for NCDs

Theme 6: Multispectral approach in addressing NCDs and their related comorbidities