Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Award: Optimising Interventions for Impact
Wellcome Trust funds large-scale clinical trials in Africa and Asia to optimise licensed drugs for infectious diseases, aiming to improve health policy and practice in low- and middle-income countries.
Funder: Wellcome Trust
Due Dates: June 2, 2026 (Full application, 15:00 BST)
Funding Amounts: £1,000,000–£8,000,000 per award | 3–5 years | 8–12 awards expected
Summary: Supports transdisciplinary teams led from Africa, South Asia, or South-East Asia to conduct randomised controlled trials optimising licensed pharmaceutical interventions for infectious diseases, aiming for policy and practice impact in low- and middle-income countries.
Key Information: Lead and at least one coapplicant must be based in Africa, South Asia, or South-East Asia; strict eligibility and scope requirements apply.
Description
This funding opportunity from the Wellcome Trust is designed to support large-scale, high-impact randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that optimise the use of licensed pharmaceutical interventions—such as vaccines or therapeutics—against major infectious diseases affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The scheme targets diseases including mycobacterial infections (e.g., tuberculosis), bacterial infections, invasive fungal infections, dengue, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis.
The aim is to generate robust evidence to inform changes in policy, practice, or guidelines, resulting in measurable, near-term benefits for the most affected communities. Research teams must demonstrate strong stakeholder engagement, a comprehensive plan for data management and sharing, and a clear pathway to ensure outputs are accessible and actionable for public health decision-making.
