Applications Invited for Unitaid Grant for Catalyzing adoption of an expanded vector control toolbox to fight malaria

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About the Organization

Unitaid invests in better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases.

Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Our work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management.

Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

About the Grant

Unitaid is pleased to announce this call for proposals aimed at building and refining effective delivery strategies for new vector control tools to catalyze adoption and address emerging threats

Unitaid will consider proposals that support introduction of new vector control tools that expand the existing toolbox and meet the following criteria:

• New tools must be intended for use against malaria, and should aim to address one or more of the key challenges described above (e.g. insecticide resistance, residual transmission, invasive vectors)
• New tools must belong to the intervention classes and prototype/products under WHO Vector Control Advisory Group (VCAG) review for assessment of public health value[1]
• New tools must be on track to be considered for a WHO recommendation by 2025/2026.

Proposals are solicited for the following interventions.

• Operational research on new vector control tools and delivery strategies to accelerate uptake in the event of a positive WHO recommendation
• Market readiness to support a sustainable market for an expanding vector control toolbox

Evidence generation should be aimed at identifying and refining effective delivery strategies for new vector control tools in comparison or in combination with existing ones in the following target settings:

• Countries with a high malaria burden
• Countries where Anopheles stephensi is an emerging threat

Project Oversight -

Technical input and oversight of the initiative will be shared across key partners, and to this end an expert advisory group or steering committee should be formed to oversee project activities. The steering committee will be the strategic support structure for the grant, providing the lead grantee with thought partnership, a forum for problem-solving, relationship support, and evaluating strategic and/or operational shifts over the course of the project. The structure and design of this oversight body can be best defined during grant development to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.

Proposal requirements -

Proponents should clearly describe their overall project design with a Theory of Change, showing how it meets the objectives of the initiative and how the proposed activities form part of a coherent whole. Proposals should explicitly state what impact will be achieved within the project life-time, as well as what, and how, lasting impact will be achieved.

Proponents should include a clear roadmap of how introduced tools can be incorporated into national vector control programs, and scaled up, with the necessary WHO recommendation. Proponents should provide detailed scenario analyses on price, demand, and associated market factors, and articulate a coherent market-shaping strategy to support sustainable impact.

It is expected that a consortium of partners will be required to undertake the full complement of activities described (Areas of work, as above). Applicants may choose to focus their proposals on one or both settings of interest. The consortium should clearly demonstrate strong expertise in the different technical and market intervention areas needed to undertake the project, including the implementation of large-scale multi-country projects of this nature as well as research activities that cover both pragmatic trials and economic evaluations in LMICs. This should include evidence of strong skills in design and analysis of quasi-experimental studies, a specialized approach likely to be needed in this project. Of the two areas of work described above, the operational research component is the main focus, and this should be reflected in the consortium leadership structure and budget. Proponents are expected to outline an evaluation framework as part of their proposal, which will be further defined in collaboration with project partners as part of the grant agreement development process.

Beyond the consortium, broad collaboration with relevant stakeholders will be vital to achieving the project objectives. Proponents should clarify the key stakeholders with whom they will engage, and how this will be achieved. It is important to include a country engagement model that outlines how countries will be supported in decision making and tailoring of the introduced tools, how they will be monitored and accessed for impact. Demonstrated articulation with national programs and other scale-up partners will be key.

Applicants should be clear about the underlying assumptions made in their proposed approach and should highlight any major risks or other factors that may affect the delivery of results. Finally, proposals are expected to outline a lean, concrete and clear pathway to results and impact.

Impact we are seeking -

Through this Call for Proposals, Unitaid aims to improve access to health products of public health importance in low- and middle-income countries, and in particular:

To introduce new vector controls with the potential to address key challenges facing the malaria response, including insecticide resistance, residual transmission, invasive vectors, and difficulty reaching vulnerable populations in specific contexts (e.g. mobile and migrant populations, climate-related crises, conflict settings);

• To generate evidence on refined delivery strategies for the new tools in comparison or in combination with existing ones in specific target settings;
• To generate demand and increase their adoption and use in LMICs;
• To increase their affordability and supply security in LMICs.

The objectives outlined above will lead to: (1) reductions in malaria cases and deaths due to optimized deployment of new and existing vector control tools, (2) financial savings/efficiencies due to refined delivery strategies and combination approaches defined by country programs in line with national priorities, and (3) improved and more equitable access to vector control products for vulnerable and hard to reach populations. The goal is to enable widespread access to affordable health products through scale-up by governments and partners, to contribute to the global health response to diseases that predominantly affect people in LMICs.

How to Apply

Proposals, including all annexes, should be submitted electronically to proposalsUnitaid@who.int.

Deadline: 25 August 2023

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Tags Healthcare and Healthtech Others