Deadline: 24-Jan-23

Expertise France has launched the applications for Operational Research – Preventing Malaria.

L’Initiative is now a key Global Fund impact partner. The mechanism places France and stakeholders it  works with – research actors, civil society, public agencies, etc. – in an unprecedented position in the  response to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and health systems. L’Initiative’s funding comes from a  percentage of France’s contribution to the Global Fund. L’Initiative is managed by a steering committee,  which includes three members from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), one of whom is  the chair. L’Initiative operates under the supervision of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs  (MEAE).

Aims

• Over the past 20 years, increasing access to malaria prevention tools and strategies recommended by  WHO has had a major impact on reducing the global burden of malaria morbidity. It involves a  “combination prevention” approach combining different tools in line with the epidemiological and socio[1]economic contexts, the capacity of the health system, and target groups and areas. These tools include:
  • Chemoprevention, which involves the use of drugs, or a combination of drugs, to prevent malaria  infection and the consequence this has. This includes intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for  infants and pregnant women, seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and the mass  administration of drugs.
  • Vector control, which is highly effective in preventing infection and reducing transmission, is  based on two main interventions, namely the use of insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual  spraying. Use of these tools is currently threatened by the emergence of insecticide resistance  among anopheles. According to the latest World Malaria Report , 78 countries reported mosquito  resistance to at least one of the four commonly used classes of insecticide during the period 2010- 2019. Resistance to all major classes of insecticides was reported in 29 countries.
  • Vaccination: Since October 2021, WHO has also recommended widespread use of the malaria vaccine RTS, S/AS01 in children in areas with moderate to high transmission of P. falciparum malaria. This is the first vaccine recommended by international regulatory bodies against malaria,  which nevertheless raises questions about its limited effectiveness and restrictions around its  implementation on the ground (see L’Initiative’s Policy Brief on this subject). A second R21/Matrix[1]M vaccine candidate showed 77% efficacy (the WHO target of 75% over a one-year period),  according to an initial phase II study conducted in Burkina Faso, in children aged 5 -17 months.
  • The data is preliminary, and therefore has not yet produced recommendations, but this vaccine  candidate opens the door for new prophylactic options

Funding Information

• The total grant amount from L’Initiative must cover at least 50% of the project budget and be between €650,000 and €5,000,000.
• Duration: Project duration must be between 36 and 48 months.

Eligible Implementation Countries

• For 2023, it was decided to limit eligibility to countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia in the context  of pre-elimination and Madagascar in the “Three Oceans” region:
  • Benin
  • Burma / Myanmar
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Ivory Coast
  • Laos
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar
  • Mali
  • Cap-Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Congo
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinée équatoriale
  • Mauritania
  • Mozambique
  • Niger
  • Rwanda
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Vietnam.

Eligibility Criteria

• There are three potential types of project involvement under this call for projects:
  • The “lead applicant” is the organization that submits the letter of intent and completes the full  proposal if they are pre-selected. Lead applicants are the sole recipients of L’Initiative grants.
  •  “Implementing partners” are involved in the design and implementation of the project and the  lead applicant delegates a part of the budget to them. The project must be carried out with at  least one implementing partner.
  •  “Associated stakeholders” are other organizations linked to the project but are not sub-granted  to (other donors, beneficiaries, national institutions, etc.).

For more information, visit Operational Research.