US$40 million funding boost for African researchers
Maryke Steffensl 2008 | EN
The focus of the scheme will be on young researchers USDA/Scott Bauer
The UK-based medical charity the Wellcome Trust announced last week (11 April) that it would give £20 million (nearly US$40 million) towards training scientists in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This funding will benefit some of the least resourced scientists on the continent, Jimmy Whitworth, the Wellcome Trust's head of international activities, told SciDev.Net.
"Sub-Saharan
"These researchers are starting to take their first steps towards actually leading and developing research. That's where they need a lot of help and support," said Whitworth. The aim of the funding is to build up a pool of local researchers capable and sufficiently equipped to tackle critical problems in their countries, such as malaria and HIV. By funding training and support, the trust hopes to encourage talented researchers to stay and work in
"[These researchers] need mentors and sufficiently equipped institutions that allow them to do the work they want to do. They have to be treated as internationally competitive scientists and paid internationally competitive salaries," said Whitworth. The one-off funding has been awarded to four projects. Malaria will be a critical focus, with £7 million (around US$14 million) being awarded to Brian Greenwood from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
Robert Wilkinson, a professor at the