Postgraduate Research Grant Summary:
The Ministry of Health through the Ministry of Finance is inviting applicants for the Ministry of Health research grant awards for postgraduate researchers programme.
Three (3) awards, each valued up to 1.5 million Jamaican dollars, will be disbursed. This amount includes any applicable institutional administrative fees.
Applications must be submitted via email to (enhrcresearchgrant@moh.gov.jm and
enhrcresearchgrant@gmail.com) using the attached forms.
Research is an important component of Jamaica’s health system, and plays a critical role in the development of solutions to existing problems in the prevention and control of diseases as well as the effective delivery of healthcare. The role of research is enshrined in the Jamaican National Development Plan: Vision 2030, which envisions a healthy and stable population as one of the national outcomes.
The Ministry of Health is cognizant of the critical role research plays in guiding the policies which promote national development. In its aim to promote health research in the priority areas listed under the National Health Research grant Agenda, the Ministry is providing research funding to three post-graduate students whose research focuses on any of the top ten priorities listed below.
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National Health Research Grant Agenda: Top Ten Priority Areas
Universal access to health and universal health coverage;
The association of the social determinants of health with infant, child and adolescent health (including outcomes such as mortality);
Neglected tropical diseases, emerging and re-emerging diseases such as Zika, Chikungunya and Ebola;
Cancers (including cervical, breast, colon, prostate) and their general outcomes and epidemiology;
What are successful interventions for the treatment of cardiovascular conditions including hypertension;
The factors affecting, and the impact of violence and injuries (including intentional and unintentional injuries);
Financial sustainability for health including health research;
Estimates of disease burden including summary measures of disease burden;
Cost of disease burden;
Diabetes mellitus including its effect on pregnancy.
Research Grant Eligibility
Any post-graduate student enrolled in the Northern Caribbean University, University of Technology or University of the West Indies (Mona) who proposes to study a problem related to any of the ten health research priority areas highlighted above is eligible to apply for a research grant.
The Principal Investigator will be the faculty member supervising the student’s research.
Ethics Review
All research involving human subjects or those which raise ethical issues (such as animal research) will require ethics review. The disbursement of funds will be contingent on written documentation of ethical approval from the university’s ethical review board. Additional approval from the Ministry of Health’s Advisory Panel on Ethics and Medico-legal Affairs should be provided, where necessary.
Applicants for the research grant do not require ethical approval upon submission of proposals, however, they are urged to seek ethical approval while their applications are being considered in order to facilitate efficient disbursement.
[Also read the CHASE Fund Health Policy]
Ministry of Health research grant awards for postgraduate Application Process
Applications must be submitted via email to (enhrcresearchgrant@moh.gov.jm and
enhrcresearchgrant@gmail.com) using the attached forms. Applications will be acknowledged upon receipt.
The deadline for submission of proposals is usually mid-March to April annually.
For queries regarding the research grant application process, please contact Dr. Andriene Grant at 876-633-8189. A decision regarding the grant award will be made by June/July annually. Funds are likely to be disbursed in September each year.
Use of Funds
The proposal must represent a defined piece of research with complete deliverables to be attained within a one-year period, but may form part of a larger project.
The grant will NOT provide:
• The cost of unspecified research
• Standard laboratory apparatus
• Long-term technical support or training
Equipment
Any single item of equipment valued more than 500,000 JMD will remain the property of the Ministry of Health (MoH). The MoH, at the termination of a project, may request that such equipment be returned, for use by other researchers. However, if grantees wish to use the equipment for other studies, they may apply to MoH for permission to do so.
Reports
Grant awardees are required to submit progress reports every four (4) months. The final report should include the following:
- Abstract (1 page)
- Executive Summary (3 pages)
- Full Research Report (no more than 25 pages)
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Tables/Figures
- Discussion
- Implications for Practice (specify target audience)
- The implications for Policy (specify target audience)
- Directions for Future Research
- References
- Appendices
- Including Financial Report
The Executive Summary/Abstract of research studies funded by the Ministry of Health will be posted on its website.
Publications and Acknowledgement
All publications (journal articles, conferences, meetings, seminar materials, etc.) arising from research conducted using funds from the Ministry of Health must bear an acknowledgment and disclaimer, as appropriate, for example:
This publication was supported by a Research Grant Award funded by the Ministry of Health. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Ministry of Health.
Dissemination
Research Grant awardees are encouraged to present their findings at the National Health Research Conference, will also be expected to develop findings into full manuscripts for publication in peer reviewed journals and may be asked to participate in other health discussion panels.
Value of Awards
Three awards, each valued up to 1.5 million Jamaican dollars, will be disbursed. This amount includes any applicable institutional administrative fees.
| Criteria | Maximum Score |
|---|---|
| Alignment to the National Health Research Agenda: Top Ten Priority Areas | 20 |
| The necessary qualifications and experience to conduct the proposed research and achieve its stated objectives | 10 |
| Demonstrated rationale for pursuing research into indicated Topic | 5 |
| Clear, realistic and measurable objectives, which can be achieved within the approved timeframe, using the resources available | 10 |
| A clearly defined plan for conducting the research | 20 |
| A cogent review of the potential risks to the successful completion and feasible recommendations to minimize or eliminate these risks | 5 |
| A pathway to impact on health policy development and/or implementation as well programmes or practices | 20 |
| Detailed and justified budget | 10 |
| Maximum Possible Score | 100 |
