ICGEB Grants for Strengthening Biosecurity in Healthcare and Research Laboratories

Type of Support

The ICGEB Biosecurity Grants are awarded to support the implementation of activities that strengthen biosecurity, biosafety, pathogen detection, and outbreak preparedness in healthcare and research laboratories. An important element of successful applications is the feasibility of the proposed project within the designated timeframe (maximum 24 months). The maximum annual contribution from ICGEB is Euro 15,000. 

Funds can only be used to cover expenditures that are directly related to strengthening laboratory biosecurity and bio-preparedness. This may include essential laboratory equipment and materials relevant to biosecurity and pathogen detection; consumable items required for diagnostics and surveillance; training activities, including hands-on technical training and biosecurity capacity development; and travel costs directly related to project implementation.  

Salaries of the Principal Investigators and infrastructural support (e.g., normal administrative and overhead expenses of the Institution, maintenance and rental of capital equipment, building, etc.) are not admissible and cannot be funded. 

Eligibility

Applications may be submitted by Principal Investigators holding a permanent or long-term position at healthcare diagnostic laboratories, public health institutes, and research or training institutions with applied biomedical and laboratory functions, located in ICGEB African Member States eligible under the MAECI-funded BIO-GUARD initiative. 

ICGEB African Member States: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, United Republic of Tanzania, Zimbabwe  

Exceptionally, applications from non-ICGEB Member States in Africa will be considered when there is a genuine interest in the topic. 

International collaboration is a key feature of all ICGEB grants. It must be fully integrated into the project, detailing the exact role of the collaborators and explaining why this collaboration is crucial to the project’s success. International collaborations can be established with ICGEB Member States or other countries. Collaboration with any of the ICGEB groups (in Trieste, New Delhi or Cape Town) is not a mandatory requirement for the grants but is considered an additional asset. Particular attention will be given to: i) projects addressing issues of interest for specific geographic regions; ii) projects presented by groups collaborating across more than one country; iii) projects entailing new rather than existing collaboration; and iv) projects involving ICGEB PIs in the three components. 

Investigating groups do not qualify for submission of applications if previously awarded projects have not been evaluated and satisfactorily concluded. 

Submission and Closing Dates

Principal Investigators should submit their complete applications online via the ICGEB Service Gateway by the deadline of 30 April, 23:59 CET. A copy of the full application will be accessed by the Country representative (Liaison Officer), who is responsible for endorsing the application at the national level. ICGEB will only acknowledge receipt of the endorsed applications.