Project Title: Enhance Tobacco Control Institutional Capacity in Africa; Grant #339

Introduction:

The Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) received funding from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) for the 2024-2026 to implement a project on institutional capacity. The project investments are geared towards sustaining human resource capacity and knowledge generation to reduce use of all forms of tobacco products in Africa. Specifically, the project aims to:

1. Enhance training opportunities for African governments and relevant actors in tobacco control in
   the continent
2. Increase access to knowledge for guiding tobacco use prevention and control in Africa
3. Reinforce the institutional development of CTCA for an optimal performance of its functions
   and processes.
   

In 2020, CTCA developed a Tobacco Control Research Agenda (TCRA) with the aim of providing a guide for generating local evidence to drive tobacco control policy formulation and implementation in Africa.

Therefore, CTCA with support from ACBF is seeking researchers across the African continent to be awarded 6 small grants of USD 5000 to implement research that aligns with the TCRA thematic areas below:

1. Patterns and trends of tobacco use and exposure for all tobacco products including the new
   products at country and regional levels (sex, age, region, types of products, new products).
2. Effects of tobacco use and exposure on sustainable development (poverty, education, culture, food security, environment, HIV, TB, reproductive health, NCDs).
3. Tobacco use and populations at risk (youth, young adults, women/gender, elderly, residents
   of urban areas, miltary, prisoners, mental health patients, populations in low socio-economic
   dwellings like slums).
4. Tobacco control policy research and analysis (smoke free, TAPS, GHWs, ceasation) of cost
   effectiveness, impact, drivers, enablers, innovation, challenges, communication and advocacy
   for tobacco control.
5. Sociocultural context of tobacco use
6. Tobacco industry and tobacco control policy
7. Tobacco production, alternative livelihoods and environment (distribution, value chain,
   environmental impact, historical and determinants of tobacco production)
8. The economics of tobacco and tobacco control (product, pricing, illicit tobacco trade,
   taxation)

The full research Agenda can be accessed in English and in French.

Submissions

We are pleased to invite submissions from researchers based in Africa. Successful proposals should align with any of the 8 thematic areas of the CTCA Research Agenda. Innovative proposals that address critical issues and contribute to evidence-based policy and practice in the respective areas to inform Tobacco control in Africa are particularly encouraged.

Requirements

These grants will fund work that relates to the CTCA Research Agenda. Activities will include
proposal development, data collection and analysis, report writing and dissemination. All research to be implemented will be approved by the institutional review board and published in peer reviewed journals. These grants are intended for; 1) Researchers based in Tobacco Control Programs/Response; 2) post graduate students who would like to complete their research projects aligned to this call and 3) early and middle career researchers. It is required that this research is executed, and the report completed within 12 months. The applicant should have a mentor in an established institution.

Eligibility

Eligibility is restricted to Africa-based researchers. This refers to individuals who are (a) currently studying at a university or research institute in Africa, and/or b) currently working within a university, research institute, or in tobacco control in Africa. All persons associated with tobacco industry will not be funded and therefore should not apply. Successful applicants will be required to sign a declaration of interest that they do not have any relationship with tobacco industry.

Evaluation criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by a group of experts and researchers. Projects will be assessed against six, equally weighted evaluation criteria:

• Knowledge contribution in respect to policy, strategy, and evidence to answer local
  challenges: Does the study articulate the research gap? Does study make a significant
  contribution toward advancing knowledge in the tobacco control field? Does it answer
  new questions or introduce novel methods, measures, or tobacco control interventions? Is
  it aligned to the WHO FCTC and tobacco control local context requirements? Does the
  study add to the existing body of research?
• Policy relevance: Will results from the research have generalizable implications? How,
  if at all, will the “lessons learned” have relevance beyond the study? Will the study
  outcomes influence decisions in tobacco control?
• Technical design: Do the methods appropriately answer the objectives and the questions
  outlined in the proposal? Is the proposed study feasible in one year?
• Project viability: Are there any other logistical or political obstacles that might threaten
  the completion of the study, for example, government authorization or Human Subjects
  review, civil strife, social cultural sensitivity?
• Value of research: Is the cost of the study commensurate with the value of expected
  contributions to policy? Are the planned activities justified and coherent?
• Ethics: Reviewers will consider whether there are any risks of harm to research
  participants, what the proposed risk mitigation strategies are, and how the possible
  benefits of the research compare to the possible harms.

Application Process

Apply HERE not later than 30^th June 2024, by 5pm EAT. Applicants are required to provide a
recommendation/support letter from their supervisors or heads of department.