Fogarty changes country eligibility for research training programs

May / June 2012 | Volume 11, Issue 3

Fogarty recently issued an NIH Guide notice announcing the Center is changing eligibility requirements for applicants to its research training programs, as of January 2013. Fogarty will no longer accept competing applications for training activities (D71 and D43 grants) in upper-middle-income countries (UMICs) that are also members of the Group of Twenty, or G20, the organization of the world’s major advanced and emerging economies.

The new criteria will affect eligibility for: Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and the upper-middle-income European Union member countries of Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania. An exception is being made for South Africa, given the continuing HIV/AIDS epidemic, in addition to the vital role training programs centered there have in increasing scientific capacity throughout the region.

"Since we began funding capacity building projects in low- and middle-income countries 25 years ago, the landscape has changed considerably. We are pleased to see the markedly improved research environments that have developed in a number of countries where we have supported activities," said Fogarty Director Dr. Roger I. Glass. "These emerging economies are now investing more heavily in their own research enterprises, yielding benefits and maturing in ways that make our historical criteria for country eligibility less relevant today."

This change does not preclude involvement of G20 UMICs as partners in Fogarty research training programs where the goal is to train scientists from eligible LMICs and to build research capacity at the LMIC institutions.

This policy change applies only to new or recompeting applications for Fogarty training activities submitted after January 2013 and does not affect current grants. This does not change eligibility for Fogarty research programs nor does it apply to grant programs for any other component of the NIH.

More Information

• Read the full NIH Notice of Change in Country Eligibility for Fogarty International Training Grants (NOT-TW-12-011), released May 11, 2012.
• Access information about The World Bank Country and Lending Groups, which identifies low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Access information about G20 major economies.

To view Adobe PDF files, download current, free accessible plug-ins from Adobe's website.