Background

The utmost challenge of the HIV-AIDS epidemic for the following years is its feminine aspect. Everyday, women are more and more exposed to a high infection risk. They represent nearly 50% of people living with HIV-AIDS, and nearly 60% in Sub-Saharan Africa (75% of the 15-24 year olds). Indeed, because of many biological, socio-economic, cultural and legal factors, women are particularly vulnerable to HIV-AIDS. Since the beginning of the epidemic, interpretation frameworks and research studies have not provided sufficient answers to the feminization of this epidemic.

In this respect, the Fondation de France supports research on the health specificities of women living with HIV-AIDS. The foundation aims to contribute to knowledge progress and to the evolution of professional practices and health policies.

Who is this call for proposals aimed at ?

The Fondation de France wishes to draw the interest of researchers from academic disciplines such as fundamental and applied research, sociology, anthropology, epidemiology, or public health... The goal of the foundation is to support projects that are likely to be of help for the targeted populations in the short or medium term.

Geographic areas :

Research fields will include following geographic areas :
 French-speaking and English-speaking African countries ;
 In Asia : Cambodia , India , Laos , Thailand , Vietnam ;
 In South America : Brazil and Argentina ;
 French overseas departments in America ( French Caribbean Islands and French Guiana ).

Which research projects ?

Special attention will be paid to research projects focusing on at least one of the following topics :
 the implication of HIV regarding reproductive health ;
 co-morbidities and co-infections in women living with HIV (e.g. Papillomavirus infection HPV) ;
 the impact on women of partial efficacy prevention tools (microbicides, circumcision,...) ;
 violence against women and its fallout in terms of HIV ;
 Hindrances, in a specific background, to the involvement of men in the fight against the epidemic, either as an individual (within the family unit), or as a member of a group (within the community), and proposed means of overcoming these hindrances.

Requirements :

Collaboration between research teams based in France (or in Europe ) and in southern countries will be a decisive prerequisite.

The Fondation de France will select only :
 innovative research projects based on a rigourous analysis of actual needs ;
 well-justified original projects : innovative thinking will be appreciated ;
 projects with clearly-defined goals and expected outcomes (actual health and social usefulness) ;
 projects with high methodological standards : applicants should gather the necessary expertise to achieve their projects.

The support from the Fondation de France might be in particular :

 grants to research teams. Part of the grant can be used to finance the salary of a post-doctoral researcher and/or of a PhD student (see details in the application form) ;
 mobility grants. The support will consist in annual (possibly renewable) or multi-year grants (with a maximum duration of 3 years). For your information, the « AIDS research » programme of the Fondation de France runs in 2010 a global budget of approximately 500,000 euros.

The grant application form should be submitted as two printed copies and one electronic copy to the following address :

Fondation de France Programme « Sida, santé et développement » Jury recherche 40, avenue Hoche - 75008 PARIS - FRANCE sida@fdf.org

Applicants should use the provided application form : please ask for an application form via e-mail (sida@fdf.org), or download one from the website.

Deadline : applications must be received before February 28, 2010 for the first session, and before June 30, 2010 for the second session.

Decisions will be notified by post, no later than May 2010 for the first session, and October 2010 for the second session.