TDR Clinical Research Leadership (CRL) Fellowship Programme for African Researchers 2023

The Clinical Research Leadership (CRL) fellowship programme, launched in 2023, is based on four pillars:

Pillar 1:    Improved clinical research skills obtained through flexible placement of fellows at Training Partner Organizations (TPOs).

Pillar 2:    Strong clinical research leadership skills acquired through customized learning, coaching and leadership experience at the home institution, geared to each fellow’s needs and interests.

Pillar 3:    Enhanced gender equity promoted through active measures to ensure fair participation of women and men and people who do not fit into these binary gender identities.

Pillar 4:    Strengthened institutional capacity by maximizing the fellow’s contribution on re-entry.

This new fellowship programme will maximize the value of the clinical research skills obtained through the placement at a TPO by focusing on research leadership, with fellows using their clinical research skills, in conjunction with competencies and capabilities to effectively communicate with, and support, members of a multidisciplinary team. Several actions identified through the contest challenge and focus group discussions with previous fellows will be put in place to enhance gender equity, by increasing the participation of women. An institutional development plan will enable the fellows to maximize their contribution to strengthening their institution on re-entry, as well as developing and managing a research team to undertake a research study.

About World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO began when our Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day. We are now more than 7000 people from more than 150 countries working in 150 country offices, in 6 regional offices and at our headquarters in Geneva.

TDR Clinical Research Leadership (CRL) Fellowship Programme

Aim and Benefits of TDR Clinical Research Leadership (CRL) Fellowship Programme

• The CRL training will provide support for a maximum of  24 months to fellows selected through open competition, including placement with a TPO, re-entry at the home institution and institutional development.
• The Clinical Research Leadership programme builds on the experience of the Clinical Research and Development Fellowship (CRDF) programme.
• Since 1999, a cumulative total of 112 fellows (26 women, 86 men) from 36 LMICs have been selected to be placed with 31 partner organizations. All fellows returned to their home institutions except one who has played a pivotal role in a wide range of R&D projects, including trials for new candidate vaccines and drugs.

Requirements for TDR Clinical Research Leadership (CRL) Fellowship Programme Qualification

At the deadline for submission of applications, the fellow should:

• Be a national of, and resident in, an LMIC. • Be a postgraduate (MSc or PhD) or medical/pharmacy graduate conducting clinical research   activities in the scope of TDR. • Have obtained their first degree within 15 years of submission of the application. • Have been a researcher or clinical staff member employed for the last 12 months in an institution   with a registered legal entity in an LMIC conducting clinical research activities in the scope of TDR.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details, visit WHO website.