Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

OVERVIEW: The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene supports early career scientists conducting research in any discipline related to tropical medicine and global health.

IP TAKE: The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is an accessible funder that prioritizes innovative research and projects that benefit people beyond academia. Grants tend to be modest in size, and the society expects measurable results from its grantees. This funder accepts unsolicited proposals and requests for funding from new grantseekers.

PROFILE: The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) was founded in 1907 by Scottish doctors George Carmichael Lowe and James Cantlie. Since then, it has been “dedicated to changing the face of global health” by “supporting research and health professionals from across the world” and “increasing global awareness about tropical medicine and health.” RSTMH provides small grants to investigators and scientists working in a range of disciplines related to tropical medicine and global health.

Grants for Science Research

RSTMH offers small grants up to £5,000 as well as training and travel scholarships up to £1,000 to early career investigators who are pursuing innovative projects that have benefits beyond academia. RSTMH members take priority for small grants and researchers located outside of the U.K. receive priority for the travel scholarship program. The society defines early career researchers as having a maximum of 15 years of relevant training or employment. Investigators and researchers from any country in the world are eligible to apply. 

Grants for Global Health

The London-based foundation supports “clinicians and scientists in all disciplines of tropical medicine and global health, including the relationship between human health and animal health, in the pursuit of themes of clinical or scientific research or fieldwork.” It invests in investigators, clinicians and scientists in all tropical medicine and global health disciplines, focusing on clinical research, scientific research and fieldwork.

Grants for Diseases

RSTMH names several specific diseases among its grantmaking priorities. The foundation funds research into malaria “with a particular focus on drug resistance,” and has recently partnered with the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) to support research into this bacterial infection that is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. RSTMH is also interested in “neglected tropical diseases,” “topical issues including, but not limited to, emerging diseases,” and “drug resistant infections.” Other disease priorities include “snakebite,” “mycetoma and other skin NTDs and other deep mycoses,” “co-morbidity and NCDs,” and coronavirus.

Important Grant Details:

RSTMH’s awards small research grants up to a maximum of £5,000.

  • To get an idea of the kinds of projects supported by this funder and to see past grantees, review out its blog.

  • Note that this funder primarily supports individual researchers rather than nonprofits and other organizations.

  • RSTMH has an open application process and accepts unsolicited requests for funding. The submission deadline typically falls somewhere toward the end of January with funds disbursement beginning in April. These dates, of course, are subject to change so grantseekers should keep a close watch on the RSTMH website to stay abreast of any changes.

Inquiries may be addressed to the society’s staff via email at info@rstmh.org.

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