Grant Funding 2025
RSTMH Early Career Grants Programme
RSTMH have received 3,663 for funding in 2025. Reviews of these applications are now underway.
Each year we look to support as many applicants as possible, so that we can continue to foster the growth of early careers in the global health and tropical medicine sector.
Conducting their first research project of this size, including the process of applying for the award, conducting their research and following our reporting schedule is a huge learning experience for our awardees. Moreover, the findings from their research projects, which look at over one hundred different diseases and health conditions, will further the knowledge of these issues in their research locations, as well as having contributed to behavioural change, academic interest and policy change. These impacts are seen in the final reports submitted to RSTMH at the end of their project. We have learned that many awardees look to publish their findings and present their research at conferences, and many report that they have strengthened capacity at their institution, as well as relations with other organisations in their area of research. Almost all of them note growth in skills across a number of areas as a result of delivering their project.
Awardees have also gone on to utilise the grant as a stepping stone in their career, and we are thrilled that so many have stayed in our network and shared their subsequent achievements with us.
Some examples of the successes of our past awardees can be read about here:
Special Collection: Articles by RSTMH Grant Awardees
We are also pleased to share, at the bottom of this page, some quotes from awardees in relation to the funding they received from RSTMH.
RSTMH's Early Career Grants Programme is extremely unusual for funding research projects at this size, and for applicants at this career stage, and we are proud to have funded over 1,000 research projects since 2018.
Interested in funding the 2025 Early Career Grants Programme?
In 2024, nearly 30% of applications were considered fundable by our Global Assessor review team, but we were only able to fund ~10% of applicants due to limited funding (299 awards out of 2,828 applications).
We would be delighted to receive support from new organisations in 2025, so that we are able to fund a higher proportion of 2025's eligible projects.
This would allow us to further contribute to our overall goal of delivering impact for those in low-resource settings and for the global health and tropical medicine community more widely.
If you or your organisation/institution are interested in supporting the RSTMH Early Career Grants Programme, please get in touch with greta [dot] holmes [at] rstmh [dot] org to hear more.
Awardees' reflections on being awarded an RSTMH Grant
As my first grant, I learned first-hand how to write a research proposal, manage a budget and strategic planning of experiments and analyses, crucial skillsets for being an independent researcher. Also, the grant provided me visibility and opportunities to collaborate and share my results with other researchers, expanding my professional network. Most importantly, the experience I have acquired throughout this period was an asset for my hiring as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lille in France. I also was granted a Young Investigator Award from the Brazilian Society of Proteomics in recognition for the work I have carried out during the RSTMH grant."
- Dr Viviane de Almedia Bastos, 2020 awardee
The grant has helped to increase my boldness in the world of science and has given me an edge above my colleagues. As a matter of fact, winning a grant at this early stage of my career has prompted a lot of hope and revealing that a brighter future awaits me. The grant has reshaped and awoken my consciousness to global health exposure. It has increased my link of networks. In addition, it has helped to raise up a hope for a well managed Doctoral research. I believe with this grant, my career is in its way to building a positive influence in the world of global health epidemiology. Thank you RSTMH for this great opportunity."
- Mr Akinijide Anifowose, 2021 awardee
This grant award helped my colleagues and I improve their research skills. I learned how to manage a research grant, including acquiring study materials, organizing and leading the data collection team, engaging with county leaders, discussing study issues, and analyzing data for publication. This award has given me confidence to apply for larger funds, based on the experience acquired from conducting this project.”
- Caroline Njoroge, 2020 awardee
The RSTMH-JCPET grant has indeed impacted my career. Through the grant, I have been able to conduct whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics training. This perspective has added more value to my thesis and the work is coming out as more robust, unlike if I had left it at the AMR phenotype stage."
- Noah Okumu, 2021 awardee