Call for Applications: Gender, Antimicrobial Resistance and Climate Change threat to Human Health

Understanding the intersection of different dimensions of gender with other social stratifiers, including age, sex, disability, class, sexual orientation or ethnicity, among others, is critical in the epidemiology, prevention and control of infectious diseases across different contexts. There is increasing yet insufficient evidence as to how and why gender intersects with other key social stratifiers to shape infectious disease conditions, influence vulnerability to illness and affect experiences in access to health care. There is also an urgent need to explore how new evidence in emerging priority areas can be efficiently translated into policy and practice, and how gender dynamics influence implementation research processes.

Call objectives and expected outputs

• The overall objective of this work is to inform the design and subsequent implementation of research studies to generate evidence that helps to identify enablers and bottlenecks that impact the delivery of health interventions in the face of two major global threats:
  • climate variability and change; and
  • antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• The work would comprise a mapping, review of existing evidence and research gap analysis on gender and related intersectional inequities associated with one of these two topics.
• All topics proposed should cover one or multiple aspects related to implementation research processes, taking into account an intersectional gender approach and health systems lens in the context of AMR and/or environmental challenges. The work will ultimately inform the development and design of future interventions, as well as potential TDR research calls in this area.

Focus Areas

• Results of this exercise may ultimately inform one or more of the following areas of study:
  • Research aimed at understanding how infectious diseases are influenced by gender and social dynamics under a changing climate.
  • Research aimed at understanding how antimicrobial use and infection control may impact different population subgroups and how gender and other intersecting factors influence AMR outcomes, in different ways.
  • Research aimed at identifying bottlenecks that impact access to interventions and delivery of health services, by generating evidence on how gender intersects with other social variables, influencing access to healthcare and treatment, through implementation research. This research may include case studies on how gender intersects with other social variables in access to health care and treatment of infectious diseases of poverty, specifically for population subgroups such as teenage populations, the elderly and young pregnant women.
  • Research aimed at understanding how sex, gender and other intersecting factors are likely to impact climate and environmental transitions influencing infectious diseases.
  • How, why and for whom implementation research strategies work, considering an intersectional gender approach and health systems lens.
  • Research on the intersection of gender and other axes of inequality in delivery and access to prevention and control approaches and products to prevent and control infectious diseases.

Funding Information 

• The duration of the award will be eight months, with an estimated start date in late October 2023.
• Applications will be considered for a total funding envelope of US$ 50 000, supporting a maximum of two applications.

Eligibility Criteria

• This project has a selective nature. It seeks to identify unique established research groups or institutions with expertise and a track record in implementation research, health systems, gender, intersectionality and infectious disease research, experienced in conducting research gap analyses, mapping exercises and evidence reviews, that would benefit from a new influx of funding to advance their research work.
• TDR is committed to equality, diversity and inclusivity in science. Researchers are encouraged to apply irrespective of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious, cultural and social backgrounds, or (dis)ability status.
• When data is included, it should be disaggregated at least by sex and age (and other social stratifiers as appropriate, e.g. education level, income, self-reported gender identity, social status or (dis)ability) wherever possible.
• Plans for ensuring sex and age disaggregated data and gender analysed data should be clearly stated in the application and considered in the early stages of the project design process.
• Grants will be awarded to the two beneficiary research institutions where the lead researcher(s) is/are based.
• Eligibility is limited to applications from research institutions from low- and middle-income countries. Research coalitions or collaborative partnerships with a high or middle high income country may be considered if the lead institution is from an LMIC.

For more information, visit TDR.