Establishing infrastructure hubs to power evidence synthesis in low- and middle-income countries (ESIC infrastructure hubs)

A Wellcome-funded competitive grant call to establish five global infrastructure hubs that catalyse timely, relevant and affordable AI-enabled evidence synthesis addressing policy-scale challenges. Awards provide substantial project funding to teams led from low- and middle-income countries to develop infrastructure, methods and capacity for evidence synthesis in specified policy sectors. Projects are expected to run for 3–5 years and are cohort-based with multiple awards.

Grant funding of £1.5–£1.9 million per award for 3–5 years; inclusion in a cohort of funded infrastructure hubs; support for infrastructure, personnel and project delivery related to evidence synthesis.

Teams of researchers (minimum four, maximum eight applicants) with demonstrated expertise in evidence synthesis production, use and dissemination; lead applicant must be based at an organisation in a low- or middle-income country (excluding mainland China) and have a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract (or guarantee of one) for the award duration. Coapplicants may be based anywhere in the world (except mainland China) and collaborators may be included but cannot receive salary.

Applications submitted via Wellcome's funding platform; coapplicants and collaborators named in the team; sample application form and guidance available on the Wellcome site.