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The Michelson Prizes are annual awards of $150,000, which support young investigators under the age of 35 who are using disruptive concepts and inventive processes to significantly advance human immunology and vaccine and immunotherapy discovery research for major global diseases. The Prizes are funded by the Michelson Medical Research Foundation and overseen by the Human Vaccines Project -- the application window for the 2021 Prizes will run from April 1 – June 18, 2021.

The 2021 Michelson Prizes will be looking for research proposals in two areas:
• Human Immunology and Vaccine Research: The committee will be looking for research aimed at tackling the current roadblocks that exist in human vaccine development and expanding our limited understanding of key immune processes that are fundamental to successful vaccine and immunotherapy development.
• Climate Change and Human Immunology: The committee is looking for research that expands our understanding of the potential effects of climate change on immune function with a particular interest in research that will directly translate into vaccine and immunotherapy development to mitigate its impact.

The selection committee will be looking to support research that is both highly innovative and has the potential for high impact. Specifically, projects should propose innovative ideas and approaches that can be applied across many disease areas and states. Projects should have the potential to significantly expand our understanding of the human immune system and accelerate the development of vaccines and immunotherapies.

While the Michelson Prizes are focused on research in the fields of immunology, vaccine and immunotherapy discovery, applicants from the full spectrum of related disciplines, including clinical research, biochemistry, molecular biology, protein engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, biophysics, environmental health, nanotechnology, etc., are encouraged to apply.

Additional info can be found at https://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/michelsonprizes/

Please take note below of Wellcome Trust’s (UK) webinar on tips for applying to their International Masters, Training and Intermediate Fellowships. The next due dates for applications are:

• International Training Fellowships - 5 November 2020 - https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/international-training-fellowships
• International Intermediate Fellowships - 5 November 2020 - https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/international-intermediate-fellowships
• International Masters Fellowships - 13 April 2021 - https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/international-masters-fellowships

The African Research Leader (ARL) scheme is a prestigious award, jointly funded under the MRC/DFID concordat agreement. The scheme aims to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa by attracting and retaining exceptionally talented individuals who will undertake high-quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to the region.

Dr Adetifa will begin his Fellowship in January 2019.

The XXVIII Interational Workshop on HIV Drug Resistance and Treatment Srategies was held in Johannesburg from 18-20 October 2019.

Dr Fokam (TMA2015CDF1027) gave both an oral and poster presentation and also participated in the expert opinion session.

At the National Forum on HIV, PMTCT and Paedeiatric Care held in Cameroon in September 2019, the same work received the award for best oral abract.