Active Infection & Immunity

Vietnam Africa Asia Programme Core Grant Renewal, 2022 to 2029

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation Oxford Clinical Research Unit - Vietnam
Other organisations recorded by Europe PMC University of Oxford These are researcher affiliations; the award is counted once under the primary recipient above.
Funding £17.6M
Period Oct 2022 — Sept 2029

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

A research network in Vietnam and Indonesia is building a permanent, locally-led system to track and respond to infectious disease outbreaks across Southeast Asia. The problem is that the region is a hotspot for new and re-emerging infections, drug-resistant pathogens, and climate-sensitive diseases like dengue and malaria, yet much of the research capacity remains concentrated in high-income countries. This programme aims to shift that balance by embedding multidisciplinary teams—clinicians, epidemiologists, social scientists, and lab technicians—directly within local health systems. If successful, the network will enable faster detection of emerging threats, generate evidence on how climate change is shifting disease patterns, and help implement new diagnostics and treatments where they are most needed. The work also strengthens the research culture itself: training local scientists, supporting operational staff, and promoting Vietnamese and Indonesian leadership in global health. This is not a single experiment but a sustained infrastructure investment—one that could make Southeast Asia less dependent on outside expertise when the next outbreak hits.

View original technical description
Our ten-year vision is to have local, regional and global impact on health by leading a locally driven research programme on infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. We will deliver our vision by fulfilling four aims: Aim 1. Reduce the burden of infectious diseases through research Aim 2. Strengthen our research culture Aim 3. Strengthen our networks and partnerships Aim 4. Increase the local, regional, and global impact of our research Our dominant activity will be research (aim 1), with its delivery, relevance, and sustainability supported by aims 2 and 3, and its impact secured by aim 4. We will achieve our aims through a collaborative network of multidisciplinary researchers in Vietnam and Indonesia, capable of responding rapidly to escalating infectious disease threats and implementing science-led change within health systems. Our research priorities are: - New and re-emerging infectious diseases - Drug resistant infections - Climate change impact on infectious disease epidemiology - Development and implementation of new health technologies We will ensure that our research priorities and activities remain locally relevant and sustainable through extensive public and community engagement. We will strengthen our research culture, and nurture the careers of local researchers and operational staff, supporting their development and promoting their leadership.

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Researchers

Guy Thwaites (EPMC Awardee)H Rogier van Doorn (EPMC Awardee)Nicholas Day (EPMC Awardee)Vinh Chau Nguyen (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Viet Nam Major Overseas Programme Core Grant Renewal 2010-2015.
Thailand Africa and Asia Programme - GBP Core
Thailand Major Overseas Programme Core Grant Renewal 2010 to 2015.
Africa Health Research Institute - Core Renewal 2023-30 (GBP)
Identifying drivers for the emergence and transmission of key human pathogens and AMR in Vietnam and the Philippines (AMR-VP)

Original classification

Africa and Asia Programme Renewal

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.