W O R L D H E A L T H ORGANIZATION f .
EXECUTIVE BOARD Thirty-first Session
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
E B 3 1/ W P/ 2 “ 15 January 1963
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
EXCHANGE OF RESEARCH WORKERS1 GRANTS AND RESEARCH TRAINING GRANTS AWARDED FROM 1959-1962
1 . INTRODUCTION
This document has been b y a member of the Standing
prepared following the suggestion m a d e o n 8 J a n u a r y Committee on Administration and Finance that it would be interesting for the Executive B o a r d , and perhaps the W o r l d H e a l t h A s s e m b l y , to know how the /research/ fellowships h a d been allocated, h o w the beneficiaries h a d been chosen, and where they had received their training."^"
Up to the end of 1962, 7 1 of these grants were made which m a y b e sub- divided as follows:
Exchange of Research W o r k e r s 3 8 Special Research Training Grants 8 Senior Research Training Grants 2 1 Junior Research Training Grants 4
The purposes of these grants are outlined in A n n e x 5 of Official Records N o . 95 (page 510) and in Official Records N o . 1 2 1 , pages 23 and 4 2 9 . The distinction between some recipients in the first three above-mentioned categories of g m n t s is n o t always easy a n d , from experience g a i n e d , a revision of them is being considered.
2 . EXCHANGE OF RESEARCH WORKERS
The recipients of these grants are usually senior scientists who w o u l d benefit greatly b y a number of short visits to other senior workeTs during a few weeks or m o n t h s . A few examples m a y b e given:
1 Document EB)l/AF/Min/2, page 9
,A Brazilian professor visited medical schools in a number of European countries for eight weeks to observe different types of research organization in medical schools•
A Chilean experimental pathologist visited for eight weeks a number of laboratories in Europe in which experimental cancer studies were being carried out. A research worker from Tanganyika visited Puerto Rico to discuss with workers various problems arising from studies of molluscicides. An English professor spent four weeks visiting research institutes in the USSR in which experimental investigations of animals with human and related parasites were being undertaken. A research worker from Thailand, after working for three years in the United Kingdom, visited a number of tropical research institutes in Europe before returning to Bangkok. A Russian virologist visited laboratories in the United Kingdom and in Denmark to compare her own studies o n smallpox vaccines with those going on there. A n Ethiopian entomologist spent six weeks in Uganda and Kenya to improve h i s techniques for the study of insect vectors of virus diseases in h i s own country. A leprologist in Nigeria will for six weeks visit leprosy units in India, Malaya, Hong Kong and the Philippines to discuss h i s findings and difficulties in research in chemotherapy and other aspects of leprosy. A Japanese pathologist visited for eight weeks institutions in seven European countries to exchange information on the investigation of lung cancer.
SPECIAL RESEARCH TRAINING GRANTS
These are awarded to research workers to enable them to visit scientists in other countries to acquire new techniques.
A pathologist from Czechoslovakia spent 10 weeks in North America and in the United Kingdom in relation to h i s own pathological studies of atherosclerosis. A n English sociologist working in public health will go to the United States of America for 10 weeks to further her experience in various aspects of public health practice.
A New Zealand investigator will visit institutes in Argentina and in the United States of America to discuss h i s studies o n early diagnosis and treatment of hydatidosis.
A Tanganyikan parasitologist a t present working in London will spend three weeks in Denmark to increase h i s experience in snail taxonomy.
EB5l/WP/2 page 3
SENIOR RESEARCH TRAINING GRANTS
These are awarded to experienced research workers who would benefit by working with senior scientists in other countries.
Two Indian public health investigators spent six weeks in Yugoslavia and in the United Kingdom to observe and discuss problems of vaccine trials preliminary to similar trials being held in India. A cardiologist from Czechoslovakia spent six months in Jamaica and in the United Kingdom to gain experience in carrying out epidemiological studies of cardiovascular diseases. An Egyptian medical graduate has gone to work in Uganda for 12 months under a well-known scientist on malnutrition in infants. A medical graduate with a science degree from Cameroon is undertaking investigations into the physiology and immunochemistry of helminths under a professor in the United Kingdom, for 12 months； he had had a Junior Research Training Grant during the previous year. A Swiss virologist has gone to the United States of America for 12 months to increase his experience of research in certain viruses.
A French virologist worked for seven months in a research institute in the United States of America on the cultivation of viruses on special tissue culture media.
5 . JUNIOR RESEARCH TRAINING GRANTS
These are awarded to recent graduates either to give them an opportunity to
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become acquainted with what research means or to provide them with early research training where this is not available in their own countries.
A young Ethiopian student working on certain protozoal diseases in America visited Egypt and the Sudan and worked for short periods in laboratories carrying out similar studies there. A young Israeli biochemist is going to Germany for 18 months to study certain aspects of vector control.
6 . SELECTION OF GRANTEES
In the selection of candidates preference is given to workers whose experience abroad will increase the research capacity of their own country or advance WHO-supported or sponsored research programmes. These grants are usually made to members of staffs of university departments or re-search Institutes and only with the approval of their directors. Precautions are taken to ensure as far as possible that the grantee
returns to his own country and assurances are sought in h i s country before he leaves that a suitable post and facilities will be available for him upon h i s return. The regional offices are kept fully informed b y copies of correspondence and assist in obtaining government clearance where this is needed.
From the experience gained in the award of these grants during the last three years, an information booklet and an application form are at present being drawn up to facilitate the handling of requests. The number of applications will no doubt increase in the coming years as these grants become more widely known, b u t every care will continue to b e taken to maintain the high standard of selection of recipients.
7 . EVALUATION
The comments of the scientists under whom the grantees have worked have been appreciative of their quality. Evaluation will n o t b e possible until the follow- up reports are received, one year after the end of the grant period, b u t already there is evidence of the increased research activity of some grantees.
8.
SUBJECTSThe following table indicates broadly the subjects which have been studied under these awards :
Treponematoses 2 Vector Control 2
Protozoal diseases 9 Molecular biology 1
Bilharziasis 9 Nutrition 2
Other parasitic 6 Diabetes 1
diseases
Virus diseases 11 Cardiovascular diseases 8
Tuberculosis 1 Cancer 5
Leprosy 1 Geographical Pathology 1 Other bacterial 6 Human Genetics 1
diseases
Public Health Practice Research Organization 1
EB3l/WP/2 page 5
9. COUNTRIES
The countries of origin and countries of study, according to W H O Regions, are given in the following table:
Region Countries from which grantees came
Countries to which grantees went
Africa 2
Americas 13 29
Eastern Mediterranean 8 5
Europe 刃 32
South-East Asia 5 1
Western Pacific 4 2
In January 1963, two additional Junior Research Training Grants have been awarded to Nigerian graduates.
1 0 . DEVELOPMENT
The following table shows the total awards for each year:
1959 1 1960 0 1961 22 1962 48
