Asia-Pacific funding

20 August 2003

In an innovative partnership with the governments of Australia and New Zealand, the Wellcome Trust has made 11 awards to international collaborations tackling some of the most pressing health problems of the Asia-Pacific region.

The five-year awards support collaborations between researchers in Australia or New Zealand and those in developing countries of South and South-East Asia and the islands of the Pacific. The Wellcome Trust has committed £6 million to the scheme, with another £4.5 million contributed by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and £1.35 million by New Zealand's Health Research Council.

As well as supporting research into locally important health problems, the scheme will also facilitate the transfer of skills to less well developed countries in the region and encourage young Australian and New Zealand scientists to work in developing countries.

The funded projects will focus on a range of health issues, including malaria, pregnancy and childbirth care, diabetes, pneumococcal disease, obesity and schistosomiasis, a major health problem for more than 40 million people living in southern China.

There will also be research into acute pesticide poisoning, which is believed to kill 500 000 people every year in the Asia-Pacific region, and road traffic injuries. Collaborations include researchers from throughout the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Tonga, Thailand and China.

See also

• International research collaboration allocates millions for Asia-Pacific health (Press release: 20 August 2003)