The Hiv Research Trust

Charity Number: 1123611

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M
Geographic Focus: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Georgia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, Zimbabwe

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £162,863 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Annual competitive process
  • Grant Range: £0 - £15,000 (per scholarship)
  • Geographic Focus: Resource-limited settings (low-income and lower-middle-income countries)

Contact Details

Website: www.hivresearchtrust.org.uk (redirects to www.tht.org.uk/hiv-research-trust)

Email: hivresearchtrust@tht.org.uk

Phone: 020 7812 1688

Address: 437 & 439 Caledonian Road, London N7 9BG, United Kingdom

Overview

The HIV Research Trust was founded in 2002 to promote study and research into the causes and treatment of HIV infection. In 2021, it became a subsidiary of Terrence Higgins Trust. The charity operates across 11 countries including Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, and Ukraine, focusing exclusively on supporting HIV research in resource-limited settings.

With an annual expenditure of approximately £160,000-£185,000, the Trust awards competitive scholarships through a peer-review process to early- to mid-career researchers. The Trust has enabled approximately 165 individuals to pursue significant lifetime training objectives since its inception. Funding is generously supported by the HIV Glasgow Congress, with proceeds from the successful biennial conference providing the financial foundation for the scholarship programme. The Trust's strategic approach emphasizes capacity building, enabling scholars to acquire new skills at host institutions and strengthen research capability in their home departments.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Annual Research Scholarships: £0 - £15,000 per award

  • Competitive scholarships awarded annually following peer-review process
  • Enables travel to another research unit to acquire new skills and techniques
  • Fixed annual deadline (typically late March/April)
  • Covers tuition costs, laboratory fees, materials, international travel, accommodation, and subsistence

Priority Areas

Eligible Beneficiaries:

  • Early- to mid-career physicians, nurses, scientists, and healthcare professionals
  • Researchers based in resource-limited settings from low-income and lower-middle-income countries (as defined by World Bank classifications)
  • Must work in fields related to HIV prevention, infection, or treatment

Eligible Research Areas:

All aspects of research related to HIV infection and its consequences, including:

  • Clinical management and care
  • Clinical trial experience and practice
  • Basic and applied biology
  • Epidemiology
  • Psychological, ethical, economic, educational, and societal aspects
  • Data and trial management
  • Statistical expertise
  • Laboratory techniques and analyses
  • Cell and molecular biology

Key Requirements:

  • Candidates must seek support from both host institution (where training will occur) and home institution (where they are based)
  • Scholarship should develop the candidate's career and add capacity to their home department
  • Focus on acquiring transferable skills that strengthen institutional capability in resource-limited settings

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the Trust's focus on resource-limited settings in low-income and lower-middle-income countries suggests they do not fund:

  • Researchers based in high-income countries
  • Senior/established researchers beyond mid-career stage
  • Research unrelated to HIV infection and its consequences
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Governance and Leadership

The HIV Research Trust is governed by a board of trustees based around the world, bringing extensive expertise in HIV research, global health, and virology:

Professor Deenan Pillay (Chair): UK-based clinical virologist and Professor of Virology at University College London. He is a non-executive Director of North Middlesex University Hospital and Director of the Wellcome Trust-funded Centre for Health and Population Studies in South Africa. He served on the Independent Scientific Advisory Group during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Elizabeth Bukusi: Research professor based in Kenya focusing on global health, sexually transmitted infections, women's health, and reproductive health as well as HIV care, prevention, and treatment. She is Chief Research Officer at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and led a landmark study on the use of PrEP in Kenya.

Professor Liz Corbett: UK-based epidemiologist and Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, conducting research on tuberculosis in HIV populations and HIV self-testing.

Professor Frances Cowan: Professor of Global Health at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, based in Zimbabwe since 1999. Founder and former Director of Centre for Sexual Health and HIV AIDS Research, Zimbabwe.

Professor Cate Hankins: Community medicine specialist and epidemiologist based at McGill University, Canada. Former Chief Scientific Advisor to UNAIDS and Senior Fellow at Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development.

Professor Henry Mwandumba: African Professor of Medicine and Deputy Director of Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome research programme. President of the Federation of African Immunological Societies and awarded the Royal Society Africa Prize in 2019.

Faye Rodney (Trustee for Finance): Former Director of Finance for Terrence Higgins Trust until 2021, overseeing proper financial governance for the HIV Research Trust.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through the HIV Research Trust's online application portal. Full details on the application process can be found on their website.

Key Application Requirements:

  • Candidates must seek support from both host and home institutions prior to submitting
  • Application must detail how the scholarship will enable acquisition of new skills and techniques
  • Must demonstrate how training will develop career and add capacity to home department
  • All applications undergo competitive peer-review process led by trustees

Application Method: Fixed annual deadline (rolling basis not accepted)

Decision Timeline

  • Application Deadline: Typically late March/early April annually
  • Review Process: Competitive peer-review process conducted by HIV Research Trust trustees
  • Notification: Timeline not publicly specified
  • Award Period: Annual scholarships awarded following review

To be informed about future scholarship opportunities, candidates can subscribe to the HIV Research Trust mailing list on their website.

Success Rates

The Trust has enabled approximately 165 scholars since its founding in 2002 (approximately 7-8 awards per year on average). Specific success rates and number of applications received per cycle are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants is not publicly available. Candidates should contact the Trust directly for guidance.

Application Success Factors

Institutional Support is Critical: Candidates must secure support from both their host institution (where they will receive training) and their home institution (where they are based). This dual endorsement demonstrates the value and feasibility of the proposed training.

Focus on Skills Transfer and Capacity Building: The Trust emphasizes that scholarships should enable candidates to "acquire new skills and techniques which will develop the candidate's career and add capacity to the department in which they are based." Applications should clearly articulate how the training will strengthen both individual capability and institutional capacity in resource-limited settings.

Diverse Research Areas Welcome: The Trust supports all aspects of research related to HIV infection including clinical management, clinical trial experience, data and trial management, statistical expertise, laboratory techniques, cell and molecular biology, and broader psychological, ethical, economic, educational, and societal aspects.

Career Development Focus: The scholarship programme is designed for early- to mid-career researchers pursuing “a significant lifetime training objective,” suggesting applications should demonstrate how the training represents a pivotal career development opportunity.

Geographic Alignment: Candidates must be based in resource-limited settings from low-income and lower-middle-income countries as defined by World Bank classifications. This is a fundamental eligibility criterion.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic Eligibility is Non-Negotiable: Ensure your organization or individual applicant is based in a low-income or lower-middle-income country as defined by the World Bank before applying
  • Dual Institutional Support Required: Secure written support from both host and home institutions before submitting your application—this is explicitly required
  • Emphasize Capacity Building: Frame your application around how skills acquired will strengthen not just individual careers but also institutional capability in resource-limited settings
  • Competitive Peer Review: Applications are reviewed by a distinguished board of international HIV research experts, so proposals must demonstrate scientific rigor and clear training objectives
  • Annual Cycle Only: Plan ahead for the late March/April deadline—this is a fixed annual cycle, not rolling admissions
  • Stay Informed: Subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates on application windows and any changes to the programme
  • Partnership with HIV Glasgow: The Trust is supported by proceeds from the HIV Glasgow Congress, suggesting engagement with this network may provide valuable context and connections

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