The 2010 CAHR awards are being conducted in partnership with the CIHR’s new Doctoral Research Award Program, which will be announced in August as part of CIHR’s latest ‘Priority Announcements’. The amount of each award will be $35,000 per year, for up to three years.

Applicants will have to apply through CIHR’s Researchnet prior to October 15. The award must be held in Canada and the primary research focus of the application must be in HIV/AIDS. The applicant must indicate a primary research track, although projects that indicate a multidisciplinary approach are strongly encouraged. The successful applicants will be notified early in the new year, and the scholarship term will begin May 1, 2011.

Information on the DRA funding opportunity can be found at:

• English informational link
• French informational link

At the start of the award period, the recipient must be enrolled in a Master’s degree program and planning to conduct research that is relevant to CAHR’s mission. The amount of this award will be $15,000 (CAD). The trainee is not permitted to simultaneously hold a second major scholarship.

 The deadline for receipt of applications is October 29, 2010.

The successful applicant will be notified of his/her award in early December, 2010. The award is for one year and begins January 1, 2011. However, it may be postponed for up to six months at the request of the recipient.

The recipient may request renewal of the award for a second year. To obtain more information about this award, including instructions on how to apply, please visit http://www.cahr-acrv.ca/programs-services/2011-scholarship-program/

The work involves:

• Obtaining and analyzing basic information about the HIV/AIDS research environment in Canada.
• Surveying the members of CAHR to obtain their views on the organization’s priorities for 2011-2015.
• Assessing the outcomes of CAHR’s 2005-2010 work plan; and helping develop a proposed new 5-year plan.

This project will take place in Ottawa.  The timeframe is August 1 to October 17, 2010.

Interested persons should email a cover letter and CV to:  Mr. Bob O’Neill, CAHR Executive Director.  The address is:  oneill_bob1@yahoo.ca

“Canada has no unified strategy for HIV prevention,” he said. “Canada should be ashamed, especially when compared to the United States, which is giving about $5 billion in 2010. Comparably, [Canada] should be giving 10 percent of what the U.S. gives.”

The Canadian International Development Agency spends about $142 million a year on international HIV/AIDS programs. Ronald feels that contribution should be increased over time to the level of about $500 million. “Right now, our contribution is a Big Mac per Canadian,” he said after accepting the Red Ribbon Award for lifetime achievement in HIV/AIDS research. “We can easily increase that.”

Ronald, who 30 years ago founded the alliance between the University of Manitoba and the University of Kenya, has for the past 10 years been working in Uganda with the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa. Over the years, Canadian universities have been at the forefront of HIV/AIDS research. “There has been a lot of progress made,” he notes. In Uganda, for example, the rate of HIV infection among adults fell to six percent in 2007 from 14 percent in 1990. The scaling up of HIV treatments thanks to the Global Fund and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has also been an enormous help.

However, in order to succeed, Ronald stresses, these programs need to be sustained, and Canada needs to have a unified strategy. “We can’t just take two or three pieces — and push circumcision or condom use or maternal health — we need them all and they need to be well understood.”