The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded the Task Force for Global Health (TFGH) with a $45 million cooperative agreement called ‘Ending Tropical Diseases through Operational Research’ (ENDOR).
This agreement aims to address operational challenges, improve NTD diagnostics, and tackle other programmatic issues through an operational research (OR) portfolio.
Dr. Patrick Lammie, Director of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center at The Task Force for Global Health, expressed his gratitude for receiving the ENDOR Cooperative Agreement from USAID. He highlighted the significance of operational research in achieving sustainable solutions for controlling and eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
Furthermore, the TFGH will collaborate with the African Research Network for NTDs (ARNTD) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana as a major sub-partner to implement the objectives of ENDOR.
Dr. John Amuasi, Director of ARNTD, emphasized the importance of this award for African researchers and their contribution towards meeting the targets of the NTD 2030 roadmap. He noted that the partnership with Task Force will enable them to involve more African researchers, expand their reach to underserved populations, and deliver sustainable evidence-based solutions.
The five-year award aims to support national governments, local research organizations, non-governmental organizations, implementing partners, and developers of NTD diagnostics. While the focus will primarily be on sub-Saharan African countries, the scope of ENDOR will be global, providing research opportunities for all national programs targeting the five NTDs supported by USAID: lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths.
