# Transitioning to a National Infectious Diseases Institute in Tanzania

> **NIH NIH G11** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2024 · $104,082

## Abstract

SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Tanzania despite
access to highly active antiretroviral therapy, and tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death among people
with HIV in Tanzania and worldwide. The Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital (KIDH) in the Kilimanjaro
region of Tanzania began as a specialized care center for people with HIV, TB, and other complicated infectious
diseases, yet is rapidly transitioning to a National Infectious Diseases Institute (NIDI). Research administrative
capacity at KIDH/NIDI has not kept pace with the rapid increase in new laboratory and clinical research facilities,
total HIV/TB and other infectious diseases research funding, and new affiliated investigators including through
an active Fogarty International Center D43 for training Tanzanian postdoctoral scientists in research leadership.
Following a formal needs assessment, two core areas were identified to best capacitate KIDH/NIDI in its
transition to a national infectious diseases institute: 1) development of a multidivisional research administration
office (pre-award, finance/compliance, post-award) and 2) creation of a self-sustaining training program to
improve the efficiency and efficacy of research administration for KIDH/NIDI practices and later training of local
and regional partnered organizations. To accomplish this, KIDH/NIDI will leverage long-standing partnerships
with the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, a “near-peer” organization with experienced staff capable of local
mentorship, and the University of Virginia / Center for Global Health Equity which has successfully administered
multiple NIH / Fogarty International Center Training programs including a G11 for HIV research administration
in another East African setting. Research administrative trainees (one new hire for each track) will undergo
general and then specialized training within a track (pre-award, finance/compliance, post-award). Metrics of
training success differ for each track, and individual trainee and overall programmatic achievement will be
assessed by mentors, programmatic leadership, and a Training Advisory Committee composed of experienced
HIV scientists and research administrators working in Tanzania and with prior G11 participation. In addition to
improving KIDH/NIDI’s administrative capacity to increase the total number of awards submitted, the prime
awards to KIDH/NIDI, the number of awards submitted by junior investigators, and the overall diversity of the
HIV and local infectious diseases research portfolio, KIDH/NIDI is uniquely positioned to test the transferability
of the research administrative toolkit developed within this training program to one or more of the 14 other Sub-
Saharan African institutes in the PanACEA clinical research consortium that KIDH/NIDI serves as secretariat.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10909649
- **Project number:** 1G11TW012747-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** STELLAH GEORGE MPAGAMA
- **Activity code:** G11 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $104,082
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10909649

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10909649, Transitioning to a National Infectious Diseases Institute in Tanzania (1G11TW012747-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10909649. Licensed CC0.

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