2024 Robert Carr Research Award
COLLABORATIVE STUDY ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN COUNTRY COORDINATING MECHANISMS WINS 2024 ROBERT CARR RESEARCH AWARD
For Immediate Release
July 18, 2024
ICASO and partners are pleased to announce today that the RISE (Representation, Inclusion, Sustainability, and Equity) study was selected among 30 nominated projects to receive the 2024 Robert Carr Research Award. This prestigious award is presented to research projects from community-academia partnerships with the potential to inform advocacy efforts and evidence-based programs, thereby ensuring a rights- based HIV response.
The RISE Study is an independent, community-owned research project led by a steering committee of 13 members from 11 countries that examined the engagement of communities in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM).
“The RISE Study reflects Robert’s vision of meaningful collaboration between community organizations, academic researchers, and advocates to translate findings from research into tangible policy development and advocacy efforts,” said Mary Ann Torres, executive director of ICASO. The award is named after a beloved scholar and human rights activist who championed efforts to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Robert was particularly passionate about the need for cross-disciplinary research to inform policy and advocacy efforts. It is this passion that ICASO, IAS – the International AIDS Society, the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and the Institute on Inequalities in Global Health of the University of Southern California wish to honor by presenting the Robert Carr Research Award at the International AIDS Conferences.
The RISE study gathered empirical data on the participation of communities and civil society in CCMs, which are comprised of representatives of all sectors involved in the response to the three diseases. These national committees develop and submit funding requests to the Global Fund and oversee grant-supported programs. “The findings underscore the importance of community ownership and investment in community-designed solutions to improving Global Fund grantmaking and oversight,” said Sibongile Tshabalala, the chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign and a member of the RISE study group.
While the study affirms the vital role of CCMs in the Global Fund partnership across all stages of the funding cycle, the authors of the study identified several opportunities to enhance community engagement with CCMs and Global Fund processes. They offer seven recommendations, from making the funding process more transparent to bolstering support for peer-to-peer mentoring of community CCM representatives and removing barriers to meaningful community engagement. The final RISE report is available here (in English and French).
The group includes representatives from Aides, amfAR, Association de lutte contre sida, Coalition Plus, Malaysian AIDS Council, Ishtar MSM, MATRAM, the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Positive Generation, REVS+, SISTERS Foundation, Treatment Action Campaign, and Uganda Young Positives.
On July 24, the award will be presented at the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, during the Robert Carr Memorial Lecture in the Global Village, Room 2, the Messe München.
For more information about the 2024 Robert Carr Research Award, please visit the ICASO website. For more information about RISE, please visit its partner websites: amfAR, Aides, and the O’Neill Institute.
2024 ROBERT CARR RESEARCH AWARD
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The Robert Carr Research Award celebrates Robert’s vision of collaboration between community organizations, academic researchers, and advocates to advance human rights-based policies and practices in the HIV response. The prize is driven by Robert’s commitment to translating findings from research collaborations between community and academic partners into tangible policy development and advocacy efforts. This year’s winners will be announced during the biannual Robert Carr Memorial Lecture at AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, in July.
For more information about the award, click here.
Nominations are open to the public.
Anyone can submit a nomination.
The deadline for nominations is 10 May.
Only nominations submitted through the online form will be accepted.
The online nomination form is available HERE
Eligibility criteria
The award aims to highlight a research project conducted by a community-academia partnership. To be eligible for the award, the research project must meet the following criteria:
- It was conducted by a community-academia partnership in which all partners were equally involved in designing the study, collecting and analyzing the data, and disseminating the results.
- It has led to evidence-based programs and/or influenced policies in the field of HIV to guide a human rights-based response to HIV.
For the 2024 edition, preference will be given to projects that address issues of youth leadership and activism and the use of digital technologies.
Components
The award consists of the following components:
- Coverage of travel expenses and conference registration fees to attend AIDS 2024
- Certificate and award art
- Invitation to deliver the keynote address for the Robert Carr Memorial Lecture and presentation of the award.
Questions?
The International Council of Aids Service Organizations (ICASO) coordinates the Robert Carr Research Award. Please feel free to ask any questions about nominating procedures or eligibility by email. For more information about the award and lecture, please visit our page.