International Bilateral Programs for Collaborative Scientific Research

As part of the Center for Global Health’s work to enhance the global activities of NCI’s intramural researchers and grantees, CGH explores opportunities with science funding organizations around the world.  Where our missions align, and there are overlaps on key research priorities, strategic co-funded research programs have emerged.

In such programs, the NCI works with foreign scientific research agencies to support collaborative research partnerships for grantees through a dedicated funding opportunity.  Each funding agency supports the grantees from their own nation, and the investigators in the project cooperate on equal footing.

The overarching goal of co-funding programs is to incentivize cooperation on research between investigators in two or more nations to produce high-quality science.  Bilateral cooperative research further benefits participating countries by strengthening research capacity and scientific peer review capabilities, creating mentorship opportunities for investigators in low- and middle-income settings, and establishing long-term, bilateral partnerships between both the NIH and the scientific research agencies of other nations, and the collaborating investigators.

In recent years, the NCI has participated in co-funded research programs with: China, India, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, and Russia. An assessment of these research programs is being conducted to identify key outcomes that demonstrate advances in cancer research in the U.S. and the partnering country, and to determine how to build upon those successes for future global health collaboration. Completed International Bilateral Research program evaluations can be downloaded here:

U.S.-China Program for Biomedical Research Cooperation Preliminary Program Review

For information on current funding opportunities, visit our Research and Training page.