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Welcome to the Leprosy Research Initiative application portal

The Leprosy Research Initiative (LRI) is a combined venture of members of the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP) and closely associated partners. The LRI was launched in 2013 with the aim to contribute to the goal of zero leprosy by promoting, facilitating and funding high-quality research; strengthening research capacity in endemic countries; and facilitating the translation of research results into policy and practice (www.leprosyresearch.org).

This portal enables you to apply for and manage your grants online. We recommend you reading the LRI Grant Application Portal - User Guide document. This document describes how to register as a user of the portal and how to submit an application.

New users: please register first using the registration button at the bottom of the page on the left.

Existing users: if you have applied to or reviewed for the LRI through this portal in the past, you can use your email address and password to log in. If you have forgotten your password, you will be able to reset it.

Once you have logged in, please use the "Application Portal" at the top left of the page or the blue button below to start a new application or manage your existing applications and awards.

LRI Flagship call for proposals - Budget round 2027

The Leprosy Research Initiative (LRI) is pleased to announce an LRI Flagship call for proposals for funding commencing in 2027. LRI funds research with a focus on leprosy – including research applications combining leprosy with other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) or other diseases or disabilities that share cross-cutting issues with leprosy.  

Eligibility criteria:

  • The main topic of the study must fall within one of the agreed LRI priority areas for leprosy research 
  • For this budget round, preference will be given to research applications focusing on reactions and nerve function impairment. Researchers are encouraged to submit proposals addressing topics including, but not limited to:
    • Operational research on the diagnosis and management of reactions and nerve function impairment, including integration and strengthening of health systems and mainstreaming of services;
    • Research on the mechanisms of reactions;
    • Improved treatment regimens and assessment of new drugs;
    • Surveillance and follow-up post-treatment
  • Research results must be directly applicable to leprosy services or to the wellbeing of persons affected by leprosy.
  • Preference will be given to proposals from or in close collaboration with institutions or organisations in endemic countries.
  • Project duration must not exceed four years (48 months).
  • There is no budget ceiling for the current call. By way of guidance: projects LRI has funded in the past years had an average annual budget of €30,000 (ranging from €10,000 to €75,000) – although in exceptional cases higher annual budgets have been accepted.

Researchers interested to apply for funding by the LRI are invited to complete and submit a Letter of Intent (LoI), giving an outline of the intended research. The LoIs can only be submitted using the LRI Grant application portal, which can be accessed via https://leprosyresearch.flexigrant.com/. The online portal will open on December 1st, 2025.

LoIs should be submitted by January 23rd, 2026 at 17:00 (CET) after which the application portal will be closed. We strongly advise you to take sufficient time to enter all the required data in the system. Only applications in English will be considered.  

LoIs will be screened by the LRI Steering Committee (SC). Applicants will be informed about the outcome of the LoI on March 13th, 2026. If the feedback by the SC is positive, the applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by May 4th, 2026. The final funding decision will be communicated by mid-December 2026.

RESILIENTD call for proposals – Budget round 2027

The Leprosy Research Initiative (LRI) and Anesvad Foundation are pleased to announce the second round of call for proposals for RESILIENTD grant funding commencing in 2027. We invite research proposals on the social determinants of health in the context of skin neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) with a focus on Sub-Saharan African endemic countries.

The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as “the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.” Examples of social determinants of health are: income and social protection, education, unemployment and job insecurity, working life conditions, food insecurity, housing, basic amenities and the environment, early childhood development, social inclusion and non-discrimination, structural conflict, and access to affordable health services of decent quality.

Eligibility criteria: 

  • The project should primarily focus on social determinants of health in the context of skin NTDs.
  • The project should involve two or more skin NTDs, and leprosy must be included.
  • The project may span multiple endemic countries and continents, but at least half of the project countries must be in Sub-Saharan Africa. This focus should be reflected in the resources, activities and impact.
  • At least half of the members of the research team (defined as Lead applicant + Co-applicant(s) + Partner(s)) should be based in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Women should make up at least half of the research team.
  • Project duration must not exceed four years (48 months).
  • The average annual budget should be between €30,000 and €70,000.

Please note: if your project does not meet these eligibility criteria, it will be rejected without review.

Encouraged to apply are projects with:

  • high potential for positive impact on skin NTD services or to the wellbeing of persons affected by skin NTDs, preferably also beyond the project countries.
  • an innovative approach.
  • a female Lead applicant and/or a Lead applicant based in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • meaningful involvement of persons affected by skin NTDs.
  • a focus on gender.

Researchers interested to apply for RESILIENTD grant funding are invited to complete and submit a Letter of Intent (LoI), giving an outline of the intended research. The LoIs can only be submitted using the LRI grant application portal – which can be accessed via https://leprosyresearch.flexigrant.com/. The online portal will open on Monday December 1st, 2025.  

LoIs should be submitted by Friday January 23rd, 2026 at 17:00 (CET) after which the application portal will be closed. We strongly advise you to take sufficient time to enter all the required data in the system. Only applications in English will be considered.  

LoIs will be screened by the LRI Steering Committee (SC). Applicants will be informed about the outcome of the LoI by March 14th, 2025. If the feedback by the SC is positive, the applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by May 4th, 2026. Please note, unless requested, major deviations from the LoI in terms of objectives, scope or budget will not be allowed. The final funding decision will be communicated by mid-December 2026.

Call for external reviewers:

Are you interested to support the LRI team and contribute to the independent review process of our grant cycle?  We are looking for independent external reviewers with expertise in (one of) the areas supported by LRI, who understand the importance of high-quality review. External reviewers are usually approached in May with a request to review and the reviews need to be submitted by early July. External reviewers are not paid for their contribution. For more information or to sign up please send us an e-mail at info@leprosyresearch.org. If you want to sign up, please include your contact information, field of expertise, and short resume.