The Health Institute (INS) of Mozambique, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation of the United States of America and other partners, is developing a project to support competitive funding for health research in Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP)..

Called "Grand Challenges" for the PALOP countries, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of health research institutions.

According to INS deputy director-general Sofia Viegas, the PALOP countries are new beneficiaries, since the initiative is already being implemented in other corners of the world.

"These projects already exist in several other countries and now we are going to implement the initiative in Portuguese-speaking African countries. This is an opportunity for researchers from various fields to compete for innovative research projects in the health area," said Sofia Viegas.

The doctor recalled that in order for scientific health research to flourish, the Assembly of the Republic (AR), the Mozambican parliament, approved the Human Health Research Law this year. She therefore recognizes the relevance of the instruments, but considers them insufficient for scientific research.

"Despite the important advances underway in our countries, the funding available for scientific research in health is still far removed from the needs and/or demands of research institutions and the researchers themselves," he said.