2018 ROBERT CARR RESEARCH AWARD — CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Also available in: Español

Dr. Robert Carr passed away suddenly at the age of 48 in early 2011, a loss that stunned people working in the HIV field. In the months after his death, ICASO worked with partners to establish the Robert Carr Memorial Lecture at the biannual International AIDS Conference, as a tribute to his legacy. The lecture provides a platform for individuals and organizations that have advanced human rights as part of the global response to AIDS. Robert was particularly passionate about the need for cross-disciplinary research to inform policy and advocacy efforts. It is this passion that ICASO, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the International AIDS Society (IAS), and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights (CPHHR) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health wished to honor by establishing the Robert Carr Research Award at AIDS 2014, and continued at AIDS 2016 with the added support of Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) and the Global Form on MSM and HIV (MSMGF). As a group, we are carrying forward the award and memorial lecture this year at AIDS 2018 in Amsterdam.

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 countries where communities disproportionately affected by HIV continue to face discrimination, social rejection, violence and imprisonment–often by government officials and agencies. Robert’s commitment to translating findings from research collaborations between community and academic partners into tangible policy development and advocacy efforts is the driving force behind this prize. This year’s winners will be announced at the 22^nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in July 2018.

Nominations open to the public

For the first time, the award partners are pleased to have nominations open to the public. This means that anyone can submit a nomination, either of a project they have been directly involved with or not, which they would like to see recognized for outstanding collaboration between community and academic partners.

The deadline for nominations is 31 March 2018. The nomination system will be open from today, 1 February 2018. The nomination must explain how the study meets the criteria listed below, and must be submitted through the online form.

The online nomination form is available HERE.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Award, the research project must meet the following criteria:

The research project has been conducted by a community-academia partnership in which all partners were at least equally involved in designing the study, collecting and analyzing the data and disseminating the results. Projects which were community-led are preferred.
The research project has led to evidence-based programs and/or influenced policies in the field of HIV to guide a human rights-based response to HIV.

Components of the Award

The prize will be awarded to two individuals, representing community and academia, who were involved equally in the selected study.

The Award consists of the following components:

Coverage of travel expenses and conference registration fees to attend the International AIDS Conference for two awardees (one representative from community and one representative from academia)
Certificate and Award “art”
Invitation to deliver the keynote address for the Robert Carr Memorial Lecture and presentation of the Award

Past Awardees

AIDS 2016 – Durban, South Africa: Positive Spaces Healthy Places. Ontario, Canada. Partners: Fife House and Ontario HIV Treatment Network.

AIDS 2014 – Melbourne, Australia: Sex Work and Violence: Understanding Factors for Safety and Protection. Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Partners: Centre for Advocacy on Stigma and Marginalisation, the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers, UNDP, UNAIDS, and UNFPA.

Questions?

The Robert Carr Research Award is coordinated by ICASO. Any questions about nominating procedures or eligibility may be directed by email. For more information on the award and lecture, please visit our page.