DREAM 4 Health is calling for proposals for Southeast Asian-led Multi-Country research consortia that address regional and global health challenges.
Funding Type:
Grant
Funding Duration:
- Up to 60 Months.
- Recommended duration ranges between 48 to 60 months.
Maximum award per Research Consortium:
- 6.500.000 USD.
- Recommended range between 5.500.000 and 6.500.000 USD.
What thematic areas will be funded?
Research that responds to the ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (APHDA) 2021-2025 Health Priorities, across four thematic areas:
- Infectious Diseases
- Impact of Climate Change on Health
- Mental Health
- Strengthening Health Systems and Access to Care
DREAM 4 Health aims to fund research that leads to discovery and innovation that advances science, builds the foundation for the development of new solutions and products, and fosters evidence generation for policymaking, tackling some of the most urgent and emerging health challenges in Southeast Asia.
Applications can focus on a single thematic area or address multiple themes. Exploring connections across multiple themes and priorities is encouraged only when beneficial to the proposed research.
Who can lead a SEA DREAM research consortium?
A not-for-profit organisation, or public or private university registered as a legal entity in Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; Indonesia; Lao PDR; Malaysia; Myanmar; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Timor-Leste; or Vietnam may apply as Administering (Lead) Organisation of a research consortium
What are research consortium requirements?
A Consortium shall be structured as a hub-and-spoke model and:
- must include a minimum of three organisations, including the Lead, each from a different Southeast Asian country.
- must include at least one organisation from a Southeast Asian Lower Middle-Income Country (per World Bank 2025 classification):
- Cambodia,
- Lao PDR,
- Myanmar,
- Philippines,
- Timor-Leste,
- Vietnam.
- is recommended to consist of between three to five organisations.
- All Consortium Members:
- must be:
- not-for-profit organisations,
- public or private universities, or
- commercial organisations, involved within not-for-profit divisions or clearly marked as not-for-profit generating activities.
- must be:
- must be able to sign up to SEA DREAM grant conditions.
- may be organisations with their legal entity registered in countries outside of Southeast Asia, if all other eligibility criteria are met.
Where to apply?
Applications can only be submitted in English through the SEA DREAM Application Portal.
Preliminary Application Opening Date:
30 January 2026
Preliminary Application Closing Date:
24 March 2026
Full Application Opening Date:
14 May 2026
Full Application Closing Date:
10 July 2026
Funding Decision:
End of November 2026
The SEA DREAM Programme, implemented by the SEAMEO Secretariat in partnership with the Wellcome Trust and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), has launched its funding initiative to support collaborative and interdisciplinary research addressing Southeast Asia’s most pressing health challenges:
The DREAM 4 Health Call for Proposals 2026 aims to establish high-impact research consortia that unite organisations and institutions across Southeast Asian countries and beyond, with a strong emphasis on engaging research institutions from Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) in the region. These consortia will work together to address critical national, regional, and global health priorities and create an equitable research environment.
Through this call, SEA DREAM seeks to foster equitable and sustainable research collaboration by linking emerging and established research organisations, promoting balanced development and a stronger, more connected Southeast Asian research ecosystem.
Our Objectives
The SEA DREAM Programme will fund regional consortia to produce excellent and outcome-focused discovery and translational research that addresses existing and emerging national and regional health priorities. SEA DREAM will enable the development of research excellence through:
- Generating impactful research: SEA DREAM will fund ‘excellent’ science and research which is responsive to regional health priorities and that translates into real-world solutions, policies, and interventions. SEA DREAM will support discovery and translational research that addresses national and regional health research priorities and emerging issues, including under-served areas of research, across horizontal and vertical topics, and encourage innovation and multi-disciplinary research.
- Nurturing leadership: SEA DREAM research consortia will provide research career pathways to develop research talent and promote research leadership within Southeast Asia. SEA DREAM seeks to expand opportunities for early- and mid-career researchers and associated research staff, build mentorship relations, provide career transition opportunities and foster the next generation of competitive research leaders.
- Fostering regional collaboration: SEA DREAM aims to support and build equitable partnerships that leverage regional expertise and enable the sharing of resources to achieve common goals. The programme will support cross-border collaboration – both through its overall design and through targeted consortia funding – to strengthen research linkages and generate impact at scale. By connecting leading and emerging research institutions, SEA DREAM aims to facilitate joint agenda-setting, resource-sharing, and learning. Through these efforts, SEA DREAM aims to foster a collaborative and innovative regional research environment.
- Strengthening research ecosystems: SEA DREAM will fund research consortia that promote inclusive research culture and foster a supportive research environment conducive to innovation and excellence, thereby accelerating discovery, supporting inclusive growth and long-term sustainability of the research ecosystem, and delivering solutions of regional and global relevance.
Research Consortia proposals are strongly encouraged to address all SEA DREAM objectives.
