International funding agencies are the mainstay of the alliance.

GACD Associate Members are publicly funded national, sub-national or multi-country research funding organisations, or foundations, trusts, or philanthropic organisations with a mission which must include funding health research on chronic, non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable populations.

Each Associate Member nominates a senior representative to sit on the GACD Strategy Board and nominates an additional representative to sit on the Programme Subcommittee. GACD encourages new health research agencies with a mutual interest in tackling NCDs to join our unique and important alliance.

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research

    CIHR is a founding member of GACD. Dr Katherine Frohlich, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health, is the CIHR representative on the Strategy Board.


  • Directorate General - Research & Innovation, European Commission

    The Health Directorate of the Research & Innovation Directorate General at the European Commission is a GACD Associate Member. Dr Kasia Jurczak, the Head of Unit responsible for non-communicable diseases and the challenge of healthy ageing is the GACD Strategy Board member.

  • Health Research Council of New Zealand

    The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) joined GACD in 2017.

  • Health Systems Research Institute

    Dr Supakit Sirilak represents HSRI on the GACD Strategy Board, providing important representation from the South East Asian region.

  • Indian Council of Medical Research

    ICMR joined GACD as its second low- and middle-income country Associate Member. Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General of ICMR is a GACD Strategy Board member.

  • National Health and Medical Research Council

    NHMRC is a founding member of GACD. The Chief Executive, Professor Steve Wesselingh, is the NHMRC representative on the Strategy Board.

  • South African Medical Research Council

    The South African Medical Research Council brings important representation from the African continent to the GACD. Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, President of the SAMRC, is the current Chair of the GACD Strategy Board.

  • UK Department of Health and Social Care

    The UK DHSC became GACD’s newest Associate Member in 2020.

  • US National Institutes of Health

    The NIH is a founding member of GACD. We work specifically with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) and the Fogarty International Center (FIC). Dr Peter Kilmarx, Acting Director of the Fogarty International Center, is a GACD Strategy Board member.

Become an Associate Member

GACD encourages new health research agencies with a mutual interest in tackling NCDs to join our unique and important alliance.

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