SEA DREAM has uploaded new resources to support applicants preparing their Preliminary Application. The Preliminary Application and Budget templates provided on the website are intended to help applicants organize their information internally

SEAMEO launches SEA DREAM – a regionally-led $52m research funding programme in partnership with the UK – and opens its first call for proposals to tackle Southeast Asia's most urgent health challenges and strengthen regional research talent.

Infectious diseases remain a major health and development challenge in Southeast Asia. The burden of communicable diseases is disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with mortality rates and years of life lost from infectious diseases roughly ten times higher than in high-income countries (Pagès et al., 2018).

Climate change is a defining global challenge, and its impacts are accelerating across Southeast Asia. The region is already experiencing rising temperatures, sea-level rise, extreme weather events, droughts, floods, and ecosystem disruption.

Mental health conditions are among the leading contributors to disability worldwide, with depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety driving substantial losses in healthy life years (World Health Organization, 2024).

Health inequities, or unfair and preventable differences in health outcomes and access to services, exist at every level: between and within countries, across communities, and among specific population groups.

Health equity is the central lens that guides all areas of the SEA DREAM programme, shaping how research priorities are identified, how questions are framed, and how evidence is generated and applied.

The hub-and-spoke model is a network structure that centralizes core functions in a lead institution while extending participation and impact through a network of partner organizations.

The SEA DREAM Programme introduced its upcoming DREAM 4 Health Call for Proposals 2026 at a pre-launch event on 26 November 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, held alongside the 2nd Malaysia International Health Megatrends Conference.

Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines convened on 24 October 2025 at the Chatrium Grand Bangkok for the ASEAN Health Priorities Workshop, marking early exploratory step toward establishing a shared medical research agenda for Southeast Asia.

At the 8th SEAMEO Centres Policy Research Network (CPRN) Summit held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, SEAMEO VOCTECH brought together regional experts to discuss how health research can inform policy, strengthen collaboration, and build trust in science-led solutions.