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DREAM 4 Health Call for Proposals 2026 opens in:
2026-01-30 05:00:00 AM
About SEA DREAM
Our Team
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About Us

People.
Science. Equity.

The SEA DREAM Programme is implemented by the SEAMEO Secretariat in strategic partnership with Wellcome and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

SEA DREAM funds regional consortia to conduct high-quality discovery and translational research that addresses national and regional health priorities, as well as emerging issues. SEA DREAM seeks to build research excellence by generating impactful studies that inform real-world solutions, policies, and interventions; cultivating research leaders and developing talent; strengthening regional research networks; and fostering equitable and sustainable research ecosystems.

Our programme aims to strengthen the research ecosystem in Southeast Asia by fostering long-term, equitable, cross-country and cross-disciplinary collaborations, and by developing the next generation of regional research leaders to tackle the region’s most pressing health challenges.

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Our Objectives

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.

Read about how we select and evaluate

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.

Read about how we select and evaluate

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.

Read about how we select and evaluate

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.

Read about how we select and evaluate

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What We Fund

Within our first DREAM 4 Health Call for Proposals 2026,
we aim to tackle challenges and fund research around:

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01

Infectious Diseases

Research that strengthens regional capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases, with emphasis on innovation, preparedness, and equitable access to prevention and care.
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02

Impact of Climate Change on Health

Research that deepens understanding of how climate and environmental changes affect health and identifies strategies to build resilience and adapt to emerging risks.
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03

Mental Health

Research that advances mental health and well-being across communities, focusing on inclusion, early intervention, and reducing stigma and barriers to care.
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04

Health Systems and Access to Care

Research that improves health system performance and ensures equitable, quality, and people-centered care for all populations in the region.
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Where We Work

Advancing Regional
Research for a Healthier
Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia’s health landscape is shaped by complex environmental, social, and systemic pressures that affect the well-being of millions. Across the region, the impacts of climate change, the persistence of infectious and non-communicable diseases, rising mental health needs, and uneven access to quality care intersect to challenge public health and strain already fragile systems.

Home to 11 nations and more than 700 million people, Southeast Asia carries a disproportionate burden of disease and mortality. An estimated 8.5 million lives are lost annually to communicable diseases, with even more attributed to non-communicable conditions. These threats are further intensified by the world’s highest estimated number of climate-related deaths, including 2.4 million annually from air pollution, compounding vulnerabilities tied to population density, geographic exposure, and rapid environmental change.

In addition to these physical health burdens, mental health conditions also represent a significant and growing concern. Approximately 260 million people in Southeast Asia, equivalent to about one in seven individuals, live with mental health disorders, and nearly 90% receive no formal care, with children, adolescents, migrants, and disaster-affected communities experiencing the greatest burden.

These challenges are compounded by entrenched health inequities, with unfair and preventable differences in health outcomes and access to services persisting between and within countries. These disparities stem from the social determinants of health, which refer to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, and are shaped by structural factors such as education, income, housing, nutrition, and environmental conditions.

In response to these interconnected health challenges and the clear need for sustained, collaborative research across the region, the SEA DREAM Programme was established to support researchers in Southeast Asia’s to drive science and innovation to address their most urgent health and climate challenges.

The SEA DREAM Programme funds Southeast Asian–led regional consortia research addressing pressing health priorities at national and regional levels. It aims to strengthen the region’s research ecosystem by fostering equitable, cross-country, and interdisciplinary collaboration, while developing the next generation of research leaders equipped to deliver solutions for the region’s most urgent health challenges, particularly those affecting the most vulnerable communities.

SEA DREAM research consortia must be led by not-for-profit institutions from one of the​​​​​ 11 eligible Southeast Asian countries. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste

To help advance health equity and strengthen balanced research participation across the region, the programme places particular emphasis on engaging institutions from Lower-Middle Income Countries. This approach connects well-resourced and emerging research organisations, helping strengthen the regional research ecosystem and support more equitable health outcomes. 

Recognising that impactful research thrives on collaboration, SEA DREAM also supports global partnerships within its consortia. These collaborations foster shared learning, co-creation, and knowledge exchange that accelerate innovation, strengthen evidence generation, and enhance the relevance of research to policy and practice, ensuring that Southeast Asia’s scientific contributions resonate both regionally and globally. 

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