The United Kingdom's Department for International Development and the Wellcome Trust have announced nearly $10.8 million (£6.5 million) in emergency funding for Ebola research.

Funded jointly by DFID and the trust through the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises program and managed by Enhancing Learning & Research for Humanitarian Assistance, the initiative is accepting research proposals that identify clinical and public health interventions, including drugs and vaccines, with the potential to help contain the crisis in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone and inform how future outbreaks of Ebola and other infectious diseases should be handled. Proposals in a range of areas, including epidemiology, clinical management, diagnosis, disease control and prevention, ethics, health systems, and treatment, will be accepted through September 8 and reviewed immediately.

"The communities that are facing this terrible outbreak have the right to expect the best possible response from the international community," said ELRHA director Jess Camburn. "Research might not seem like an urgent action, but the courageous health professionals that are working to save lives and control this outbreak are in great need of better evidence."

The Wellcome Trust also announced $66.3 million (£40 million) in funding over five years for the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science Africa (DELTAS Africa) program, which aims to assist sub-Saharan African researchers working to address the continent's health priorities, including emerging and endemic infections; persistent threats such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria; and the growing challenge of non-communicable diseases. In addition, the trust has established a strategic partnership with the Dangote Foundation to support further Ebola research.

"The Wellcome Trust is investing today in a package of research that can make a difference to Africa in the short, the medium, and the long term," said Jeremy Farrar, the trust's director. "Measures to contain, treat, and prevent diseases such as Ebola can be evaluated only in the context of epidemics like this one, which is why support for research is needed immediately. We are grateful to the partners who have helped us to launch these initiatives so quickly."