The ALPHA Network was established in 2005 by Basia Zaba following an initial informal collaboration between four of the studies. The first phase was from 2005-2009 and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Six studies were members in the first phase: Karonga, Kisesa, Manicaland, Masaka, Rakai and uMkhanyakude.
In 2010, ALPHA received a second grant from the Wellcome Trust which supported ALPHA until 2016 and enabled four new studies to join: Agincourt, Ifakara, Kisumu and Nairobi. In 2013, and again in 2018, we were awarded funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We have also received funding for data science work from the Wellcome Trust and NIHR.
From its inception, a key principle of all ALPHA work was that it should be inclusive and genuinely collaborative. Our workshops are designed so that everyone who is involved fully understands the analytical strategy and methods, and has had a chance to shape the analysis and contribute to the interpretation.
