What are the requirements for a Consortium?

A Consortium must consist of a Lead Organisation (Consortium Lead) and Co-Applying Organisations (Consortium Members), working in a hub-and-spoke model. 

• A Consortium must include a minimum of three organisations, each from a different Southeast Asian country. 
• Recommended total size of one Consortium is between three to five organisations*, including the Consortium Lead.  

*In exceptional cases a Consortium may have more than five members where it is beneficial to the overall proposed activities. This must be justified within the application form. 

• A Consortium must include at least one organisation from a Southeast Asian Lower Middle-Income Country (per World Bank 2025 definition) either as Consortium Lead or Consortium Member: 
   
  • Cambodia,  
  • Lao PDR,  
  • Myanmar,  
  • Philippines,  
  • Timor-Leste,  
  • Vietnam.
     
• Organisations from countries outside of Southeast Asia can be Consortium Members and are eligible to receive funds but are not eligible to be the Lead Organisation. 
   
• A Consortium must establish a Consortium-level agreement between the respective Lead Organisation and Consortium Members. Organisations may use their own agreement formats or use the agreement template provided by SEA DREAM ahead of the invitation for full application.

Who can be the Lead (Administering) Organisation of a Consortium?

The Lead Organisation, also referred to as the Administering Organisation, is responsible for managing the grant and ensuring that the proposed activities are delivered in accordance with the SEA DREAM’s grants conditions. Therefore, the Lead Organisation holds overall legal and financial accountability, and is required to ensure compliance with SEA DREAM grants conditions across all Consortium Members. 

The Lead Organisation is responsible for establishing Consortium-level agreement between the respective Consortium Members. Organisations may use their own agreement formats or use the agreement template provided by SEA DREAM ahead of the invitation for full application.  

The Lead Organisation supports the Principal and Deputy Principal Investigator to act as the primary point of contact with SEA DREAM, overseeing: 

• Consortium coordination and partnership management  
• Operational oversight and risk management of Consortium activities 
• Financial management of overall Consortium budget and disbursement to Consortium Members 
• Reporting & Communication, including Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning 

The Lead Organisation is the organisation responsible for submitting the application to SEA DREAM.

Key eligibility requirements:

• The Lead Organisation must be:
  • A public university,  
  • A not-for-profit organisation, or  
  • A private university, involved within a not-for-profit division or clearly marked as not-for-profit generating activities.
      
  • Eligible types of organisations include:
    • Academic and Research Institutions 
      • Public or private universities 
      • Public research institutes 
      • University-affiliated research centres 
      • Independent not-for-profit research organisations 
      • Research centres embedded in hospitals or medical schools 
      • National academies of science or medicine
         
    • Government and Public Sector Entities
      • Public health institutions 
      • National public laboratories 
      • Regional and local government agencies involved in research
         
    • Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organisations
      • International and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs)  
      • Community-based organisations (CBOs) 
      • Health and development networks or alliances
         
• The Administering Organisation must be from one of these 11 Southeast Asian countriesBrunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam.
• The Lead Organisation must be able to enter into legal agreements in its own name and on its own account. 
• The Lead Organisation must be able to sign up to SEA DREAM’s Grant Conditions and ensure that its Co-Applying Organisations (Consortium Members) sign up to the same conditions. This includes all checks, policies, and procedures that a Grantee needs to abide by as outlined in the SEAMEO Secretariat Award letter and Grant Agreement*.
  *SEA DREAM Grant Conditions and SEAMEO Secretariat Grant Agreement will be available on the SEA DREAM Website by March 2026.
• Organisations may submit up to two applications per thematic area as the Lead Organisation.  
• An organisation may be awarded up to two DREAM 4 Health grants as a Lead Organisation, provided the awards are held in different faculties or schools and address different thematic areas. For non-academic/non-university organisations these conditions can be met by demonstrating that the two proposed projects will be managed and implemented by distinct research units while addressing different thematic areas.
• Organisations can participate as Consortium Members in multiple Consortia within the same funding round, including serving as the Lead Organisation for one Consortium while also being a Consortium Member in others. 
• The Lead Organisation must appoint a Principal Investigator and a Deputy-Principal Investigator, who should both be named in the application. See Eligibility Criteria for Investigators
• All awards will be issued in USD. Any Lead Organisation which is not able to receive funds in this currency should contact the SEA DREAM at grants@sea-dream.org before submitting a preliminary application.
   

Who can be a Co-Applying Organisation (Consortium Member)?

Co-applying Organisations (Consortium Members) will receive funds through the Lead Organisation in a hub-and-spoke model and play a substantial role in delivering the proposed activities alongside the Lead Organisation.  

Consortium Members are responsible for supporting the Co-Principal Investigators in completing agreed project activities, meeting technical and reporting requirements related to their contributions, and complying with the terms set out in their respective individual Consortium agreement.

Consortium Members will host individuals and teams that contribute specific expertise, resources, or capabilities to complement the overall objectives of the Consortium. This could include, but is not limited to, leading a strand of research, or meaningfully engaging in training and development or research ecosystem strengthening activities. We expect all Consortium Members to be involved in designing the proposed activities and preparing the application. 

Whilst they do not manage the grant directly, Consortium Members work closely with the Lead Organisation to ensure the successful execution of the proposed activities.  

The commitment of each Consortium Members to delivering on the aims of the Consortium must be demonstrated within a Letter of Support in the application, which includes a commitment to signing up to a consortium agreement if the application is successful.

Key eligibility requirements:

• A Consortium must include at least one organisation from a Southeast Asian Lower Middle-Income Country Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Vietnam. (per World Bank definition) either as a Consortium Lead or Consortium Member. 
• Organisations whose legal entity is registered in a country outside of the specified Southeast Asian countries can be Consortium Members and receive funds.
• All Consortium Members must be:
  • Public or private universities, 
  • not-for-profit organisations, or  
  • commercial organisations, involved within not-for-profit divisions or clearly marked as not-for-profit generating activities.
     
  • Eligible types of organisations include:
    • Academic and Research Institutions
      • Public or private universities 
      • Public research institutes 
      • University-affiliated research centres 
      • Independent not-for-profit research organisations 
      • Research centres embedded in hospitals or medical schools 
      • National academies of science or medicine
         
    • Government and Public Sector Entities
      • Public health institutions 
      • National public laboratories 
      • Regional and local government agencies involved in research
         
    • Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organisations
      • International and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs)  
      • Community-based organisations (CBOs) 
      • Health and development networks or alliances
         
    • Hospitals and Health Service Providers
      • Private or public hospitals and medical centres conducting research
          
    • Private Sector (conducting research activities that are non-commercial in intent)
      • Commercial organisations (e.g. pharmaceutical, biotech, or health tech firms working under grant-funded models) 
      • Social enterprises
         
  • All Consortium Members must be able to sign up to SEA DREAM Grant Conditions. This includes all checks, policies, and procedures that a Grantee needs to abide by as outlined in the SEAMEO Secretariat Award letter and Grant Agreement*. 
    *SEA DREAM Grant Conditions and SEAMEO Secretariat Grant Agreement will be available on the SEA DREAM Website by March 2026.