“It’s a unique opportunity to start providing anti-retroviral therapy,” he said. “This will be perhaps the first initiative [in Tanzania] to provide widespread anti-retroviral medication.”

Fawzi said that, though the efforts will be divided among the three countries, the researchers will still collaborate and communicate.

“I expect we will set up a mechanism to coordinate across countries,” he said. “There might be some unique issues for each country, but we will try to keep in touch and have an annual meeting to share experiences.”

The grant application process began in December, when the government and Center for Disease Control put out a call for groups that had worked to fight AIDS in at least three countries for at least three years.

The application had a Dec. 31 deadline, meaning the group had to write its application at a feverish pace.

“Except for a few hours on Christmas Day, I had no holidays,” said Marlink.

He said the tough requirements and short application period led to a good deal of self-selection among applicants.

Continuing the fast-paced process, team members say they are anxious to get to work.

“I expect we’ll get started in a matter of weeks,” said Fawzi. “It’s an exciting opportunity.”

—Staff writer Nathaniel A. Smith can be reached at nsmith@fas.harvard.edu.