LMIC Researcher Guide · ATLAS International Research Consortium

LMIC Access, Training & Grant Pipeline

A complete reference for researchers in Low and Middle Income Countries accessing ATLAS through the AIRC program — covering the access tier, training curriculum, bandwidth-adaptive mode for low-connectivity field sites, and the LMIC study network and Fogarty grant pipeline.

Version 2026.06 · AIRC/LMIC Program · Estimated read time: 20 minutes
What is AIRC? The ATLAS International Research Consortium (AIRC) is an open membership network for researchers in WHO/World Bank-classified Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). AIRC membership provides fee-waived access to ATLAS at the full Researcher tier, a structured MAP/PEACS training curriculum in 10 languages, pre-built study protocols aligned with LMIC disease burden, and connection to Fogarty D43/R21 TW funding pathways.

Contents

  1. What the LMIC access tier provides
  2. Applying for AIRC membership
  3. Your ATLAS dashboard as an LMIC researcher
  4. LMIC Training Curriculum
  5. Data-Lite mode for low-bandwidth field sites
  6. LMIC Study Network and grant pipeline
  7. Publication rights for LMIC researchers
  8. Citation templates
  9. Frequently asked questions

What the LMIC Access Tier Provides

The standard ATLAS Student workspace ($19/month) is the entry point for most researchers. AIRC membership replaces this with a fully provisioned Researcher tier account at no cost, provided the member maintains an active institutional affiliation in a qualifying LMIC country.

Feature Student tier ($19/mo) LMIC Researcher (AIRC, free) Researcher tier ($49/mo)
MMAS-8 and MAP data collection Yes Yes Yes
PEACS single-point snapshot Yes Yes Yes
PE Domain Analysis (A, E, Cg scores) No Yes Yes
SDoH Intelligence pre-fill engines No Yes Yes
Advanced cohort analytics and charts No Yes Yes
IRB-grade and blinded export formats No Yes Yes
ZOE voice assessment Yes (no SOAP) Yes (with SOAP) Yes
Publication license waiver No Yes — auto-waived No
LMIC Training Curriculum (6 modules) No Yes No
LMIC Study Network and pre-built protocols No Yes No
AIRC Fogarty letter generator No Yes No
Data-Lite bandwidth mode Yes (auto) Yes (auto + manual) Yes (auto)
Monthly cost $19 $0 $49
Publication license waiver LMIC tier members receive an automatic publication license waiver. You do not need to purchase a flat-rate Publication License or maintain a paid subscription after data collection ends. Your Letter of Permission is issued at key activation and the waiver flag is recorded in the permanent public registry, so journal editors and IRB officers see a verified waived status at keys.adherence.cc.

Applying for AIRC Membership

AIRC membership is self-service through the Grant Resource Center within the ATLAS platform. You do not need an existing paid workspace to apply.

Eligibility and required information

To qualify for the LMIC access tier you must:

  • Hold a current institutional affiliation (faculty, staff, postdoctoral, or registered student) at a university, hospital, research institute, or public health agency in a WHO/World Bank-classified LMIC country
  • Intend to use ATLAS for legitimate academic or public health research
  • Agree to the AIRC data sharing agreement (anonymous aggregate contributions to the global adherence dataset)

Have the following ready before you start the application:

  • Full name and institutional email address
  • Institution name and country (the country field auto-detects LMIC eligibility)
  • Role: student, researcher, clinician, faculty, or public health staff
  • Study description: a brief (one to three sentence) description of your intended research use
Which countries qualify? ATLAS uses the current World Bank income classification. Approximately 50 countries are in the LMIC tier, including all Sub-Saharan African nations, South and Southeast Asia (India, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and others), most of Central America and the Caribbean, and a number of Pacific Island nations. The country field on the application form shows an automatic eligibility indicator — a green check appears when your country qualifies.

Review and provisioning

1
Open the AIRC application

Go to atlas.adherence.cc and sign in with your workspace key, or use the Explorer path if you do not yet have a key. In the left-side tab rail, click Grants (the Grant Resource Center module). Under the AIRC Membership section, click Apply for AIRC Membership.

2
Complete the application form

Fill in your name, email, institution, country, role, and study description. If your country is LMIC-eligible, the form shows an orange LMIC Eligible badge next to the country field. Review and accept the AIRC data sharing terms, then click Submit Application.

3
Application review

Applications are reviewed by the ATLAS superadmin team, typically within two to five business days. Your application appears in the AIRC consortium member registry with a pending status. You will receive an email at your institutional address when a decision is made.

Speed up review Applications from institutional email addresses (.edu, .ac.xx, .gov) are processed faster. If you applied with a personal email, reply to the confirmation email with a note from your institutional address confirming affiliation.
4
Provisioning is automatic on approval

When your application is approved, the system writes a lmic_access record to your account. The next time you sign in to ATLAS, your workspace automatically loads at the full Researcher tier. No new workspace key is issued — your existing key is elevated. Your AIRC member ID (format: AIRC-XXXX-XXXX) appears in your dashboard header and on your training status bar.

Existing paid subscribers from LMIC countries If you currently hold a paid Student or Researcher workspace and your country qualifies, contact info@adherence.cc. Your account can be migrated to AIRC membership and your billing cancelled. Your existing cohort data, Patient IDs, and workspace key are preserved.

Your ATLAS Dashboard as an LMIC Researcher

After provisioning, your dashboard includes all standard Researcher features plus two new tabs in the left-side rail specific to the LMIC program:

Your dashboard header also shows two status indicators when your LMIC tier is active:

LMIC Training Curriculum

The Learning tab contains a structured six-module curriculum covering everything an LMIC researcher needs to go from first assessment to funded multi-site study. Modules are self-paced and do not require internet access to read once loaded — the content is cached for offline review.

The six training modules

Module 1
Introduction to MAP and PEACS
Instrument overview, the validated items, conceptual grounding in adherence science, and how MAP fits the LMIC disease burden context. Intended for researchers new to adherence measurement.
Module 2
Administering MAP in the Field
Practical field protocols: patient session flow, device-sharing hygiene, handling low-literacy populations, interviewer-administered vs. self-administered mode, and troubleshooting common issues at rural sites.
Module 3
Interpreting MAP Results
Score interpretation, INA/UNA classification, the PE Domain profile (Architecture, Execution, Context), and how to communicate results to patients and clinical teams in resource-limited settings.
Module 4
Introduction to PEACS and TPE
The Theory of Predictive Emergence: the geometric behavioural stability model, the three PEACS dimensions (BASE, MVMT, STRATA), and how longitudinal PEACS data supports intervention targeting.
Module 5
Study Design for LMIC Settings
Cross-sectional vs. longitudinal protocols, sample size guidance for LMIC population studies, IRB/ethics committee documentation using ATLAS materials, and multi-site coordination with the AIRC network.
Module 6
Publishing and Grant Writing
How to structure a MAP-based manuscript for target journals, citation requirements for MAP and MMAS-8, the AIRC publication license waiver, and framing adherence research for Fogarty D43/R21 TW grant applications.

Language resources

Each module links to a downloadable MAP Field Guide in your language from the adherence.cc resource library. Guides are available in the ten most widely spoken languages across LMIC regions:

Español
Latin America, Spain
Português
Brazil, Mozambique, Angola
Français
West/Central Africa, Haiti
हिन्दी (Hindi)
India
Kiswahili
East Africa
Bahasa Indonesia
Indonesia
Tiếng Việt
Vietnam
Filipino
Philippines
বাংলা (Bengali)
Bangladesh, India
العربية (Arabic)
MENA, North Africa

To access a guide, click the flag icon next to your language in the Learning → Languages tab. Guides open in a new browser tab as printable PDFs. If your primary language is not listed, contact info@adherence.cc — additional translations are in preparation.

Mentorship network

The Mentorship sub-tab connects active AIRC members with senior researchers for structured guidance on study design and grant applications. Access requires confirmed AIRC membership (active status).

The mentorship tab shows:

  • Your AIRC member ID and enrollment date
  • A directory of available mentors segmented by region, disease area, and funding track (D43 training grant vs. R21 TW pilot)
  • A contact form pre-populated with your AIRC ID and institution, to send a structured mentorship request
Preparing for a mentorship request The most productive first contact includes: your specific research question, the target population and country, whether you have institutional IRB capacity, and which Fogarty funding track you are targeting. Mentors are senior researchers who volunteer their time — specific questions get responses faster than general introductions.
Mentorship is not supervised data collection AIRC mentors provide guidance on study design, grant framing, and publication strategy. They are not supervisors or co-investigators on your study by default. Any formal collaboration agreement is between you and the mentor directly and is outside the ATLAS platform.

Data-Lite Mode for Low-Bandwidth Field Sites

ATLAS is designed for use in LMIC field settings where internet connectivity is unreliable or bandwidth is very limited. Two systems work together to keep ATLAS functional in these conditions: Data-Lite mode (which suppresses heavy visualizations) and the offline submission queue (which stores assessments locally until connectivity is restored).

Automatic detection

ATLAS checks connection quality automatically when the page loads using two methods:

  1. Network Information API (Chrome and Android): reads the device's reported connection type (2G, slow-2G, 3G), download speed (downlink), round-trip time (rtt), and the browser's data-saver flag. Any of these conditions triggers Data-Lite mode:
    • Connection type is 2G or slow-2G
    • Reported downlink speed is below 0.5 Mbps
    • Reported RTT exceeds 1000 ms
    • Browser data-saver mode is active
  2. RTT probe fallback: If the Network Information API is not available (Firefox, Safari), ATLAS times a lightweight request against the server. If the round-trip takes more than 3 seconds, Data-Lite mode is activated.

When Data-Lite mode activates automatically, a dismissible banner appears at the bottom of the screen:

📶 Data-Lite Mode Slow connection detected — heavy visualizations deferred to save data. Load Full Version Dismiss

A small indicator badge also appears in the top-right corner of the screen showing 2G / Slow when Data-Lite is active, or Offline when there is no connection at all.

What Data-Lite mode suppresses:

  • The 3D globe visualisation and all Mapbox map layers
  • The cohort map in the Research module (replaced with a lightweight placeholder and a Load Cohort Map button)
  • The advanced analytics Chart.js accordion (collapsed by default; expandable on demand)
  • Canvas-based chart rendering (charts remain in the DOM but are faded until restored)

What Data-Lite mode does not suppress:

  • Patient assessment flow (MMAS-8, MAP, PEACS) — all instruments work normally
  • Data submission and offline queue
  • Export functions
  • The Learning tab and Training Curriculum
  • Grant Resource Center

Manual toggle

You can force Data-Lite mode on or off regardless of what the automatic detection decides. This preference is saved in your browser and persists across sessions on the same device.

1
Open your account panel

Click your name or the account icon in the top-right corner of the ATLAS dashboard to open the User Account panel.

2
Find Display Preferences

Scroll to the Display Preferences section. You will see two buttons: Enable Data-Lite Mode and Disable Data-Lite Mode. Only the relevant button is shown based on the current state.

3
Toggle and confirm

Click the button. The change takes effect immediately — no page reload required. The banner and indicator update to reflect the new state. If you enabled Data-Lite, the 2G / Slow indicator appears. If you disabled it, all visualizations reload.

Recommended for shared clinic computers If your research site uses a shared clinic computer or a tablet with limited RAM, enable Data-Lite mode manually before your data collection session starts. This prevents the globe and Chart.js accordion from consuming memory and slowing the assessment flow. Disable it at the end of the session if you need to review cohort analytics.

Offline submission queue

ATLAS has a built-in offline queue for patient assessments collected when there is no internet connection. This system is particularly important for LMIC field sites where connectivity is intermittent.

How it works: When a patient submits an assessment and the device has no connection, the response is saved locally in the browser's IndexedDB storage. The patient sees the normal result screen immediately. When connectivity is restored, a yellow badge appears at the bottom-left:

⚡ Queued Submissions — Tap to Sync

Tap the badge to push all queued submissions to Firebase at once. The badge shows the count of pending submissions.

The queue is tied to the browser and device Queued submissions are stored in the browser's local IndexedDB. If you collect on a tablet in Chrome and then close the browser or switch to a different device, the queue is still in that browser on that tablet. Always sync on the same device and browser before ending a data collection session.
Syncing at the end of a field session At the end of each day at a rural or low-connectivity site, connect to any available network (mobile data is sufficient) and tap the sync badge. You do not need to stay connected long — the sync is fast even for 30 to 50 queued submissions. Once synced, the submissions appear in your cohort dashboard immediately.

LMIC Study Network and Grant Pipeline

The Grants → LMIC Network tab provides three tools for LMIC researchers: pre-built study protocols that pre-populate the ATLAS study registry, a funding database filtered to LMIC-eligible sources, and an AIRC-prefilled Fogarty cover letter generator.

Pre-built study protocols

Five validated study protocols are available, each designed for a high-burden LMIC disease area. Clicking Use This Protocol switches to the Study Registry tab and pre-fills the study title, population description, inclusion criteria, primary endpoint, and recommended sample size automatically.

Hypertension Adherence Survey
Cross-sectional MAP study in hypertensive adults. Target n = 120. Recommended for primary care and community health worker settings. Pre-fills PEACS BASE dimension for cardiovascular patients.
HIV/ART Adherence Longitudinal
Six-month longitudinal PEACS protocol for HIV patients on ART. Three-visit structure (baseline, 3 months, 6 months). Target n = 80. Aligned with WHO 95-95-95 cascade reporting.
Diabetes Medication Adherence
Cross-sectional MAP survey for type 2 diabetes patients on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin. Target n = 100. Includes SDoH geo-inference for pharmacy access scoring.
TB Treatment Completion
Longitudinal PEACS protocol for tuberculosis patients on DOTS. Monthly assessments for six months. Target n = 60. Designed for district hospital and community health centre settings.
NCD Normative Dataset
Multi-condition cross-sectional MAP study for LMIC population-level adherence norms. Target n = 200+. Designed to contribute to the ATLAS LMIC normative benchmarking pool. Suitable as a Fogarty D43 training study.

Each protocol includes a suggested IRB application wording block and a pre-formatted study title for use in grant applications. After using a protocol to pre-fill the registry form, you can edit any field before saving.

LMIC funding sources

The Grants funding database is filtered to show only sources that are open to LMIC investigators or explicitly target LMIC research when you are in the LMIC Network tab. Key sources shown:

Funding mechanismFunderNotes
D43 International Training Grant NIH Fogarty International Center Supports research training programs in LMICs. AIRC membership is directly relevant for the preliminary data requirement.
R21 TW Exploratory / Developmental Research NIH Fogarty International Center Two-year pilot grants for international health research. MAP/PEACS datasets from ATLAS qualify as preliminary data.
Grand Challenges Explorations Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Open to LMIC and global institutions. Adherence research qualifies under health systems strengthening.
EDCTP Grants European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Targets Sub-Saharan Africa. Co-investigator partnerships with European institutions preferred.
Wellcome Trust ISSF Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Funds — available through partner institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Generating a Fogarty cover letter

The Fogarty Letter Generator in the LMIC Network tab produces a pre-formatted cover letter for a NIH Fogarty D43 or R21 TW application, drawn from your AIRC membership data. The letter is not a substitute for the full grant application — it is the introductory cover letter that summarises your AIRC affiliation, ATLAS preliminary data, and the LMIC context of your research.

1
Navigate to Grants → LMIC Network → Fogarty Letter

In the LMIC Network tab, scroll past the pre-built protocols to the Fogarty Cover Letter Generator section.

2
Select the grant mechanism

Choose D43 International Training Grant or R21 TW Exploratory Research. The letter template and framing adjust automatically for the selected mechanism.

3
Confirm your AIRC data

The generator pre-fills your name, AIRC member ID, institution, country, and membership date from your profile. Review these and correct any errors. Enter your proposed study title and the NIH program officer name if known.

4
Generate and download

Click Generate Letter. A formatted letter opens in a modal. Click Copy to Clipboard or Download as Text. Paste into your grant application document and adjust the specific aims language to match your protocol.

Using ATLAS data as Fogarty preliminary data Fogarty applications require evidence that the applicant has field capacity and can collect adherence data in the target country. Your ATLAS cohort export (with date range, country, and participant count) serves as documented preliminary data. Export your cohort from the dashboard under the Research tab, and include the submission count and country breakdown in your Specific Aims or Approach section. Reference the ATLAS platform citation in your References section (see Citation templates below).

Publication Rights for LMIC Researchers

LMIC tier members receive an automatic publication license waiver. You do not need to purchase a flat-rate Publication License or maintain an active paid subscription after data collection ends.

What the waiver covers

What the waiver does not cover

Verifying your waiver

Your AIRC member ID (AIRC-XXXX-XXXX) is linked to the publication license waiver in the public registry at keys.adherence.cc. A journal editor can confirm your waived status by entering your workspace key or AIRC member ID — no login required. The waiver status persists even if your AIRC membership becomes inactive, for data collected during the active period.

Journal editors asking for a formal letter Some journals require a signed letter rather than a registry link. Contact info@adherence.cc with your AIRC member ID, study title, and journal name. An AIRC publication waiver letter in PDF format can be issued within two business days.

Citation Templates

Citing MAP (APA 7th)

Use in your methods section Morisky, P. (2026). Multidimensional Adherence Parameters (MAP). In Adherence Cartography. Adherence Inc. https://atlas.adherence.cc

Required MAP footnote in all publications

Include in your methods section — mandatory "MAP used with permission. Adherence Inc., Long Beach, CA."

Citing the MMAS-8 (APA 7th)

Krousel-Wood, M., Islam, T., Webber, L. S., Re, R. N., Morisky, D. E., & Muntner, P. (2009). New medication adherence scale versus pharmacy fill rates in seniors with hypertension. American Journal of Managed Care, 15(1), 59–66.

Required MMAS-8 footnote

"MMAS-8® used with permission. www.moriskyscale.com"

Citing PEACS / Theory of Predictive Emergence

Morisky, P. (2025). Theory of Predictive Emergence: A geometric behavioral stability framework [Preprint]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18209699

ATLAS platform citation

Adherence Cartography. (2026). ATLAS: Adherence Tracking and Longitudinal Assessment System [Data collection platform]. Adherence Inc. https://atlas.adherence.cc

Acknowledging AIRC support

Suggested acknowledgment text for AIRC-supported studies "This study was conducted using ATLAS (Adherence Cartography, Adherence Inc., Long Beach, CA) under the ATLAS International Research Consortium (AIRC) LMIC Research Access Program. MAP instrument used under AIRC publication license waiver [AIRC-XXXX-XXXX]."

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does AIRC application review take?

Most applications are reviewed within two to five business days. Applications submitted with institutional email addresses from well-known universities or health ministries in qualifying LMIC countries are often processed in one business day. If you have not received a decision after seven days, email info@adherence.cc with your application reference number (shown on your confirmation screen).

My country was not recognised as LMIC-eligible on the application form.

ATLAS uses the current World Bank income classification, updated annually in July. If your country was recently reclassified or you believe it is incorrectly excluded, contact info@adherence.cc with your institution and country. The AIRC eligibility list can be extended on a case-by-case basis for countries that are borderline by income classification but meet the public health access criteria the program is designed to address.

I am a graduate student at an institution in an LMIC country but my supervisor is in a high-income country. Am I eligible?

Eligibility is based on your institutional affiliation — where you are enrolled or employed, not where your supervisor is based. If you are registered at an LMIC institution you qualify. Your supervisor's institution does not affect your eligibility.

Can I collect data in an LMIC country if I am based at a high-income country institution?

The LMIC tier is for researchers based at LMIC institutions. Researchers at high-income country institutions conducting studies in LMIC countries should contact info@adherence.cc about a research partnership arrangement. Standard paid workspace keys are fully functional at LMIC field sites — the LMIC tier waiver is specifically for researchers whose own institution is in an LMIC country.

Does Data-Lite mode affect what data gets saved?

No. Data-Lite mode only affects what is displayed on screen — it suppresses bandwidth-heavy visualizations. All patient assessment data is saved to Firebase in the same way regardless of whether Data-Lite mode is active. The only difference is that the live globe and chart animations do not load, which reduces mobile data consumption during a session.

Can I use one of the pre-built protocols as-is for my ethics application?

Yes, as a starting point. The pre-built protocols provide validated study titles, endpoint language, and sample size guidance that you can copy directly into your ethics application. You will need to add your specific site information, local language requirements, and any country-specific ethics committee requirements. The ATLAS consent wording in the Student Guide (IRB documentation section) applies regardless of which protocol you use.

Do I lose access to the training curriculum if my AIRC membership is suspended?

Curriculum content loaded in your browser is cached and remains readable offline even if membership is suspended. New modules or language resource updates will not load. If your membership is suspended in error, contact info@adherence.cc immediately — membership can be reinstated with no data loss.

Can I contribute a POI to the verified infrastructure network from my field site?

Yes. The POI Contributor Network is available to all authenticated ATLAS users, including LMIC tier researchers. Contributing infrastructure locations (pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, food banks, transport) near your data collection site improves SDoH geo-inference accuracy for your own patients. See the POI Contributor Network section of the Student Guide for the full contribution workflow.