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Two-stage Call for Proposals for Research Teams for Women RISE: Research to support Women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 Recovery that is Inclusive, Sustainable and EquitableTwo-stage Call for Proposals for Research Teams for Women RISE: Research to support Women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 Recovery that is Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable
Sponsors Women RISE is co-funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (Global Health Division), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, HIV/AIDS Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBI) Research Initiative, Institute Infection and Immunity [III] and Institute of Population and Public Health [IPPH]) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Important Dates
Overview Women RISE is a CAD22,000,000 initiative that aims to support action-oriented, gender-transformative research on how women’s health and their work (paid or unpaid) intersect and interact in the context of preparing, responding to and recovering from COVID-19. This research will inform immediate and medium-term solutions for COVID-19 recovery that improve gender equality and health equity and will contribute to an evidence-base for preparedness and responses to future health emergencies. Two components are planned to achieve the Initiative’s objective. 1. Component 1 – Call for Proposals Health Policy and Research Organization: This Call for Proposals will support one Health Policy and Research Organization (HPRO) to facilitate knowledge mobilization, capacity building and networking among the Women RISE Research Teams (RTs). The HPRO will also be responsible for strengthening research capacity among RTs, particularly as it relates to gender transformative research and health equity and will facilitate networking and information sharing between RTs. The HPRO may be a single organization or consortium of organizations and will support and coordinate knowledge mobilization activities for the RTs. 2. Component 2 – Two-Stage Call for Proposals for Research Teams: Component 2 will support RTs conducting action-oriented research that applies a gender equality and a health equity lens to understand the relationships between women’s paid and unpaid work and health before, during and after COVID-19. RTs are invited to submit Concept Notes for two-year research projects. Teams successful at the Concept Note stage will be invited to submit Full Proposals. Each RT must be led by a low-and middle-income country (LMIC) Principal Investigator based at an LMIC eligible institution, and they must include a Canada-based Co-Principal Investigator and at least one Decision-Maker(s) Co-Principal Investigator from the LMIC country where the research is taking place. For teams working with Indigenous communities, at least one member of the RT must self-identify as Indigenous or provide evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples. Women-led research teams are strongly encouraged to apply. This Call for Proposals is related to Component 2 – Two-Stage Call for Proposals for Research Teams. Geographic Research Focus Most LMICs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are eligible. The RT can only conduct their research in eligible countries/territories as specified in Annex 1. The Lead Applicant Organization must be based in the country where the research project will take place. Where multi-country research is proposed, research must be conducted in eligible countries/territories and the choice of locations must be clearly justified. Duration of Research Grants Up to 24 months. Funds Available The total amount available for this Call for Proposals is CAD20,000,000, enough to fund up to twenty (20) teams. Projects will have a maximum budget of CAD1,000,000 per grant. Of this CAD20,000,000:
Contact Email Background Responding effectively and inclusively to the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19 will require bold, evidence-informed gender-transformative solutions that prioritize equity, resilience and sustainability. Women RISE is guided by research priorities identified in the UN Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery – Leveraging the Power of Science for a More Equitable, Resilient and Sustainable Future and is specifically focused on supporting population and public health research that aims to answer Research Priority 3.5: “How have recent economic changes disproportionately impacted women and how can recovery strategies be inclusive and gender-transformative?” As described in the UN Research Roadmap, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the health and well-being of people through disruptions to economic opportunities and livelihoods, and changes to work-related health and safety. COVID-19, and corresponding efforts to contain the disease, have shocked local and global labour markets, put livelihoods at risk, introduced new workplace risks, and made precarious work relationships even more precarious. Research to-date on the relationship between women’s health and paid and unpaid work is limited, and it is even more so in relation to the informal economy and experiences of women in LMICs. Acknowledging the important links between paid and unpaid work and health, conducting research on the experiences and health of the most at-risk workers, and developing policy solutions to safeguard them, will be key to an equitable recovery that protects and promotes the health of women. The COVID-19 pandemic has also identified the need to further understand how economic stimulus and recovery programs can include diverse women’s voices and experiences, improve women’s health and promote gender-transformative changes. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the vital role of care work and the important contributions women make in the family, community and society. As a majority of the workforce in care sectors and the primary caregivers to children, family and other members of the community, such as Elders or elderly neighbours, women have disproportionately borne the burden of increased caregiving during COVID-19. These additional responsibilities have led some women to exit the labour market temporarily or permanently. Disruptions to the formal delivery of essential health services impacting the health of children and family members may have also intensified the pressure for women to choose between their caregiving responsibilities and paid work. A full and equitable social and economic recovery will require evidence as to how women and their households are coping, and which policy interventions can effectively support their dual economic and caregiving roles. Public health measures in response to COVID-19 have had important impacts on female-dominated employment, such as healthcare, food services, tourism and hospitality. There is a real risk that without efforts to understand the immense and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women and to identify policies that prioritize the needs and health of women, the worldwide progress on gender equality will be rolled back. Experience from past health and economic emergencies has demonstrated the importance of gender-based economic analysis, but this practice has often failed to take an intersectional approach that considers the following dimensions (among others): the varied experiences of women along their life course, women from marginalized groups, racialized and Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women living with HIV/AIDS, women across the gender spectrum and migrant and refugee women. Objectives Overall, the Women RISE initiative will support action-oriented research on how women’s health and their work (paid or unpaid) intersect and interact in the context of preparing, responding to and recovering from COVID-19. Specifically, it will support population and public health research that addresses UN Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery Priority 3.5: “How have recent economic changes disproportionately affect women and women’s health, and how can recovery strategies be inclusive, gender transformative and health promoting for women?” Taking a determinants of health perspective, Women RISE will contribute to filling knowledge gaps about macro- and micro-level variables affecting the relationship between women’s paid and unpaid work and women’s health before, during and after COVID-19. Studying these relationships will help answer questions such as: How has COVID-19 changed the health risks women experience on the job?; How have employment and economic programs differentially impacted women’s economic status and physical and mental health?; What strategies have Indigenous women and communities implemented to ensure the physical, mental and cultural survival of their communities during COVID-19? and How have changes in employment influenced reproductive decisions or access to some health services during COVID-19? The research is expected to inform solutions to improve the health and well-being of women while strengthening capacity for equitable recovery and contributing to gender-transformative policies and interventions that advance preparedness for future health emergencies. Evidence generated by this initiative will inform immediate and medium-term solutions for post-COVID-19 recovery that improve gender equality and health equity through an intersectional lens. See Annex 2 on “Ensuring research ideas are rooted in social and gender equality” for further details. Women RISE objectives:
These objectives will be achieved through the two Calls mentioned under the Overview section. ---------------------- Description This two-stage Call for Proposals will support RTs conducting action-oriented research that applies a gender equality and a health equity lens to understand the relationships between women’s paid and unpaid work and health before, during and after COVID-19. Specifically, it will support RTs conducting population and public health research aligned with research priority 3.5 identified in the UN Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery: “How have recent economic changes disproportionately impacted women and how can recovery strategies be inclusive and gender-transformative?” Applications must clearly outline the health dimension of their research and demonstrate how the research will inform solutions and strategies to improve women’s health and socioeconomic well-being during and through recovery from COVID-19. Applications are encouraged to address one of the sub-priorities listed under Research Priority 3.5 or to identify and justify additional research questions relevant to the research region, target population or community, or context and aligned with Research Priority 3.5. Research can take a range of perspectives: from the individual woman or groups of women to women and their relationships within the family, community, culture or society to sub-national and national factors. Multi-community, multi-country and regional-level projects are also welcome. The choice of the level of study should be clearly described and justified. RTs will be supported by a Women RISE HPRO that will facilitate knowledge mobilization, capacity building and networking among all successful RTs. The HPRO will support RTs in collective research mobilization activities and facilitate relationships and interactions that promote the integration of research evidence into policy. Additionally, the HPRO will coordinate and support capacity strengthening among RTs, especially as it relates to gender-transformative research and health equity. RTs will be expected to participate in and contribute to knowledge mobilization and capacity building activities with the HPRO and/or with other funded RTs. Various quantitative and qualitative methodologies of research are acceptable, such as desk reviews, exploratory studies, intervention research, implementation research and comparative research. Multidisciplinary RTs and studies that apply novel approaches from across the health and social sciences are encouraged. Basic science, biomedical or single-discipline research with no inter-disciplinary research questions and clear methodologies to advance knowledge about the dual link between paid and unpaid work and women’s health status will NOT be eligible. Applications must demonstrate how they align with the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR) Principles for Global Health Research. The following types of research are considered in scope:
Specific Research Areas A subset of funds (CAD4,000,000 of the total CAD20,000,000) is available to support research that is relevant to the scope and objectives of Women RISE and specifically addresses one of the following three Specific Research Areas listed below. Applications for the Specific Research Areas must include in an Appendix a brief description of how their research is relevant to only one of the areas:
Eligibility For an application to be eligible:
1. The Lead Applicant Organization must: § Have a legal corporate registration and be based in an eligible LMIC (Annex 1). For additional criteria please refer to the FAQs; § Have independent legal status (or “legal personality”) and the ability to receive and administer funds; § Be eligible to conduct or coordinate independent research in the study countries; and § Have a corporate policy to allow researchers to publish without institutional restrictions in the international academic literature. 2. The Canadian Co-Applicant Organization must: § Be a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation) or an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with research and/or knowledge translation mandate. § Have a legal corporate registration in Canada, be capable of contracting in its own right and name and will be responsible for managing grant funds issued in Canada. Note: RTs can also include additional LMIC Co-Applicants Organizations, or Third-Party Organizations. Important details on collaborating with these entities described below under the Grant Structure and Conditions of Funding section, and are included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document, considered an integral part of the terms of reference of this Call. Note: At least one of the Applicant Organizations (Lead Applicant Organization, Canadian Co-Applicant Organization, or LMIC Co-Applicants Organizations) must have a key corporate objective to carry out independent research. ---------------------- A partnership tool is available to facilitate partnerships between interested researchers, decision-makers and organizations. Please note that completing the partnership tool is voluntary. Its use is not a requirement of the application process and in no way confers any advantages in the assessment or funding of applications. Grant Structure and Conditions of Funding The grants will be managed by IDRC. For those Full Proposals selected for funding, IDRC will exclusively enter into funding agreements (IDRC’s standard Grant Agreement), with the identified Lead Applicant Organization and the organization where the Canadian Co-PI is based (Canadian Co-Applicant Organization). Please see Annex 4 for more information on authorization requirements and minimum requirements to receive an IDRC grant. Lead Applicant Organization In addition to academic institutions, Lead Applicant Organizations can be private research organizations (e.g., non-governmental organizations, cooperatives, unions, civil society organizations, non-profit foundations or divisions of for-profit organizations), an Indigenous non-governmental organization with research and/or knowledge translation mandate or public organizations (e.g., governmental departments of line ministries or local governments). The Lead Applicant Organization will assume responsibility for the administration of grant funds and will take the overall lead in coordinating the research activities. The Lead Applicant Organization is responsible for developing and administering sub-grant agreements with other low- and middle-income country (LMIC) Co-Applicant Organizations and contracting Third-Party Organizations or project consultants. · The LMIC Lead Applicant Organization will assume responsibility for managing the LMIC grant funds. · If collaborating with other LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations, or Third-Party Organizations to implement the proposed research project, the Lead Applicant Organization will: o Assume developing and administering funding arrangements with these entities. o Confirm and demonstrate its ability to transfer funds internationally to these entities located in other countries than their own. Canadian Co-Applicant Organization The Canadian Co-Applicant Organization is a direct partner in the research and jointly shares with the Lead Applicant Organization the intellectual responsibility and ownership for the knowledge and outputs produced. · The Canadian Co-Applicant Organization will be responsible for the Canadian grant funds. · If collaborating with other LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations, or Third-Party Organizations to implement the proposed research project, the Canadian Co-Applicant Organization will: o Assume developing and administering funding arrangements with these entities. o Confirm and demonstrate its ability to transfer funds internationally to these entities located in other countries than their own. The Concept Note must describe how the PI, in collaboration with the Canada-based Co-PI, has the capacity to implement the project in the country/territory or countries/territories where the research will take place and must demonstrate that the research team includes the appropriate multidisciplinary expertise to achieve the research and knowledge mobilization outcomes. With justification, two additional types of entities can be added: LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations and Third-Party Organizations. LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations Upon justification, RTs can include other LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations or Third-Party Organizations (academic or non-academic) from eligible countries/territories. Grant agreements allow the Lead Applicant Organization and Canadian Co-Applicant Organization to sub-grant to LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations and contract Third-Party Organizations or consultants for specific services. LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations can be private research organizations (e.g., non-governmental organizations, cooperatives, unions, civil society organizations, non-profit foundations or divisions of for-profit organizations), an Indigenous non-governmental organization with research and/or knowledge-translation mandate or public (e.g., governmental departments of line ministries or local governments). LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations (academic or non-academic) must be registered as a legal entity in a LMIC included in the list of eligible countries in Annex 1. LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations are direct partners in the research and share intellectual responsibility for and ownership of the data generated as well as of the knowledge and outputs produced. International organizations (other than UN) are eligible to apply as LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations, provided that they have regional chapters or offices with appropriate legal status to operate and manage funds in in an eligible LMIC country/territory where the research will take place. Third-Party Organizations Upon justification, RTs can include Third-Party Organizations (academic or non-academic). Third-Party Organizations (academic or non-academic) may provide support to the Lead Applicant Organization or to the Canadian Co-Applicant Organization by providing expert advice or consultancy services. Eligible Third-Party Organizations are NOT restricted to the eligible countries listed in Annex 1. Grant agreements allow the Lead Applicant Organization and Canadian Co-Applicant Organization to contract Third-Party Organizations or consultants for specific services. Third-Party organizations do not share intellectual responsibility for and ownership of the data generated as well as of the knowledge and outputs produced. All proposals that involve Third-Party Organizations must clearly justify their involvement and explain their role(s). The budget for Third-Party Organizations should not exceed a total maximum of 20 percent of the total requested budget. Note: United Nations (UN) organizations and Consortium Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) members already receive significant Canadian funds via other funding windows and therefore are only eligible to serve as Third-Party Organizations. Conditions of Funding · The applicant must consent to the use and disclosure of full application and nominative information at the time of application, for purposes of relevance review and/or funding decisions by the relevant partners. · Three (3) individuals (LMIC PI, Canada-based Co-PI and Decision-Maker Co-PI) from each RT successful at the Concept Note stage will be required to attend the virtual Proposal Strengthening Workshop planned for June 2022. For funded teams involving Indigenous communities, at least one meeting attendee must self-identify as Indigenous. · A minimum of three (3) individuals (LMIC PI, Canada-based Co-PI and Decision-Maker Co-PI) from successful RTs will be required to attend: 1) the international kick-off, 2) mid-term and 3) final Women RISE meetings (in-person and/or virtual, tbc) hosted by the HPRO. For funded teams involving Indigenous communities, at least one meeting attendee must self-identify as Indigenous. Funds to travel and attend these in-person international events must be included and in the budget. Please see Annex 5 on COVID Implications for International Travel. · RTs will be expected to participate in and contribute to both project-based and initiative-wide Women RISE knowledge mobilization activities. These activities could be theme-based, geography-based or other combination. Plans will be discussed in the kick-off meeting and implemented throughout the duration of this initiative. · Applicants must meet minimum requirements to receive an IDRC grant. Any selected proponents shall be required to sign IDRC’s standard Grant Agreement, as amended by IDRC from time to time. The grant agreement will provide a schedule for submitting interim and final technical and financial reports. · RTs will be required to submit technical and financial reports to IDRC. The frequency and information required in these reports will be described in the grant agreements. All reports may be shared with all partners supporting the grant. · The PI and Co-PIs are strongly encouraged to complete one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a certificate of completion. Applicants should select and complete the training module most applicable to their research project. Applicants are encouraged to review the “How to integrate sex and gender in research” section of the CIHR website. Review Process and Evaluation Criteria Submissions to this Call for Proposals will be evaluated through a two-stage selection process. Only Concept Notes that meet the eligibility criteria above and are within the scope of the call will be considered. At the Concept Note stage (Stage 1) and the Full Proposal stage (Stage 2), an external Scientific Review Committee (SRC) composed of international and multi-disciplinary experts will evaluate the applications. Concept Notes and Full Proposals will be judged both on their own merit as well as how they compare with other applications submitted. The review process relies on well-established principles and policies of fairness, confidentiality, transparency and absence of conflict of interest that are described in CIHR's Peer review: Overview page. Stage 1 In the first stage, applicants will submit a Concept Note by April 12, 2022 (see Important Dates section). Concept Notes will be first assessed to determine if the application meets the eligibility criteria and is aligned with the scope of the call and, where applicable, is aligned with the selected Specific Research Areas. Only Concept Notes that meet the eligibility criteria and are within the scope of the call will be referred to the SRC. The Concept Notes will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: 1. Rationale and originality (10%) o Clarity and coherence of proposed research objectives, scope and approach in relation to the Women RISE objectives. o Originality of the proposed research, in terms of the research questions addressed, community engagement strategies, and/or novel applications of existing and emerging technology/methodology. 2. Research design and feasibility (25%) o Appropriateness of the proposed methodology to answer the research question(s). o Demonstrates a strong understanding and project design to study the research question(s) from a multi-dimensional perspective. o Shows strong, realistic research design, with clear links between stages of research and research outcomes. o Clear and meaningful engagement of relevant community and stakeholder participants in RTs, design and methods. 3. Gender equality and inclusion considerations (20%) o Demonstrated experience and skills necessary to undertake gender-transformative research approaches and embed health equity considerations throughout the study design. Women RISE will not fund gender-blind research proposals (defined here) (see Annex 2). o Demonstrated commitment to engaging a diversity of team members – including women, young people, and Indigenous people where issues related to Indigenous health and/or communities are relevant, with an emphasis on how they will address team composition and recruitment processes, research environment and training activities. Refer to the Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research for additional guidance. o IDRC is also building on the Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research (see Annex 3). Specifically, applicants are required to identify a minimum of one concrete practice they will put in place to address one or more systemic barriers in each of the following areas, in the context of their team and their research environment: § team composition and recruitment processes; § training and development opportunities; and § inclusion. o For research projects involving Indigenous communities, the extent to which the proposed project recognizes the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous self-determination and self-governance, such as following the First Nations Principles of OCAP® (i.e., Ownership, Control, Access and Possession), the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance and/or other principles as determined by relevant communities. 4. Research Team capacity (20%) o Quality, readiness, and appropriateness of the research team to carry out proposed research and methodology. o Appropriateness of the research teams to carry our proposed research, in terms of complementarity of expertise and synergistic potential. o Ability of team to mobilize necessary human and technical resources to carry out proposed research. o Demonstrated effective approach to partnership and collaboration between PI and co-PIs. o For research projects involving Indigenous communities, the extent to which the research team has the necessary knowledge, expertise, experience and relationships to work with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way. 5. Knowledge mobilization and impact (20%) o Potential of the research to inform COVID-19 recovery and contribute to preparedness for future health emergencies. o Appropriateness and clarity of project-specific knowledge mobilization strategies. o Demonstration of how benefits, knowledge and innovations resulting from the research will be shared with the communities involved. o Examples of how the RT has worked in the past to contribute to multi-stakeholder knowledge mobilization activities, and how could this experience benefit collaboration with the Women RISE HPRO to mobilize thematic and geography-based research findings to benefit knowledge users. o Potential of the research to produce valued outcomes from the perspective of the communities involved. For research involving Indigenous peoples, potential for valued outcomes from the perspective of Indigenous community participants and/or Indigenous Peoples more broadly. 6. Appropriateness of budget (5%) o The proposed budget is justified in relation to the suggested activities o The budget outlines feasibility of planned activities within project timelines. o The budget shows an anticipation of difficulties that may be encountered and embeds appropriate risk mitigation strategies. o The budget must include the resources required to participate in-person (subject to COVID-19 restrictions) in the international Women RISE kick-off, mid-term and final meetings. Stage 2 Concept Notes that meet all eligibility criteria and that are determined by the SRC to meet satisfactory quality standards (based on the above-mentioned criteria) will be invited to submit a Full Proposal by May 27, 2022 (see Important Dates section). Full proposals are due June 24, 2022. · Note that an invitation to submit a Full Proposal is not a guarantee of funding. An external SRC composed of diverse international and multi-disciplinary experts will evaluate and score Full Proposals for scientific and technical merit. Following their individual reviews, the SRC will meet to discuss their reviews of each proposal, agree on a consensus score for each proposal and prepare a ranked list of proposals recommended for funding. Guidelines on preparing Full Proposals and a more detailed breakdown of these evaluation criteria will be provided to applicants invited to submit a Full Proposal. It is expected that each RT will submit one unified Full Proposal. Accompanying the Full Proposal, the Principal Investigator and Canada-based Co-Principal Investigator will submit two separate budgets according to the IDRC template.
Subject to final modifications, the Full Proposals will be evaluated based on the following matrix: Funding Decision First, funding will be distributed to the top-ranked application(s) in each of the three Specific Research Areas. Then, all applications in the competition will be pooled together and will be funded in rank order based on peer review recommendations, applying the following two considerations: · Availability of funds · Internal IDRC approval requirements based on local risks identified If the Specific Research Areas are undersubscribed or lack fundable applications, funds may be left unspent. IDRC may request additional information or adjustments to the proposals and budgets following the peer review meeting. Additional information may also be required for the winning proposals after they are announced. Funding is subject to sufficient funds being made available to IDRC by the Parliament of Canada, CIHR and SSHRC. The Partners reserve the right to cancel the process at any time without prior notice and/or at its discretion to grant all or none of the teams under this process. How to Apply This is a two-stage Call for Proposals. Stage 1 – Submit Concept Notes · To complete your application, you must submit your Concept Note online through the SurveyMonkey Application platform here. · Concept Notes accepted will be invited to submit a Full Proposal and will also be required to take part in a planned virtual Proposal Strengthening Workshop (tentatively planned for June 2022) that will include information on gender equality and health equity considerations and potentially other administrative aspects. Required Application Details to be Submitted through the Online Platform 1. Research Summary and Lead Applicant Information o Team Title o Abstract of the Proposed Research. The abstract must be a maximum of 300 words and suitable for public dissemination. Your abstract must follow the following structure: Background, problem, research question and objective, methodology, and potential impact. o LMIC country or countries where the research is taking place o Name and full address of the Lead Applicant Organization o Name, title, work affiliation, and email addresses of the Principal Investigator o Total amount of funding requested and research duration o Where applicable, indication of which Specific Research Area the application is relevant to. 2. List of all LMIC Co-Applicants Organizations and/or Third-Party Organizations o Name and full address of the Canadian Co-Applicant Organization o Name, title, work affiliation, and email address of the Canada-based Co-PI o Name, title, work affiliation, and email address of the Decision-Maker Co-PI (from the eligible LMIC where the study takes place) o Where applicable, name, title, work affiliation and email address of the Indigenous Co-PI o Address and name, title and email address of the primary contact of all LMIC Co-Applicants Organizations and/or Third-Party Organizations. 3. Concept Note Content o Concept Notes should be organized according to the following:
4.
Additional Documents o Signed letters of support from all organizations in the RT, namely: Lead Applicant Organization, Canadian Co-Applicant Organization, Organization with which the Decision-Maker Co-Principal Investigator is affiliated, and other LMIC Co-Applicant Organizations and Third-Party Organizations. o Signed letters of support from relevant government ministries or other key stakeholders, where appropriate. o Short biographies (250 words) and CVs of the PI and Co-PIs. o If applicable, a brief (max half page) description of how the proposed research aligns with and is relevant to the only one selected Special Research Area and indicated on the cover page. o For RTs working with Indigenous communities, a brief (max 1 page) description of how the RT meets the requirement of including a Co-PI who self-identifies as Indigenous or provides evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples in an Indigenous Health Research environment. o Legal registrations or incorporation certificates of the Lead Applicant Organization and Canadian Co-Applicant Organization. o IDRC’s institutional profile questionnaire completed by the Lead Applicant Organization and Canadian Co-Applicant Organization. o Up-to-date organization charts for the Lead Applicant Organization and Canadian Co-Applicant Organization. o List of current external donors and their contributions to the Lead Applicant Organization and Canadian Co-Applicant Organization. Applications received by the deadline and deemed to be compliant with the requirements set out in this Call for Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the Review Process and Evaluation Criteria section above. Applicants will be notified no later than May 27, 2022 on whether their application was successful at the Concept Note stage in order to move to the Full Application stage. IDRC reserves the right to cancel the process at any time without prior notice and/or at its discretion to grant all or none of the awards under this Call for Proposals. Moreover, grants will only be awarded subject to the availability of funding. Stage 2 – Submit Full Proposals (only for those teams invited to proceed to Full Proposal stage) Full Proposals for this Call must be submitted in English or French online through the SurveyMonkey Apply platform by June 24, 2022. Guidelines on preparing Full Proposals and a more details on the Review Process and Evaluation Criteria will be provided to applicants invited to submit a Full Proposal. In addition to requiring additional technical details, applicants that are invited to submit Full Proposals will be required to outline in their submission a full knowledge mobilization plan that fosters active engagement among all collaborating partners as well as knowledge mobilization and communication strategies for disseminating research findings and supporting uptake of findings in their context. As mentioned under the Review Process and Evaluation Criteria section above, accompanying the Full Proposal, the Principal Investigator and Canada-based Co-Principal Investigator will submit two separate budgets according to the IDRC template. Following the peer review meeting, in the course of finalizing grant agreements IDRC may request additional information or adjustments be made to the proposals and budgets of successful Full Proposals. Additional information may also be required for the winning proposals after they are announced. When preparing the Full Proposal, please refer to the IDRC’s guidelines for application for a research grant available through this link: How to apply for and manage an IDRC research grant | IDRC - International Development Research Centre. Applicants who are invited to submit Full Proposals will be required to provide the following additional documents: · Policy and procedures manual (if available); · Finance and administration policies and procedures (most importantly, procurement, travel, accounts payable and financial reporting and monitoring); · Proof of registration to a Social Security Scheme and/or a summary of Human Resources policies (If applicable); and · Most recent audited financial statements*, including but not limited to: o Statement of financial position (also known as Balance Sheet); o Statement of comprehensive income (also known as Statement of operations, Statement of income and expenses, or Statement of profit and loss); o Notes to the financial statements; o Auditor's report; and o Auditor's management letter. *If more recent audited financial statements are not available, the institution must provide the latest financial statements duly authorized by a financial officer of the organization. Conflict of Interest By submitting an application, the applicant must avoid any real, apparent, or potential conflict of interest and will declare to IDRC any such conflict of interest. In the event that any real, apparent, or potential conflict of interest cannot be resolved to IDRC’s satisfaction, IDRC will have the right to immediately reject the applicant from consideration. Contact Details Any inquiries should be directed to Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra los robots de spam, necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla on or before 17:00 EDT on Monday, April 4, 2022, in order to receive a response prior to the deadline date. Any inquiries which affect all applicants received on or before the above-mentioned deadline will be compiled in the FAQs document. The document will be updated without revealing the sources of the inquiries, as we receive the inquiries and provide the responses. Annex 1: Eligible Low- and Middle-Income Countries/Territory List LMIC Principal Investigators affiliated with organizations based in the countries/territories below can have their costs of participation met from eligible budget expenses.
*Applications with LMIC Principal Investigators affiliated with organizations based in these countries are eligible but will be subject to a further stage of approval within IDRC, after the peer review process, given the risks associated with conducting research in regions of these countries. **Organizations from these countries are not eligible to apply as Lead Applicant Organizations. However, these countries can still be included in the case of multi-country applications. As mentioned under the Grant Structure and Conditions of Funding section above, the Lead Applicant Organization or the Canadian Co-Applicant Organization will take responsibility for developing and administering the required funding arrangements and confirm and demonstrate the ability to transfer funds internationally to these entities located in other countries than their own.
Annex 2: Ensuring research ideas are rooted in social and gender equality IDRC strives for equality in all aspects of its work. Inequalities exist across multiple and intersecting categories of identity, including, but not limited to, gender, sexuality, age, class, race, caste, ethnicity, citizenship status, religion and ability. Achieving equality varies by place and must be situated within the sociocultural, political, and economic contexts in the different regions where IDRC works; similarly, inequalities are not static and can vary and change over time. In order to develop a full and nuanced understanding of the themes of the research subject of this Call for Proposals, it is critical for research projects to strongly consider investigating the roles of sex, gender and other diverse identities and experiences and their relationship to women’s health and women’s paid and unpaid work, in so far as epidemic preparedness and control are concerned. IDRC recognizes the importance of striking a balance between ambition and pragmatism. Actions to address gender and other social inequalities require doing the groundwork to interrogate and surface the ultimate root causes of inequality, while at the same time, changing gendered structural dynamics takes time, trust, and long-term commitments to policies and practices. The questions below are intended to guide you in reflecting how your research is rooted in social and gender equality and how you can strengthen these dimensions in your Concept Note. 1. Does your Concept Note intend to understand and address gender inequalities and their underlying causes? 2. Do you have a stand-alone objective on addressing social and gender equality? How are other objectives framed in relation to addressing gender and inclusion? 3. Is there a logical theory of change of how your research objectives will promote or lead to gender equality? What impact will your research proposal have on social and gender equality? 4. In the context of your Concept Note, what are the power structures and power dynamics that exist between men and women, and other groups which underpin gender inequality? What are some possible avenues to address and change these conditions? 5. How does your research problem affect men, women, boys and girls? How is this affected by identities or experiences such as race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic class, income levels, where individuals live (e.g., rural, urban settings)? 6. Do the members of your RT understand contextual gender issues? 7. Do you have the right skills and experience in your RT? Which of your team members will take the lead in designing, implementing, monitoring, and assessing your project’s objectives to address gender inequality and inclusion? 8. Does your RT have a demonstrated gender balance? 9. Have you allocated sufficient time and resources to strengthen the capacity of your team, partners, and other stakeholders on gender and inclusion issues? 10. Has your project identified clear outcomes and indicators with respect to social and gender equality? Are these integrated into project measurement tools? For example, do you plan to collect and analyze sex-disaggregated data? Have you planned to undertake a pre- and post-project gender analysis? Please note that these are some assumptions that we have come across that are important to avoid in your Concept Note: · Assuming women or a certain group do a task so that they will benefit is not adequate. Instead, it will be important for your project to identify the gender inequality and outline steps by which your research will help re-define the power dynamic. · Adding “especially women and marginalized groups” after each of your objectives is not adequate — you must be able to define how gender dynamics are present in your research objectives. Research rigour and quality is critical. · Addressing gender in the project is not just the responsibility of the gender experts only — rather, the entire team must understand gender dynamics at play in your research. · Addressing gender takes real resources. Saying gender cannot be integrated because you don’t have resources is not acceptable. Budget resources for gender at the outset. · The woman on the team does not always qualify as the gender expert. Get real gender expertise and partnerships that bring in the necessary skills.
Annex 3: Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Along with other federal research funding agencies in Canada,[i] IDRC is committed to taking action to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and supporting teams that demonstrate and reflect this commitment. IDRC’s Equality Statement shows keenness to support research that addresses systemic barriers that limit inclusivity of individuals, and promote a culture where equity, diversity and inclusion considerations are incorporated into all aspects of research. Building on the Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan,[ii] developed by Canada’s granting agencies, under the leadership of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC), IDRC is requesting research applicants to clearly demonstrate in their research proposals their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in terms of research environments and RTs. Additional material related specifically to health research is included here.[iii] IDRC is also building on the Government of Canada’s Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research Guide. Specifically, applicants are required to identify a minimum of one concrete practice, in the context of their team and their research environment: · team composition and recruitment processes; · training and development opportunities; and · Inclusion. ---------------------- ii https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/EDI-EDI/Action-Plan_Plan-dAction_eng.asp; iii https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/52553.html Annex 4: Authorization Requirements In some cases, IDRC has scientific and technical cooperation agreements with the governments of the countries where we support projects. Where such agreements exist, IDRC may require additional or alternative approval processes to be followed in order to comply with such agreements. Otherwise, grantees must follow the prevailing approval procedure as required by the government authority. This is often administered by a coordinating or nodal agency of the government and varies by jurisdiction. An IDRC grant administration representative will advise the selected applicant if any country procedures need to be followed. A grant agreement will only be issued if country clearance(s) is/are obtained beforehand. In cases where the recipient will manage sub-grantees, the country requirements that apply to sub-grantees are also documented in the grant agreement. It becomes the responsibility of the IDRC grantee to ensure that sub-grantees meet these requirements. Applicants must meet minimum requirements to receive an IDRC grant. Any selected proponents shall be required to sign IDRC’s standard Grant Agreement, as amended by IDRC from time to time. Furthermore, IDRC reserves the right to cancel the granting process at any time without prior notice and/or reserves the right to grant, at its discretion, all or none of the awards under this process. The grant agreement will provide a schedule for submitting interim and final technical and financial reports. Also see https://idrc.ca/en/grant-application-kit-quick-tour. Annex 5: COVID-19 Implications for International Travel IDRC does not have a formal policy to guide IDRC proponents with respect to travel plans given this context. Instead, we ask you to exercise your good judgement in proposing whether and what travel (international, regional and/or national) is essential to your project and, when justified as essential, how best to manage that travel to meet the needs of your project. We ask you to pay particular attention to public health guidelines in the countries or regions where you consider travel to be essential and to prepare to be adaptable. If a project proposal is successful and a grant is awarded, note that IDRC will be open to reasonable requests for budget changes as circumstances related to COVID-19 evolve. COVID-19 testing for research personnel — both pre- and post -travel — is an eligible project expense, as are the costs of quarantining before (and after) extensive fieldwork (again as required by local/national health guidelines). The cost of personal protection equipment (PPE) is an eligible project expense — for researchers and participants alike. However, like any other costs related to illness, costs of treatment for COVID-19 contracted while working on a project is not an eligible project expense. Rather, grantees (and any sub-grantees) are expected to have travel health insurance in place to cover such costs. Such travel health insurance should be absorbed through the project’s indirect costs. The overarching principle should be the well-being, safety and security of all researchers and all participants. And regardless of your travel plans, you should apply all recommended public health practices (PPE, social distancing, avoid congregating particularly indoors, etc.) for all your field activities. If you have further questions, please direct them to Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra los robots de spam, necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla . |
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