Deadline: 30-Jul-22
The Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) is calling for proposals to support the strengthening of national research and innovation funding agencies in West Africa.
The work will strengthen agencies where they already exist and where they do not, it will support the development of frameworks for establishing new agencies.
The work will take place in six countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Through a new partnership between the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and IDRC.
Objectives
The specific objectives of this project will include:
- identifying the needs/areas for support in all six countries, with subsequent activities to be undertaken (taking into account other activities under SGCI-2);
- improving how science granting councils function in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal by aligning strategy, structure, resources and management processes (e.g., in project monitoring, financial reporting and communicating research results); and
- developing organizational frameworks (e.g., policy, legislative, financial, administrative, institutional) to create science granting councils in the three countries where they do not yet exist (Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone).
Themes
- Strengthen the ability of science granting councils in research management
- Strengthen the capacity of science granting councils to use data and evidence in policy and decision-making
- Support the ability of science granting councils to fund research and innovation
- Support strategic communications, uptake of knowledge outputs and networking
- Strengthen the capacities of science granting councils in gender equality and inclusivity
Funding Information
The budget available for this project is up to CAD $1,000,000 million (all inclusive) over approximately 36 months.
Eligible Countries
Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mawali, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) invites proposals from organizations (including think tanks, institutes, universities and agencies) based in Africa.
- The organizations should have proven experience and track records in Africa, and especially West Africa, in areas such as public sector science, technology and innovation; strengthening organisational capacity; managing research funds; national science, technology and innovation policy and practice; and engaging the private sector in research.
- The selected organizations would undertake various activities, including offering training and technical support to science granting councils and related organizations.
Requirements
The requirements for the project team members include the following:
- Knowledge of national science, technology and innovation systems and the research and development funding landscape in sub-Saharan Africa (and ideally in West Africa), including the key actors (organizations), policies and the roles of science granting councils in brokering, facilitating, funding and coordinating the interactions among the various actors.
- Experience in working with public sector science, technology and innovation organizations (especially science granting councils) in Africa, and ideally in West Africa, in the context of capacity strengthening.
- Experience in research funding processes, research management and engaging the public, private and community sectors in research.
- Knowledge of research ethics, research excellence and gender and inclusivity approaches in research.
- Expertise and experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning and data management systems and frameworks.
- Ability to work in both French and English is a requirement and applications without both language capabilities will not be evaluated.
For more information, visit https://www.idrc.ca/en/funding/sgci-call-proposals-support-strengthening-national-research-and-innovation-funding-agencies
