Deadline: 27-Oct-20
The Elrha is accepting proposals for the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises.
This grant programme is an ‘Open Call’, with proposals sought for research that will strengthen the public health evidence base in humanitarian settings, and contribute to more effective interventions in humanitarian response.
Elrha defines humanitarian public health as interventions that contribute collectively, in combination or singularly to saving lives, building resilience and promoting better health outcomes in humanitarian emergencies. In this sense public health interventions should be considered in their broadest scope, including all relevant practice areas such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, water and sanitation, sexual and reproductive health, including gender-based violence, injuries and rehabilitation etc.
Research should include a methodical study that will prove a hypothesis or answer a specific question. The research must be systematic and follow a series of steps and a rigid standard protocol. Results should be high quality and publishable in peer-reviewed academic journals. Recognizing the current relevance, they encourage research on the impact of COVID-19 on health systems and delivery of health services in countries that are already experiencing humanitarian crises.
Elrha encourages:
- Mixed method studies
- Primary and/or secondary data approaches
- Robust innovative methodologies that advance research in humanitarian settings
- Formative research to conduct preliminary studies needed before a larger research study can be designed.
Priorities
- Comparative (multi-country or multi-setting) studies
- Studies with generalisable research findings
- Studies that include cost-effectiveness analyses.
Funding Information
- Elrha is able to fund a wide range of grant sizes, including grants for large comparative studies that have the potential to generate significant impact. For the Open research there is no ceiling on the amount that can be requested. For the Formative research there is a maximum of £100,000 available. The total funding for this call for proposals will be in the region of £4.5 million.
Seed Funding
To foster research partnerships between academic and humanitarian organisations, They offer Seed Funding to all applicants successful at the Expression of Interest stage. Seed Funding is a unique offer from R2HC, enabling shortlisted applicants to:
- Strengthen partnerships – funding can be used to convene an in-person meeting between the different research partners.
- Strengthen proposals – Seed Funding can be used to cover the costs of visits to the potential study sites to undertake further consultation or assess any feasibility and security concerns.
- Strengthen research – Seed Funding may be used to collect preliminary data that can help finalise the research methodology and details for the full proposal.
*When submitting your Expression of Interest (EOI) you can indicate if you want to apply for Seed Funding. Applicants whose EOIs are successfully shortlisted will then be eligible for a Seed Funding grant. Their team will be in touch with successful applicants with the details of how you can request Seed Funding support.
Elrha Excludes
- Laboratory-based or clinical trials
- Development of diagnostics
- Systematic review.
Eligible Projects
Elrha will fund proposals that address:
- Public health priorities specific to the context of a humanitarian crisis that lack a solid evidence base, such as those identified in the Humanitarian Health Evidence Review and/or in other humanitarian sector research gap analyses or prioritisation exercises
- Health service delivery models, including multi-sector integrated responses
- Strengthening and resilience of health systems in humanitarian settings, particularly health financing and human resource elements
- Adaptation of public health interventions for use in humanitarian contexts
- Specific interventions designed to improve health outcomes, such as cash transfers
- The specific needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups, how they access health services and are integrated into the planning of service provision. For example, people with disabilties, older people, women and girls, and hard-to-reach populations.
Eligibility Criteria
- As a minimum your research team must include:
- A research institution
- An operational humanitarian organisation
- A research institution from the country(s) or region(s) in which you plan to undertake research
- A research uptake focal point
- Team members can come from a range of organisations including academic or other research institutions, operational humanitarian organisations, governmental organisations, individual experts, and local non-governmental or community-based organisations. Proposals must demonstrate that the team includes members with a range of skills including: experience in conducting research in humanitarian settings to ensure academic rigour; humanitarian operational experience to ensure relevance, feasibility, and potential for uptake; and research uptake experience to ensure the findings are used to influence humanitarian policy and practice.
- Research teams must be led by an experienced Principle Investigator(s). This individual must have:
- A PhD in a relevant academic field
- Experience of conducting similar research in equivalent settings
- Multiple peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals
- The lead applicant is the organisation which submits the proposal and will manage the research grant if awarded. Any organisation represented by members of the research team can be the lead applicant. They encourage LMIC lead applicants.
- The lead applicant cannot be a profit-seeking enterprise or an individual (although these may form part of the research team).
Partnership Principles
- They promote research partnerships that are based on four principles: equity, mutual benefit, responsibility and transparency. All partners, including those based in the country/region where you plan to conduct research, must be involved in determining the research objectives, study design and budget. If your application is shortlisted, you will be eligible to apply for Seed Funding to support your study team to meet in person. This will enable your team to collaborate in the design of the research, determine roles/responsibilities and engage with people in the country(s) where you plan to conduct research.
Application Process
There will be a two-stage selection process: an initial Expression of Interest (EOI) stage, and a subsequent Full Proposal stage for shortlisted applicants. Expressions of Interest should be submitted through their online Common Grant Application system.
You will need to provide:
- Details of your organisation
- Information on the proposed research team and partners
- Proposal abstract
- Indicative budget and timeline
- Indication if you wish to request Seed Funding
Applicants will need to register on the system before proceeding with applications. A link to the application, where full instructions are provided, is available on their website.
For more information, visit https://www.elrha.org/funding-opportunity/r2hc-annual-funding-call/