Deadline: 19-Feb-21
TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, SIHI, the Social Innovation in Health Initiative, and WHO regional offices are pleased to issue this call for proposals to identify good practices in engaging communities in research for implementation and in social innovation, in low- and middle-income countries.
The goal of this exercise is to map current practices, identify good practices, and better understand the enabling factors and barriers in engaging communities in research and in social innovation in health.
TDR and WHO regional offices work together on a broad spectrum of research and capacity strengthening topics, aligned with the current TDR Strategy. This work supports implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty that leads to health improvements and to strengthening the research capacity of individuals and institutions in low- and middle-income countries, and addresses the regional priorities in this field.
Applicants can choose to focus on one or more of the following areas with a specific focus on LMICs:
- Identification of good practices in engaging communities in research and in social innovation in health to enhance health care delivery.
- Identification of good practices in engaging communities in research and in social innovation in health to respond to health emergencies.
- Involvement of community and other stakeholders in research governance, results translation and uptake
- Mapping of Ethics Review Committee practices in relation to the engagement of communities in research to enhance health care delivery
Objectives
The objectives of the call are:
- To better understand the current practices and good practices in engaging communities in research and in social innovation in health to enhance health care delivery;
- To better understand the current practices and good practices in engaging communities in research and in social innovation in health to respond to health emergencies;
- To map current and good practices that Ethics Review Committees and Institutional Review Boards use to engage with communities where research is conducted;
- To better understand the mechanisms that bring the community and other stakeholders in the governance of research, and in the results uptake processes;
- To identify good practices in community-led or community-initiated research, or where problems were raised by the community and the research institutions were able to provide support;
- To better understand if these practices have the potential to be scaled up and disseminated; and
- To describe and analyze the contextual factors, including the social and gender dynamics, that take place in real-life settings where community engagement strategies take place.
Expected Outputs
- Validated evidence confirming current practices, good practices, and existing gaps related to one or more of the topics above.
- The experiences of diverse community engagement practices compiled and documented for reference and as resource material for further studies.
- A project report detailing all the aspects of the project conducted. When data are included, these should be disaggregated by sex, age, and other social stratifiers as appropriate, wherever possible.
- Collaboration to identify core challenges and barriers to effective community engagement widely shared across studies.
- Publication of the results in peer reviewed, open-access journals agreed by TDR; dissemination of findings through conferences or other media.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications are invited from principal investigators and institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), as per the World Bank classification. In case of consortia, applications from any countries are accepted if the consortium includes at least one institution from LMIC and is led by an investigator from an LMIC.
- Principal investigator and team must have prior documented experience in the selected field.
- The proposal should address one or more of the areas described in the objectives.
- The proposal should clearly show a detailed list of proposed activities, including a Gantt chart and budget, and how the expected outputs are in line with the objectives of the call.
- The proposed project’s timeline should allow for the completion of all activities within one year from the grant being awarded; the one-year period must include any preparatory steps such as required ethical or regulatory approvals.
Evaluation Criteria
Relevance
- Alignment of proposal objectives with the stated objectives of the call for proposals;
- Inclusion of diverse communities in LMICs, especially but not limited to vulnerable communities, such as marginalized, nomadic, migrant, indigenous peoples;
- Potential of the study results to inform improved community engagement practices in research conducted in LMICs;
- Description of tasks and activities are in line with the expected outcomes and outputs;
- Inclusion of plans for dissemination and utilization of findings.
Scientific and technical merit
- Clear and well-defined objectives, appropriate methodology and analytic rigor. Methods might include (but are not limited to) systematic reviews, pragmatic reviews with or without key informant interviews, or others, as deemed relevant for the proposed approach;
- Detailed plans of activities in relation to expected outputs;
- Clear information on how the proposal will achieve the expected outputs;
- Innovative approaches.
Feasibility
- Feasible implementation timeline (documented in a Gantt chart);
- Quality/suitability of the institution(s)/team (composition, gender diversity, expertise) for the proposed tasks; collaboration between institutions is encouraged;
- Ability of the principal investigator to manage the project based on track record;
- Risk assessment and management approach to the project;
- Ethical approval is included in the planning process where required.
Budget
- Proposed budget: maximum US$ 30 000;
- Soundness and appropriateness;
- Shows good value for money;
- Leveraging other contributions (technical, financial) is encouraged.
For more information, visit https://who.force.com/etdr/s/gs-solicitation/a0p3X00000avTMMQA2/ca210005