R2HC Third Call for Proposals Launch

Anne HarmerR2HC Programme Manager4 June 2015

Agenda

1. ELRHA and the R2HC programme

2. Guiding principles

3. Third Call for proposals

4. Overview of R2HC earlier calls

5. Q & A

ELRHA supports partnerships between researchers and practitioners

to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian action

Hosted by Save the Childrenwww.elrha.org

R2HC Programme Partnership

The R2HC Programme aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for

public health interventions in humanitarian crises

2. Guiding principles

• R2HC aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises.

• R2HC will encourage world class research through fostering collaboration between operational humanitarian agencies and research institutions.

• R2HC aims to bridge the gap between research and practice in relation to public health interventions in humanitarian crises.

Background studies

youHumanitarian Health Evidence Review: identified research gaps that have informed the focus of the Calls for Proposals Ethical Framework: provides guidance on ethics related issues

Results:

GBV, Mental Health

Nutrition,Communicable

Diseases

Injury & Rehabilitation, WASH, NCDs,

SRH

Effectiveness of health interventions

Effectiveness of delivery mechanisms

The value added of partnerships• Evidence can improve practice

• Practice informs and prioritises research

• Partnerships can connect contextual humanitarian understanding with expert research capacity

• Partnerships can enable contextual research to be scaled up or applied in other humanitarian contexts

Partnership challenges• Different expectations

• Time frames (both perceived and real)

• Incentive structures and aims

• Translation of research into practice, and practice into research

• Data ownership

• Practical challenges

4. R2HC Third Call for Expressions of Interest

One application channel, 2 types of grants:i) Core grants: known focus and location

ii) Rapid response grants • Research in acute phase of rapid-onset emergency• Mechanism for rapid disbursement of funds if and

when ‘trigger event’ occurs• Approval of grants is conditional and dependent on

event actually occurring at uncertain future date

Third Call focus

Thematic areas

• Communicable diseases, including epidemics

• SRH and/or GBV• Cost effectiveness• Ethical issues

Type and phase of crisis

•Natural disaster•Conflict•Ongoing/protracted

•Acute•Post-emergency•Early recovery

Contexts

• Urban/rural• Camp/general

population

• Multi-sector integrated

• Health systems & services

Robust, innovative research methods

Quantitative research

Trials Qualitative research

Evaluation approaches

Mixed methods

New methodological

approaches

Research scope and contexts

Comparative (multi-country)

research

Replicable in multiple contexts

Multi-sector integrated responses

Priority crisis areas including ongoing and sudden ‘Level 3’ crises

Uptake and dissemination

• Are publications foreseen in respected academic journals?

• Does a sound plan exist for uptake and dissemination of research findings, differentiated by audience?

• What steps will be taken to ensure that research findings will be put into practice?

Funding availability

• Total funding available in this Call: up to £3m• No ceiling for individual applications• Only indicative budgets needed for EOIs• £10K seed funding available for successful EOI applicants• Budgets can cover:– Partnership development, travel, meetings; preliminary data

collection to assist in proposal development.

• Project duration: up to 24 months

Who can applyOpen to partnership applications from any part of the world.

Lead applicant:Eligible: Research institution, non-profit, UN agency,

public or government Ineligible: Individual, profit seeking enterprise

Principal investigator:Must have previous experience of relevant research

Research consortium:Research/operational partnersLocal/international partners

Application process

Expression of Interest

Short-listing Full Application Appraisal Contracting

3 June 2015: Call

opens

20 Jul 2015: Call closes

24 Aug 2015: Invitations to submit

full application

14 Dec 2015: Deadline for submission

March 2016: Funding committee

decisions announced

April - Sept 2016:

Grants begin

Available on R2HC website1. Link directly to on-line application

2. Application documents • Call for Proposal Guidelines for Applicants• Instructions for on-line applications• Frequently Asked Questions

3. Other reference documents

www.elrha.org/r2hc

Application review criteria• Impact

• Methodology

• Feasibility

• Value for £

• Team and partnerships

• Dissemination and uptake

5. Overview of R2HC earlier calls

• Application outcomes

• Levels of funding approved

• Lessons learned

R2HC First Call: Review outcomes

100 EoI applications received and screened

80 eligible applications reviewed

29 applications approved for shortlist

6 core grant proposals approved

20 ineligible

2 rapid response proposals approved

28 full proposals reviewed (inc technical review)

10 rapid response proposals

R2HC Second Call: Review outcomes115 EoI applications received and screened

99 eligible applications reviewed

42 applications approved for shortlist

9 core grant proposals approved

16 ineligible

1 rapid response proposal approved

37 Full proposals reviewed (inc technical review)

7 rapid response proposals reviewed

Summary: existing grants and approved funds

• Core grants: 15• Rapid response grants: 3

• Total approved funding: £5,737,846

• Lowest funded: £79,834• Highest funded: £599,939• Average amount requested: £326,000

Recommendations from earlier calls

1. Ensure research is within scope of the call (research and humanitarian context)

2. Be precise about your research objective. Be clear about the intervention that you are wishing to study.

3. Ensure your methodology is clearly articulated and designed to answer the research question(s).

4. Ensure that the research outcome will be applicable beyond the immediate context of the study

Partnerships in R2HC previous calls• Successful applicants successfully bridged robust

scientific methodology with humanitarian expertise and priorities.

• Many successful applications were from established partnerships, with strong collaboration already in place

• For others, seed funding was vital in moving from tentative discussion to fully developed partnerships

Questions and Answers

Thank you