Joint Initiative International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS) Description The International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS) are jointly funded by the International Development Research Centre and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). IPASS COMPETITION DETAILS Application deadlines Value Number of anticipated grants Letter of Intent (LOI) application Deadline: 8 pm EST, February 15, 2013 Formal application Deadline: by invitation only Up to CA$30,000 to prepare a formal application Request for support would typically be in the range of CA$500,000 to CA$2.5 million over 4 to 7 years Up to 10 grants Up to 5 research grants Page 1 of 11
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Information on IDRC and SSHRC 3 3. Background, rationale, and key objectives 3 4. Thematic focus 4 5. Expected outcomes 6 6. Funding scope and duration 7 7. IDRC eligibility criteria for LMIC teams 7 8. Requirements 8 9. IPaSS application process 9 10. Selection process 9 11. Evaluation criteria 9 12. IDRC standard grant conditions 9 13. How to submit the IDRC Supplementary Information Form 9 14. More Information 10 Annex A: Eligible Country List 11 1. Introduction The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) are inviting Letters of Intent (LOIs) for the joint initiative called the International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS). Proposals funded through the IPaSS will be co-led by project directors in Canada and in an eligible low or middle-income country (LMIC, see Annex A). In accordance to their respective mandates, SSHRC will support team members who meet SSHRC s eligibility criteria, and IDRC will support team members based in eligible LMICs. The two teams create the partnership. Submitting a complete LOI entails the submission of: 1. A proposal on behalf of the Canadian and LMIC team members to SSHRC s Partnership Grants Letter of Intent (LOI) funding opportunity. Page 2 of 11
2. An IDRC Supplementary Information Form to IDRC by the project director based in an eligible LMIC. SSHRC and IDRC will combine the Letter of Intent application and the IDRC Supplementary Information Form and co-organize the merit review process. This document provides applicants with information on the design of IPaSS and guidance on how to apply. 2. Information on IDRC and SSHRC IDRC is a Canadian Crown corporation established by an act of Parliament in 1970 to help developing countries find solutions to their problems. IDRC encourages and support researchers and innovators in those countries to find practical, long-term solutions to the social, economic, and environmental problems their societies face. IDRC s goal is to find ways to reduce poverty, improve health, support innovation, and safeguard the environment. SSHRC is Canada s federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its programs and policies, the Council enables the highest levels of research excellence in Canada, and facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration across research disciplines, universities and all sectors of society. 3. Background, rationale, and key objectives This joint initiative between IDRC and SSHRC creates opportunities for researchers and partners in Canada and in LMICs to develop a collaborative international research program. IDRC and SSHRC believe that, by working together as equal partners in a research endeavour, international teams can develop new knowledge and capabilities in key areas, sharpen research priorities, provide new research training opportunities, and enhance the ability of researchers and non-academic partners to apply science and knowledge to meet current challenges. This IDRC- SSHRC joint initiative is designed to facilitate such collaborations across sectoral, organizational and international boundaries. Among the Partnership Approaches outlined by SSHRC, IDRC will support proposals that are designed along the following models: Disciplinary and interdisciplinary research partnerships; Cross-sector co-creation of knowledge and understanding; Networks for research and/or related activities; and Partnered research centres. Page 3 of 11
4. Thematic focus As globalization, the communications revolution, global warming, and other forces reshape our world, we face opportunities and challenges with multiple social, economic, environmental and cultural dimensions. Since these forces transcend national boundaries, their understanding lies in the creation of transnational partnerships. Promoting these types of partnerships can yield important benefits across societies by fostering effective and appropriate solutions. This joint initiative will support international partnerships on IDRC-defined thematic topics. IDRC can fund research on the four themes outlined below in eligible countries. Applicants can also propose comparative country studies where such comparisons are appropriate and beneficial. i) Information and Networks The accelerating advance of networked technologies, such as mobile phones and the Internet is transforming societies. Three out of four people in the world now own phones, and an increasing number of them use those phones to access the internet. This is having a profound effect on the way people, even in poor communities, access and use information, with the potential for widespread societal implications. For instance, teachers in rural Mongolia can access and repurpose free online educational resources from MIT for their students. In Kenya, the government is openly making its data available online so that citizens can track government spending. In Brazil a new music industry has been created where free online distribution is at the heart of their business model, as it ensures their music is shared and, consequently, significant revenues are generated at concerts. Finally, in Syria, a more timely and accurate portrait of the devastation can be drawn through crowd-sourced mapping of current violence in the country. Each of these innovations presents important learning opportunities. For instance much still needs to be understood about the impact these initiatives are having on communities and how they can best meet their stated development goals. In addition, the growing prevalence of networked technologies is changing the relationship between the citizen and the State. Much has been said about the role of social media, notably Facebook and Twitter, during the Arab Spring. Yet mobile phones can also be effective tracking tools to intensify government surveillance. As such, do these tools actually empower citizens and help topple authoritarian regimes or do they tend to curtail individual rights to freedom of expression, privacy, access to knowledge, and collective action? Moreover, although digital networks have reached almost all regions of the world, many groups, notably women, extremely poor communities and the uneducated, are still excluded from participating in these emerging networked societies. This potential exclusion is problematic when one considers that government services, educational materials, health services, and business opportunities are increasingly moving towards digital platforms. How can policies and regulations ensure that emerging network societies are inclusive? Within this priority theme, IDRC will support research on the relationships between digital networks and 1) openness, 2) rights, and 3) inclusion as they apply to: Page 4 of 11
Entrepreneurship: understanding the way entrepreneurship, particularly in the creative industries, is changing in an increasingly networked world; Governance: exploring the way digital networks are transforming the relationship between the citizen and the state; Learning: elucidating how digital networks are changing access to, and the quality of, educational materials; Science: understanding how opening up scientific processes leads to greater reach, impact and quality of research. ii) Inclusive Growth Poverty and persistent inequality remain key challenges in developing countries, despite economic growth and reduction in global poverty levels in the past decades. Empirical evidence shows that growth has not always led to more and better jobs or to increased income opportunities for the poor, particularly women and youth. Informal enterprises and informal employment with low productivity, and limited social protection coverage continue to define developing country economies. Despite these tensions between growth and inclusion, growth can generate economic opportunities for the poor and reduce inequality, as recent experience in Latin American countries like Brazil has demonstrated. There is an urgent need for rigorous and policy-oriented research that generates new insights and options for promoting policies that facilitate inclusive growth. Such research needs to focus on key national institutions both formal and informal that mediate outcomes in terms of growth and inclusion (and sustainability, see the section on green growth ). Within this priority theme, IDRC will support research on two areas of particular importance to inclusive growth: enhancing the framework for enterprise development, entrepreneurship and innovation; and facilitating growth with decent (more and better) jobs. Proposals can focus on one of the two or both areas. Themes of particular interest include competition policy, the role of communication technologies including improving competitiveness and market access for small and medium-sized enterprises, the impact of social protection on the functioning of labour markets, and the specific opportunities and challenges for youth in accessing jobs and setting-up and expanding enterprises. Gender is an essential cross-cutting theme, with an emphasis on women's economic empowerment. iii) Governance, Security, and Justice Some 1.5 billion people live in areas affected by violent conflict and large-scale organized crime. Persistent insecurity causes widespread human suffering and represents a significant development challenge. The impact of pervasive insecurity and violence is pushing more governments into situations where they are unable to deliver essential services and represent their citizens. In some cases, the state itself contributes to these conditions. Faced with weak, unresponsive, or repressive governments, communities sometimes have no choice but to turn to or to create alternative sources of authority to access services such as security and justice. Page 5 of 11
Criminal gangs and armed groups often thrive in these settings, terrorizing communities, and testing the legitimacy and relevance of the state. Within this priority theme, IDRC will support research that examines how states and societies interact to build secure, just, and responsive societies. Proposals can focus on states that are weak or fragile, or on communities and marginalized groups that suffer from persistent insecurity, injustice, and abuse of power at the local level in otherwise democratic states. Research that integrates a gendered perspective on these issues and addresses the importance of information and communication-based innovations as tools to tackle these challenges is particularly welcome. The choice of topic should respond to the development challenges posed by violent conflict, large-scale organized crime, and weak governance. iv) Green Growth There is near-consensus that future economic growth needs to become more green, reducing carbon, energy-intensity, and greenhouse gas emissions. This agenda is pertinent at a time in which the global economy is suffering from continued low growth rates, socio-economic disparities remain high, and policy agendas are strongly driven by concerns about unemployment. There is thus an urgent need for policies informed by rigorous research that promote low-carbon, environmentally, and socially inclusive development simultaneously. Globally, initiatives have been developed to promote economic growth, opportunities for marginalised groups, and environmental development, so called, win-win-win scenarios. In Ethiopia, the use of biomass stoves has conserved scarce resources while creating new jobs across five regions. Ending fuel subsidies in Ghana has facilitated increased health expenditure in rural areas as well as higher investment in mass transportation. With a combination of loans, technical advice, and access to efficient technologies for small and medium enterprises, energy efficiency in Turkey and the Balkan region has improved. In Bangladesh, an innovative financial model has been developed to allow poor households to purchase household their own solar energy systems. Within this priority theme, IDRC will support research that critically assesses existing initiatives, and identifies policies that have or could support the development of innovation and investment in a greener economy. In particular, it is essential that research identifies how green investments can be made inclusive, create more and better jobs, and provide access to opportunities for small and medium enterprises. IDRC is particularly interested in research proposals by multidisciplinary groups that bring together researchers working on environmental issues with a focus on growth and equity. 5. Expected outcomes Applicants should design their research program with the aim of meeting the following outcomes in one of the four themes presented above: Advancing knowledge by building new methods and fields of inquiry; Page 6 of 11
Shaping policy and informing practice through high quality research and knowledge mobilization; and Training a new generation scholars and developing innovative research partnerships. 6. Funding scope and duration The LOI grants will be funded by SSHRC and issued to the proposing Canadian institution, who will administer the funds on behalf of the entire partnership. The value of a LOI grant is CA$20,000, however, SSHRC may consider requests of up to CA$30,000 if well justified. Only applicants successful at the LOI stage will receive a LOI grant to prepare their Partnership Grants formal application. Formal applications recommended for funding would typically be in the range of CA$500,000 to CA$ 2,500,000 over 4 to 7 years. It is expected that funds requested from IDRC and SSHRC will be roughly equivalent and may not exceed CA$1,250,000 per team. In the budget submitted to SSHRC, the Canadian project director should follow SSHRC s guidelines on eligible costs. For the project director based in an eligible country and administering IDRC funds, IDRC funding guidelines apply. For each formal application selected, IDRC will issue a grant agreement to be managed by the proposing institution based in an eligible LMIC and SSHRC will issue a separate grant agreement that will govern the funds managed by an eligible Canadian institution. Project funding is subject to: SSHRC and IDRC s fiscal ability to provide the support; satisfactory compliance with SSHRC and IDRC s policies and reporting requirements; and a positive mid-term evaluation. 7. IDRC eligibility criteria for LMIC teams Country eligibility Please see the list of countries in Annex A. IDRC can, in principle, support research on and researchers based in such countries. Each proposal will be subject to IDRC s risk management process which assesses the ability of IDRC to support programming in proposed countries or territories, taking into account Canadian law and policy as well as IDRC s knowledge of the research setting and ability to monitor activities. IDRC reserves the right to reject applications Page 7 of 11
proposing research in countries or territories appearing on the list in Annex A if the research location or approach is deemed unacceptable to IDRC. Applicants may invite researchers and organizations located in countries not listed in Annex A if their participation is funded through other means. Applicant eligibility IDRC will support the participation of academic and non-academic partners, such as postsecondary institutions, government departments, and not-for-profit organizations based in eligible LMICs. International NGOs that are not headquartered in an eligible country and all multilateral organizations (e.g., UN agencies) cannot administer funds. However, these organizations may participate in the research projects as partners with the expectation that they contribute direct or in-kind support. Applicants may propose to have more than one project director to manage IDRC funding if more than one eligible LMIC is involved. However, this is subject to IDRC s approval. Institutional eligibility Proposing institutions in LMICs that are invited to develop a formal application will be required to complete IDRC s Institutional Profile Questionnaire. This information is required by IDRC before funds can be transferred. IDRC has concluded general agreements for scientific and technical cooperation with a number of governments listed in Annex A. These agreements establish the framework for IDRC cooperation with that country by defining the rights and obligations of both IDRC and the government. As such, the project director may be required to obtain country approval from governmental authorities in relation to the research project. Where this is required, obtaining such country approval will be a precondition of receiving funding from IDRC. When applicable, IDRC will advise LMIC project directors invited to submit a formal application on how to proceed. 8. Requirements The partnership is required to leverage a minimum of 35% contribution (cash and/or in-kind) from all partners above and beyond SSHRC s grant. A complete LOI application consists of two different forms, one submitted to SSHRC and one to IDRC, as described below. The submitted documents must adhere to length and format requirements. Page 8 of 11
9. IPaSS application process This funding opportunity involves a two-stage application process: Stage 1: Letter of Intent (LOI) application Eligible applicants must coordinate the submission and apply as follows: 1. The Canadian project director must submit a proposal on behalf of the Canadian and LMIC partnership to SSHRC s Partnership Grants Letter of Intent funding opportunity. This proposal will describe in its entirety the research program, the partnership, and the budget request from SSHRC and IDRC. 2. In addition to this, the LMIC project director must submit the IDRC Supplementary Information Form to IDRC (See section 13. How to Submit the IDRC Supplementary Information Form). SSHRC and IDRC will combine the application forms to conduct the merit review process. Stage 2: Formal application Applicants who are successful at the LOI stage will be invited to submit, again jointly, a formal application. They will be given instructions on how to complete the application at that time. 10. Selection process IDRC and SSHRC will organize a multidisciplinary and multisectoral international merit review committee to evaluate applications. 11. Evaluation criteria The merit review committee is guided by the evaluation criteria listed on SSHRC s website. 12. IDRC standard grant conditions By submitting a LOI, eligible institutions seeking to administer IDRC funding acknowledge that they have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions of an IDRC grant. 13. How to submit the IDRC Supplementary Information Form The deadline for submissions is 8 pm EST February 15, 2013. Page 9 of 11
Send the completed IDRC Supplementary Information Form attached to an email as instructed below: From: Project director based in a LMIC (e.g. Lopez @gmail.com) To: cf@idrc.ca CC: Project director based in Canada (e.g., Smith@gmail.com) Subject: Name of project directors (e.g. Lopez and Smith) IDRC Supplementary Information Form Attachment: Name of project directors (e.g. Lopez and Smith) IDRC Supplementary Information Form Message: Please find attached the IDRC Supplementary Information Form IDRC will acknowledge the receipt of the IDRC Supplementary Information Form. 14. More Information Inquiries regarding the International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS) should be addressed to: cf@idrc.ca As required, a question and answer section about the IPaSS will appear on IDRC s competition webpage and will be updated up until two week before the LOIs are due. Questions regarding the SSHRC s Partnership Grants funding opportunity should be directed to: partnershipgrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca Page 10 of 11
Annex A: Eligible Country List Afghanistan Algeria Angola Argentina Bangladesh Benin Bhutan Bolivia Botswana Brazil Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo (Brazzaville) Costa Rica Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) Djibouti Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Fiji Gabon Gambia Ghana Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras India Indonesia Ivory Coast Jamaica Jordan Kenya Laos Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali* Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone South Africa Sri Lanka South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Thailand Togo Trinidad and Tobago Page 11 of 11 Tunisia Turkey Uganda Uruguay Venezuela Vietnam West Bank and Gaza Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Note: Low and middle income countries with populations under one million are not included here. Institutions seeking to manage funds or applicants from such countries may be considered eligible if the institution is affiliated with a regional university system. * Only NGOs may be funded in Mali