KIX Call for Proposals: Knowledge and innovation for strengthened education data systems and data use

1. Introduction 

2. Challenges of data, data systems, and data use

• The challenge
• Subtheme 1: Expanding and integrating data sets to understand learners and promote gender equality, equity and inclusion
• Subtheme 2: Using platforms and tools to enhance data use
• Subtheme 3: Expanding uses and users of data, including for public accountability
• Research Questions

3. Grant types, funding scope and duration

4. Eligibility criteria: General and specific to grant types

5. Expectations of projects

6. Proposal submission details

7. Proposal evaluation criteria

8. Submission and review process

9. Inquiries

10. Call timeline

11. Additional considerations

Annex A: List of Eligible Countries: GPE partner countries in Africa & the Europe, Asia, Pacific (EAP) region

Annex B: Integrating GEI in research proposals and projects

The The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) invite proposals for applied research projects to generate and mobilize evidence in support of scaling the impact of innovative approaches that will strengthen education data systems and data use. This call focuses on GPE partner countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific (EAP). 

The Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is a joint endeavor of GPE and IDRC. KIX supports countries to have and use the evidence and innovation they need to accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality through equitable, inclusive, and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. KIX achieves this by facilitating direct knowledge sharing across GPE partner countries through four regional Hubs and by funding applied research on their priorities. KIX is part of GPE’s strategy to support transformative change for education in lower-income countries.  

The objectives of this call are to:  

• Generate evidence about how to scale the impact of innovative approaches to address challenges of data systems and data use in education systems.  
• Strengthen the capacities of relevant stakeholders to use that knowledge and innovation.  
• Mobilize the evidence developed to improve policy and practice in education systems.  

The deadline for the submission of proposals is July 17, 2023 (23:59 EDT). 

KIX KIX Hubs have focused on data systems and data use since they began. Recent scoping studies provide an updated picture of both progress and ongoing challenges across the very diverse countries throughout Africa and the EAP region. Progress has been made in improving data availability and use by governments, bilateral and multilateral technical and funding agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Most countries have established Education Management Information Systems (EMIS).

However, challenges remain in orienting data systems to the nuanced information countries need to address the learning crisis, ensuring the quality and timeliness of data, making data systems inclusive and accessible, and promoting organizational capacities and cultures of data use at the national, provincial, community and school levels. Countries are seeking evidence to help them make their data systems user-friendly and service oriented.  

The challenge 

To generate and mobilize evidence to scale the impact of innovative approaches to strengthen data systems and data use for education.  

Three interrelated subthemes under this challenge require research, and each involves addressing technical issues, multiple aspects of capacity strengthening, effective governance, and sustainability:  

Subtheme 1: Expanding and integrating data sets to understand learners and promote gender equality, equity and inclusion   

In many GPE partner countries across Africa and the EAP region, data that is essential to support quality education and promote gender equality, equity and inclusion are either lacking, or not integrated across the education system. There are calls to include more granular data on learner characteristics, such as gender, socio-economic status, and disability, with deeper analytical cross-referencing by age, region, and language, among others. Data is often missing regarding vulnerable sectors, including children who are out of school. Databases about displaced children might not be incorporated into national EMIS. Many countries lack data about particular sub-sectors, such as early childhood education and youth/adult education. Additionally, there are gaps in learning assessment data, whether basic literacy and numeracy or other skills, and data from learning assessments are not always linked in the broader EMIS, which limits the ability to harness EMIS in understanding and addressing the learning crisis. Finally, some education data remains available only at aggregate levels but, in order to really understand and support learner progress, countries are seeking to have disaggregated data down to the level of individual learners.  

Integrating externally produced data with EMIS can help fill these gaps and ultimately improve learning outcomes for all. Sources outside ministries of education can provide detailed information on socio-economic factors and other developmental risk factors. In addition to effective data management, sharing and use, integrating data sources requires collaboration between EMIS units and other departments and functions, such as planning, policy, teacher training, gender, social inclusion, civil registration, and health.  

Subtheme 2: Using platforms and tools to enhance data use  

Effective decision-making in education relies on sophisticated analysis of data across various platforms. Countries are looking for ways to increase analytical capacities and turn data into actionable information. Over the years, platforms and tools have been developed within and outside of the education sector that hold great promise in supporting access and utilization of data. For example, some platforms make it easier to link data from school to district to national levels, and to link data sets across sectors. Responsible artificial intelligence can accelerate data analysis. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can overlay education and other data to map aspects of education systems for policy, planning and implementation. However, the education sector has not yet utilized these technologies or other innovations to their full potential.  

Subtheme 3: Expanding uses and users of data, including for public accountability 

There is a growing movement towards open data and making data available to the public for analysis and use, to increase transparency and accountability in education systems and support decision making. Schools and communities, along with district and provincial authorities, can have access to dashboards that provide real-time data on the status of student and teacher attendance, participation and performance. However, the EMIS infrastructure and expertise in most countries still tend to be centralized within national ministries of education. The unavailability of data and inadequate capacity to analyze, manage and leverage data are key challenges associated with data use, particularly at sub-national levels. Stakeholders, including parents, students, and community members, either do not receive the data in understandable or actionable formats or they may lack the knowledge or skills to use the data effectively.  

Democratizing data access and use requires an understanding of the key components of the system and what tools can be leveraged for public engagement and accountability, in light of the overall goal of improving educational outcomes. It requires a collaborative approach among different actors, including data producers, users, and regulators to make data appropriately open and understandable. Education sector managers can support this by establishing a transparent and inclusive data governance framework, robust and user-friendly data infrastructure, and strategies to develop data literacy skills.  

Research Questions 

Proposals should generate knowledge in response to the challenge by addressing the following overall research question and three sub-questions:  

How can the impact of promising or proven innovations for data systems and data use be scaled in order to support transformative change in education systems in GPE partner countries?  

1. What are effective strategies to adapt, scale, and implement these innovations in effective, equitable, and sustainable ways?   
2. What factors enable, incentivize, or impede the scaling of these innovations?   
3. How can these innovations promote gender equality, equity and inclusion? 

KIX KIX will allocate up to CA$ 14 million through this call.  

Proposals may be of any of the following three types:  

Multi-country and regional/global grants are preferred. Single-country grants will be considered where multi-country work is difficult and/or when the proposal provides a compelling and unique opportunity for learning from a single-country case. 

Proposals must target, and be grounded in, GPE partner countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific (see Annex A for the list of countries).  

IDRC reserves the right to fund additional proposals from this call if/when more funding becomes available.  

IDRC is under no obligation to issue any funds prior to the applicant returning a fully executed Grant Agreement to IDRC. 

All grants are subject to sufficient funds being made available to IDRC by the Parliament of Canada or under a donor partnership agreement with a particular external funder. 

IDRC reserves the right to cancel this call for proposals at any time without prior notice and/or to not issue any grants under this process. 

Only Only proposals that meet the eligibility criteria will be considered.  

General eligibility criteria for all grant types 

Proposals must be submitted by nationally/internationally registered or incorporated organizations. These could include, inter alia, research institutions, universities, think tanks, network secretariats, associations, civil society organizations, non-profits, or the private sector.  

Applicants must have independent legal status (or “legal personality”), be capable of contracting in their own right and name, receiving and administering funds, and have the authority to direct proposed project activities. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their legal status through written documentation. Legal status will only be reviewed if and when applicants are selected following technical selection. 

Proposals may be submitted by individual organizations, or by consortia of up to three organizations. Proposals from consortia must name one lead organization, which can subgrant to the others. Proposals from, or that include, private sector partners should demonstrate how private sector resources – financial or technical knowhow - will contribute to the project. Organizations/consortia must have a strong presence and track record of work in the education sector of GPE partner countries. 

Who is NOT eligible? 

• Individuals. 
• Government ministries and agencies are not eligible for funding but can be involved in projects. 
• For-profit providers of core education services. 

Specific eligibility criteria for the three types of grants 

KIX will prioritize funding to organizations based in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in regions covered by this call.  

Single-country grant proposals must be submitted by national organizations based in the country of focus. They may apply as individual organizations or lead a consortium that includes other organizations whether from within or outside the country. 

Multi-country grant proposals must be submitted by an organization based in a low- or middle-income country in Africa or the EAP region. Other consortium members may include organizations from within or outside the region; national, regional, or international offices of multi-lateral organizations; or international NGOs. 

Regional/global grant proposals may be submitted by any organization that meets the general eligibility criteria, as an individual organization or leading a consortium. 

Linkages Linkages to education policy priorities and key stakeholder endorsement 

Proposals must demonstrate clear links with education policy priorities and define plans for effective engagement of key stakeholders such as the ministry of education. This could be through a letter indicating approval or interest from an appropriate authority in the ministry, or evidence of clear alignment with current official documents such as the partnership compact, the education sector plan, or other similar strategic plan documents. Proposals should demonstrate that the organization applying for the grant is working in and has relationships with relevant education stakeholders in the target countries.  

High-quality research for development  

Funded projects will be expected to undertake research for development, which is designed to build knowledge, innovation, and evidence, strengthen capacity, and mobilize knowledge for policy and practice. They should be problem-focused and action-oriented. They should creatively identify and engage with relevant users of the knowledge and innovation. They should involve education system stakeholders throughout to ensure that research is relevant and positioned for use in policy and practice. They will also be expected to meet the quality standards expressed in IDRC’s Research Quality Plus (RQ+) framework. They must be methodologically rigorous, original, and relevant. They must be ethically sound, address GEI dimensions, and be well-positioned for use by different stakeholders. 

Research for scaling innovation, using a critical approach 

Proposals are expected to focus on promising or proven innovative approaches that have potential to be scaled and facilitate transformative change in GPE partner countries. Innovations may include, but are not limited to, tools, practices, policies, programs, technologies, frameworks, methodologies, or any other interventions that can be used to address the challenge, sometimes in combination.​ The innovative approaches may come from within or outside GPE partner countries.  

KIX will not support the large-scale implementation of identified innovations; it will, however, fund research for development to generate evidence for their scaling. This may include:  

• adapting and refining the innovations to the contextual needs of the selected countries;  
• developing and testing means and models to scale them;  
• supporting capacity strengthening of stakeholders who will adapt, adopt and scale the innovations;  
• conducting a cost analysis of the innovations; and  
• assessing results.   

Proposals will be encouraged to take a critical approach to scaling. Scaling is not only about making something bigger or increasing the coverage of an intervention. Scaling is the process of improving the reach, breadth, quality, equity, and sustainability of the changes, benefits, and solutions that innovations bring to education systems.  Projects should use the research process to determine an optimal scale for their innovation (see more in Gargani and McLean, 2017).   

Gender equality, equity, and inclusion (GEI) 

Proposals should demonstrate how GEI will be promoted, using an intersectional approach, with respect to both (i) team composition and organizations comprising the research team; and (ii) the design and implementation of the proposed research. Gender-blind proposals will not be considered. Annex B provides a series of questions to help guide the integration of GEI in research proposals and the implementation of projects.  

Being part of the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) 

The projects funded out of this call will become part of KIX. They will be invited to participate in joint learning and synthesis activities with other projects, and to extend their knowledge mobilization strategies with regional Hubs. They will be invited to participate in the KIX-wide project called Research on Scaling the Impact of Innovations in Education (ROSIE). They will be required to link their results to the KIX-wide results framework and track some common results in their monitoring, evaluation and learning strategies. Proponents should anticipate allocating necessary personnel and at least 20 days to these KIX-level activities in their plans and budgets. 

All All applications should be submitted in English or French, using the online application form link. 

The online application will ask applicants to provide: 

• The project title. 
• Countries of focus. 
• Project duration. 
• Project summary in plain language. 
• Contact information of the project leader and co-applicants (if applicable). 
• The rationale for the consortium (if applicable). 

Problem Identification and Background (max. 1,500 words) 

• Clearly state the problem or opportunity to be addressed in your project; how it addresses an important knowledge gap and GEI issues relevant to the identified policy challenge; how the project responds to education priorities of the chosen GPE partner country(ies), including their education sector plans or partnership compact priorities.  
• Present a review of relevant literature in relation to the proposed project. 
• Provide a justification for the selected innovation(s) to be adapted and further tested, including available evidence of its effectiveness. 

Research Purpose and Anticipated Results (max. 1,000 words) 

• Clearly state the project objectives1 in response to the call objectives.  
• Present the project’s research questions in reference to the guiding research questions and addressing the challenge and one or more of the subthemes.  
• Describe the project outputs and outcomes, and the intended impact to which it will contribute; explain how it will add to existing knowledge for education systems.  
• Describe how the project will address and promote GEI issues.  

Project Design and Methodology (max. 1,500 words)  

• Describe the study design, conceptual framework, methods, and type of analysis. Outline the scaling approaches and delivery mechanisms to be tested. 
• Outline how GEI considerations will be incorporated in all elements of project design and methodology.  
• Outline how relevant stakeholders will be involved in fair and equitable partnerships during the project.  
• Describe the project’s adaptive management approach, and how it will manage and address potential risks. 

Knowledge Mobilization Strategy (max. 700 words) 

• Provide an overview of how the activities and outputs of the project will engage potential knowledge users (including ministries of education) on an ongoing basis, the strategies to ensure that research results are used by relevant stakeholders, and what the outcomes of the project might be for policy making and capacity building. Proposals should consider plans for leveraging the platforms provided by relevant KIX Regional Hubs in their knowledge mobilization strategy. 

Research Ethics (max. 500 words) 

• Provide details of the potential ethical issues in relation to the proposed research and what steps will be taken to ensure the highest ethical standards and the greatest protection of research participants. Refer to the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans.  
• Identify which institutional or national research ethics body will provide ethics review and oversight. Note that prior to commencing research, applicants will need to obtain approval from an official institutional or national research ethics body and will need to comply with the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement.  

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (max. 700 words) 

• Outline the project theory of change, along with intended results that focus on knowledge generation, capacity strengthening of project relevant stakeholders and knowledge mobilization of project results.  
• Describe the processes that the project will use to monitor progress, adapt, achieve results, and report.  

Project Team Capacities (max. 1,000 words) 

• List the project team members, their roles, and expertise relevant to the project (research, education data systems and data use, scaling, GEI, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and knowledge mobilization).   
• Provide a brief overview of the organization’s (or the consortium’s) track record relative to its proposed role in the project.  
• Explain how GEI principles will be upheld with respect to the project team members.  
• Describe project governance and coordination arrangements to produce high-quality work and support fair and equitable partnerships.  

Additional Documents 

In addition to the proposal, applicants are expected to submit:   

1. Contact information of the lead applicant and members of the consortium if applicable.  
2. Institutional Profile Questionnaire (IPQ) to be completed by the lead applicant and submitted along with a copy of the organization’s legal registration. 
3. Estimated budget, with a cost breakdown by categories using the IDRC budget template. Complete all the tabs except the Summary tab, which will be generated automatically. Save the completed and duly signed budget as a PDF document and attach this to your application. For a list of eligible expenses, please refer to the IDRC  Guidelines for Acceptable Project Expenditures. For general information, refer to the General IDRC Funding Guidelines.  Please add information on any matched funding, or additional leveraged resources, that are relevant to this proposal under the “Donor contributions” and “Local contributions” tabs. 
4. Two-page CVs of the lead applicant with relevant experience and key contact individuals from other organizations in the case of consortia.   

By submitting this proposal, the Applicant confirms that their acknowledgment of the applicable Terms and Conditions for the Grant Agreement, acknowledged and accepted, form an integral part of the funding application. The Applicant also agrees to abide by GPE's Policy on protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, by IDRC Corporate Principles on Research Ethics, IDRC Open Access Policy and IDRC Open Data Statement of Principles to proceed.

An An independent expert panel will assess proposals using the evaluation criteria and criteria weighting (in percentages) outlined below.   

Eligible Eligible proposals must be submitted no later than July 17, 2023 (23:59 EDT). Proposals received after the deadline or incomplete proposals will not be considered. All applications must be submitted using the online application form. An acknowledgement of receipt of proposal will be sent following the timely submission.  

Responding to this call is the first step in the application process for potentially securing funding for your proposal. The review process will consist of the following steps, conducted by IDRC program staff and external reviewers with relevant expertise.  

1. Verification of eligibility requirements and proposal completeness: IDRC will review all submitted proposals to ensure they meet eligibility requirements and include all necessary application materials. Ineligible, incomplete and irrelevant proposals will not be considered further.  
2. Initial shortlisting of eligible proposals: If a large number of proposals are submitted, IDRC will review them based on the evaluation criteria presented in section 7 and send a shortlist of the top proposals to the KIX Independent Assessment Panel (IAP). 
3. Review and ranking of shortlisted proposals: IAP members will review eligible proposals using the evaluation criteria under section 7. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least two panelists. Proposals will be ranked on the basis of scoring and subsequent IAP discussion. The IAP will recommend which proposals are of sufficient quality to receive KIX funding.  
4. Recommending a cohort of projects: IDRC will identify a cohort of IAP-recommended proposals up to the maximum budget for the funding envelope available for the call. As much as possible, the cohort will balance thematic, geographic and applicant diversity. IDRC will also analyze budgets and proposals’ value for money. The cohort will be submitted for approval from the KIX Executive Committee. 
5. Final approval: The Executive Committee will provide final approval of the projects funded through this call.  
6. Notification of results: Following the selection by the Executive Committee, successful and non-successful applicants will be notified of the results by September 25, 2023.  
7. Request for changes: IDRC reserves the right to request successful applicants to make changes based on feedback from the IAP and IDRC, if necessary. IDRC may also facilitate additional interaction with KIX representatives in GPE member countries to further hone the selected proposal to country realities. 
8. Inception Phase: Upon selection and the signing of the Grant Agreement, grantees will be oriented to KIX objectives and processes over a period of three months called the Inception Phase. During this period, KIX program officers will work with grantees to align projects with the overall KIX theory of change and results framework and provide support and guidance on important requirements such as scaling research, GEI, knowledge mobilization, and MEL reporting.  

One View the recording of the informational webinar or consult the KIX Call FAQ page on the call for proposals to strengthen education data systems and data use for more detail.

• As As a Canadian Crown Corporation, IDRC is subject to Canada’s Access to Information Act. Consequently, any submissions in response to this Call for Research Proposals will be held by IDRC in a manner consistent with the Access to Information Act, including IDRC's obligations to disclose documents requested by members of the public. 
• By way of submitting an application under this Call, applicants consent to the disclosure of the documents they submit to IDRC and external reviewers who are involved in the assessment and selection processes of proposals. If selected for funding, applicants further consent to the disclosure of their name and the title of the proposed project in any announcement of selected projects. Unsuccessful proposals will be destroyed within 180 days after the close of the application period. Proposals deemed as high quality by the IAP, but which do not receive funding from this round, will be retained for an additional 12 months, based on applicant permissions. 
• Applicants must publish research findings in the public domain in accordance with IDRC’s Open Access Policy.  
• The technical selection of a proposal does not constitute a formal commitment by IDRC to fund the project. Applicants whose proposals are selected for a recommendation for funding will undergo an institutional assessment. This step assesses the potential risk of material loss of IDRC funds due to weaknesses in the capacity of an applicant’s institution to manage or report on the financial aspects of project activities, or because of economic and political conditions relating to the institution's operating environment. IDRC needs to review three broad areas in its assessment of what measures should be applied to minimize such risk: the materiality of the investment; the management capacity of the applicant’s institution; and the wider environment within which the organization operates. IDRC will have no obligation to issue any funds prior to the applicant returning an executed Grant Agreement issued to them by IDRC. The process for finalizing the project proposal, budget and administrative documentation is expected to take place between September and November 2023. 
• IDRC reserves the right in its sole discretion at any time to withdraw support for a project or recipient where the i) implementation, ii) monitoring of, or iii) access to a project is not possible or would jeopardize the safety of staff, contractors or anyone affiliated to IDRC. Additionally, where it is determined that a project or participation of an institution or individual would or could reasonably violate laws, sanctions or other obligations with which IDRC and or the applicant must comply, support for the project may be withheld or withdrawn. 
• Country clearance requirements: IDRC has conducted general agreements for scientific and technical cooperation with a number of governments. 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 applicant institution may be required to obtain country approval in accordance with these agreements prior to receiving funding from IDRC. This requirement applies only to selected applications. IDRC reserves the right to not pursue the funding of a selected project if the country approval is not secured within six months after IDRC officially announces approval of the project, as this would jeopardize the timely completion of the initiative. 
• Applicants whose proposals are selected to recommend for funding will be required to provide additional documentation (see additional documents under Proposal Submission Details) prior to confirmation of funding of their projects. IDRC reserves the right to rescind its selection of a project if it is deemed that the information provided in the application is false or misleading.  

IDRC’s Equality statement sayssays “We support the generation of knowledge—including by individuals from diverse genders, communities, histories, and experiences—that tackles the systems that perpetuate inequalities on the basis of identity.” Integrating GEI in all stages of research projects is essential for producing research that is fair, equitable, and inclusive, and ultimately promotes equal opportunities and treatment for all people regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or any other identity.  

When a project integrates GEI considerations across its design, methodologies, outputs, outcomes and organizational practices, the project is gender-responsive or gender-transformative (see IDRC’s Guide to integrating gender in your proposal). The following considerations can help move the project from “gender-blind” to gender-responsive or gender-transformative:  

Problem identification and background 

Including GEI in the problem identification and background contextualizes the research problem within the broader sociocultural and historical context. It helps to explain how gender and inclusion-related challenges in education have emerged and how they are perpetuated.  

• To what extent does the problem identification and background section discuss the contextual factors that contribute to GEI challenges?  
• What does the existing research say about the issues in focus with respect to GEI?  
• To what extent does the problem identification and background section clearly articulate the specific GEI needs or challenges to be addressed in the project?  
• Does the proposal include an intersectional approach to understand how gender intersects with other aspects of identity, such as age, ability, race, ethnicity, geographic location, sexuality, and wealth status? 

Research purpose and anticipated results 

Including GEI in research objectives, research questions, and project results helps to focus the project on GEI and ensure that it works towards addressing identified GEI challenges. 

• To what extent do the research objectives and questions incorporate GEI issues?  
• To what extent do the results - outputs, outcomes, and intended impact - address GEI issues and their underlying causes?  

Project design and methodology 

Including GEI in the research design and methodology helps to incorporate a diversity of perspectives, including those of marginalized groups who may be underrepresented in the research.  

• To what extent are GEI considerations reflected in the project design and methodology? 
• Are different groups involved in the research process in a meaningful, participatory way? To what extent do they represent the diversity of target groups, including the most marginalized? 
• How does the design accommodate for the effective participation of all stakeholders? 

Knowledge mobilization strategy 

Including GEI in knowledge mobilization activities helps to ensure that GEI issues are raised and addressed beyond the project.  

• Are GEI considerations included in the knowledge mobilization strategy? 
• How will GEI-specific findings be documented and shared? 
• Are you considering involving relevant key stakeholders or change makers (government, NGO and others) that work on and influence gender-based discrimination and inequalities in the knowledge sharing process?  

Monitoring, evaluation, and learning 

Including GEI in your monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan ensures that there are GEI targets set, their progress is monitored, and learnings are documented and reported.  

• To what extent is GEI integrated into the project's monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan? 
• Does the proposal outline mechanisms to monitor and report on GEI-related results? 

Project team capacities 

Including GEI expertise and ensuring GEI representation in the composition of the team is important for ensuring diverse perspectives and experiences, addressing gender and inclusion-related challenges, conducting ethical research, engaging stakeholders, and disseminating findings to diverse audiences.  

• Do you have a person responsible for leading GEI integration?  
• Does the project team include a balanced mix of people of different genders? What roles do they have?  
• How might you strengthen the capacities of the research team regarding GEI?  

Have you highlighted the expertise within the team needed to conduct rigorous gender analysis and to analyze data by sex and other relevant indicators?