A partnership tool is available to facilitate partnerships between interested researchers, decision-makers and organizations. Please note that completing the partnership tool is voluntary. Its use is not a requirement of the application process and in no way confers any advantages in the assessment or funding of applications.
Upcoming funding opportunity: Women RISE
January 19, 2022
Women RISE (Women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 Recovery that is Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable) is a new initiative to support action-oriented research on how women’s health and their work (paid or unpaid) intersect and interact in the context of preparing for, responding to and recovering from COVID-19.
The Women RISE initiative is now accepting concept notes.
The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain the disease have shocked local and global labour markets, threatened livelihoods, introduced new workplace risks and made precarious work relationships even more precarious. Women around the world have borne the brunt of layoffs and loss of livelihoods, sacrificed their health at the frontlines of the pandemic response and disproportionately shouldered the burden of additional caregiving associated with COVID-19. There is a real risk that without efforts to understand the immense and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women and identify policies that prioritize the needs and health of women, worldwide progress on gender equality will be rolled back.
Supported by IDRC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Women RISE is aligned with the United Nations Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery. Research evidence generated by this initiative will inform immediate and medium-term solutions for post-COVID-19 recovery that will improve gender equality and health equity.
A forthcoming call for proposals will be available to fund research teams conducting action-oriented, gender-transformative research projects to understand the relationships between women’s work and health before, during and after COVID-19. Specifically, this funding opportunity will support population and public health research in low- and middle-income countries that addresses UN Research Roadmap Priority 3.5: “How have recent economic changes disproportionately impacted women and how can recovery strategies be inclusive and gender-transformative?”
Applications will need to clearly outline the health dimension of the research and demonstrate how the proposed research will inform solutions and strategies to improve women’s health and socio-economic wellbeing during and through recovery from COVID-19. Various quantitative and qualitative methodologies of research are acceptable, such as desk reviews, exploratory studies, intervention research, implementation research and comparative research. Basic science, biomedical or economics research with no cross-disciplinary research questions and clear methodologies to advance knowledge about the dual link between work and women’s health status will not be accepted. Women-led research teams and organizations are strongly encouraged to apply.
The total amount available for this call for proposals is approximately CAD20 million, enough to fund 20 research teams. Projects will have a duration of up to 24 months and a maximum budget of CAD1,000,000 per grant.
The launch of Women RISE is anticipated in March 2022. Concept notes are due in April 2022, and proposals will be due in July 2022.
Further details on Women RISE are available here.