Addressing Neglected Areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in sub-Saharan Africa (ANSRHRA): Frequently Asked Questions

Text reads: ANSRHRA: Addressing neglected areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa

Eligibility
Financial and budgetary
Administrative
Questions raised during the informational webinar

1Eligibility

1. Can an organization submit more than one proposal?

Yes. An organization can submit a maximum of two applications as a principal applicant organization. The onus is on the organization to demonstrate that it has the resources and capacity to undertake the two projects if their applications are successful. Different departments or faculties within the same institution may be considered different principal applicant’s organizations for this purpose.

An organization may apply as a co-applicant organization on multiple applications.

2. Is there a limit on the number of applications that an individual can be a part of?

Yes. An individual can only be a principal applicant or co-principal applicant on one application. Key team members can be listed on a maximum of two applications (e.g., someone can be a principal or co-applicant on one proposal and a collaborator or co-applicant on one other application).

3. Who can apply to this anticipatory call for letters of interest?

IDRC is only able to grant project funds to institutions and is unable to grant directly to individuals. The eligibility criteria for individuals and organizations are listed under the Eligibility section of the anticipatory letters of interest documents. Only implementation research teams (IRTs) that were successful at the anticipatory letter of interest stage and invited to submit a full proposal can apply to the anticipatory call for proposals.

4. What are the characteristics of the decision-maker co-applicant that would be accepted?

A decision-maker co-applicant is a local-, district- or national-level decision-maker from the same country/territory as the principal applicant’s organization or in a country/territory where the research will take place. The decision-maker should have responsibilities within the government (local, district or national level) relevant to the proposed research. They should have the responsibility and authority to support the identification of research questions, contribute to the implementation of the research project and advance mobilization of research findings. If the decision-maker co-applicant is not from a government entity, the team needs to justify how the chosen decision-maker has the ability to support the research, act to implement the research findings and influence relevant levels of government.

The IRTs should demonstrate true decision-maker buy-in, not only by producing letters of support but also by obtaining concrete support through mechanisms such as co-funding and/or in-kind contributions and meaningful, ongoing participation in the design and execution of the research and in the mobilization of results. The IRTs should build in ways to ensure continuous policy and program engagement to take advantage of opportunities as they arise through strong and meaningful partnerships with program and policy decision-makers.

5. What specific country procedures, clearances or permissions are required?

In some cases, IDRC has agreements for scientific and technical cooperation with the governments of the countries where we support projects. Where such agreements exist, IDRC may require additional or alternative approval processes to be followed to comply with such agreements. Grantees must also follow the prevailing approval procedure as required by their organizations and government authorities.

If relevant, country procedures only apply to applications that are selected for funding and are not required prior to submitting a full proposal. 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.

6. Are these country procedures only applicable to the principal applicant’s organization?

No. As applicable, country procedures apply to the principal and co-principal applicant organizations.

7. Can an organization or a member organization within a consortium that is chosen as the regional Health Policy and Research Organizations (HPRO) for the ANSRHRA initiative apply for an implementation research grant?

No. Organizations that are successful in applying as a Lead Organization or as a Consortium Member Organization for one of ANSRHRA’s Health Policy and Research Organizations are not eligible to apply for the call for letters of interest for IRTs.

8. Who is considered a Canada-based co-principal applicant?

A researcher with an academic or research appointment at a Canadian research institution (the appointment must commence by the effective date of funding; allow the individual to pursue the proposed research project, to engage in independent research activities for the entire duration of the funding, to supervise trainees and to publish the research results; and oblige the individual to conform to institutional regulations concerning the conduct of research and the supervision of trainees).

9. Is it possible to submit a letter of interest without having all of the co-principal applicants and/or the co-applicant decision-makers in place at the time of submission?

At both the letters of interest stage and the submission of full proposals, IRTs must include:

A principal applicant who is a sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher (citizen or permanent resident of an African country) with a position in an institution based in an eligible country.
A co-principal applicant who is a senior member of a civil society organization led by and/or prioritizing underserved populations, including women and girls, who has been active in supporting priority areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution.
A co-principal applicant who is an independent researcher based at a Canadian institution.
A co-applicant who is a relevant local-, district- or national-level decision-maker, based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution.

Applications that do not meet these criteria at either stage will be excluded.

2Financial and budgetary

10. Are applicant organizations required to make financial or in-kind contributions?

The anticipated full amount of up to CAD1.2 million will be provided to teams successful at the call for full proposals stage. Nevertheless, for those applicants that are selected to receive a grant, IDRC’s policy on local contributions will apply as follows:

For each project selected to receive IDRC funding, the principal applicant and co-applicant institution in Canada will be required to make local contributions to the project. The civil society organization co-applicant will receive a sub-grant and thus is not required to make local contributions. Please refer to W45.
Local contributions represent cash amounts expended by the applicant from their own resources, from private grants or from grants received from local, provincial or national authorities for the purpose of the project.
In-kind contributions may include salaries of regular staff, equipment and infrastructure, and overhead costs.
Cash and/or in-kind contributions should be reflected in the project budget.

11. Can indirect costs be included in the total project budget?

Where an organization has a supportable indirect cost-recovery policy, IDRC will support indirect costs of up to 13% of all IDRC grantee-administered costs. The indirect cost rate proposed in the budget should not exceed the grantee’s organizational rate and should be verifiable.

Where a project includes sub-IDRC grantees who are administering a portion of the project, the maximum contribution may be shared between the proposing institution and the collaborating institution, but it cannot exceed 13% of the total budget.

12. Should the budget currency be in Canadian dollars?

The total amount of funding requested by the principal and co-principal applicant’s organizations should be presented in its working currency and its equivalent in Canadian dollars. The IDRC budget template (not required at the letter of interest stage) includes space to specify the exchange rate between currencies based on the date when it is calculated.

13. How should the project budget be distributed between the organizations of the African principal applicant, the civil society co-principal applicant and the Canadian-based co-principal applicant?

While each team should define the most appropriate way to distribute their budget to achieve their proposed project’s activities, a minimum of CAD250,000 must be allocated to support the activities of civil society organizations related to strengthening advocacy and accountability mechanisms. Otherwise, IRTs can allocate the project budget in the way that allows them to achieve the project’s objectives.

Proposals will be evaluated in part on the appropriateness of budget allocations.

Teams need to be cognizant of the following evaluation criteria listed in the letter of interest documents:

Appropriateness of budget (5%)

The proposed budget is justified in relation to the suggested activities and is apportioned appropriately between the principal applicant, civil society organization co-principal applicant, Canadian-based co-principal applicant and, where appropriate, the decision-maker co-applicant.

The budget shows an anticipation of difficulties that may be encountered and embeds appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

The budget must include resources required to participate in-person ANSRHRA kick-off, mid-term and final meetings (to be held in sub-Saharan Africa, location and timing to be determined).

14. Can overhead costs be included in the total project budget?

IDRC expects grantees to absorb the overhead or administrative costs of a project as part of its IDRC grantee contribution. Where an organization has a supportable indirect cost-recovery policy, IDRC may allow indirect costs (see below) of up to 13% of all IDRC grantee-administered costs. The indirect cost rate proposed in the budget should not exceed the grantee’s organizational rate and should be verifiable. 

3Administrative

15. When will applicants be informed of the outcome of the letter of interest process?

We anticipate informing all teams that submitted a letter of interest of the results of the review process in June 2024.

IDRC reserves the right to cancel the process at any time without prior notice and/or at its discretion to grant all or none of the awards under this call. Moreover, grants will only be awarded subject to the availability of funding.

16. Do all principal and co-principal applicants and the co-applicant decision-makers have to attend the proposal-development workshop?

Yes. All applicants named as principal and co-principal applicants, and co-applicants, are required to attend the proposal-development workshop. There may be options for virtual participation, but active participation is expected from all members of the IRTs.

17. What is the role of the Health Policy and Research Organization (HPRO)? What are some examples of knowledge-mobilization activities that will be carried out by the HPROs?

An HPRO is an independent, non-partisan institution that works with researchers on knowledge mobilization and brokering to provide decision-makers with evidence-based knowledge and guidance and to contribute to the development and implementation of evidence-informed gender-transformative policies and practices that create and strengthen equitable health systems. The primary role of HPROs in the ANSRHRA initiative will be to identify priority evidence gaps in each region to inform the proposal-development stage, identify and address capacity needs within funded implementation research teams, particularly around integrating gender and social-equity analysis within projects, and both the execution and translations of gender-transformative implementation research. HPROs will also facilitate networking and learning across and within funded implementation research teams and facilitate knowledge mobilization and exchange across the full spectrum of knowledge users, including underserved populations, including women and adolescents as well as decision-makers and policymakers across multiple sectors and jurisdictions.

18. Who should submit the application?

The Africa-based researcher who is the principal applicant and their organization should submit the application.

 19. Will I receive reviewers’ comments on my application?

Only applicants who meet all eligibility criteria and are selected by the external Scientific Review Committee to move onto the full proposal stage will receive comments on their letters of interest submissions.

20. In terms of letters of support, who is acceptable as letter writers? Is it best to have the heads of the department, faculty, etc.?

According to the call document:

“Signed letters of support from all organizations named in the implementation research proposal, namely: principal applicant organization, senior member of civil society organization co-principal applicant, Canadian co-principal applicant organization and the organization with which the decision-maker co-applicant is affiliated, and any other and third-party organizations.”

These need to be from those that have signing authority to sign on behalf of their organization. Signed letters of support from relevant government ministries or other key stakeholders, where appropriate, need to be signed by heads of organizations or relevant departments.

21. Is there a maximum length for the CVs of the principal and co-principal applicants?

No.

22. When should the principal applicant and co-principal applicants complete the gender modules?

The principal and co-principal applicants are required to complete one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health prior to submitting the letter of interest. Applicants should select and complete the training module most applicable to their research project. Applicants are encouraged to review the “How to integrate sex and gender in research” section of the CIHR website.

4Questions raised during the informational webinar

On March 26, 2024, IDRC hosted a webinar to share information about ANSRHRA and the letter of interest process. A copy of the webinar slides can be found here. Below are the responses to questions raised during the webinar.

aEligibility

W1. Can organizations that do not fall under the criteria for the principal or co-principal applicants still be part of the IRT?

Organizations that do not fit the eligibility criteria as organizations of a principal applicant or co-principal applicant can be part of the implementation research team as a collaborator or external consultant.

W2. If we do not have connections to Canadian institutions yet, can IDRC assist with making connections or provide some guidance to do so?

Unfortunately, IDRC is not able to make connections between principal applicants and co-applicants.

W3. If an organization based in Africa operates separate research and civil society divisions, is it permissible for the principal applicant (researcher) and the co-applicant (civil society division leader) to both be affiliated with that organization? Or must the principal applicant and co-applicant carry different institutional affiliations?

The principal applicant and co-principal applicant institutions must be registered as separate entities.

W4. Can the applicant apply to implement the project in more than one country or should the proposal be limited to only one country?

A proposal can focus on one country or propose activities in multiple countries. If a proposal has planned activities in more than one country, the proposal must include a local civil society organization lead and local decision-maker partner for each country where the project is active. In the case that the project is active in more than one country, the total project budget is still CAD1.2 million.

If a project is implemented in more than one country, the required CAD250,000 budget proportion is the minimum amount for the civil society organization’s participation. This can be exceeded with justification in the body of the application and according to the research plan.

W5. If an organization or principal applicant is based in only one country of the three we wish to work in (but has partners/co-applicants working in the other countries), are we still eligible?

Yes, this arrangement would meet the eligibility criteria. The proposal must include a civil society organization lead and decision-makers from the same country as the principal applicant as well as a local civil society organization lead and local decision-maker partner for each country where the project is active.

W6. Do projects have to be multi-country?

No, projects can be active in one country or in multiple countries.

W7. Can you have more than one principal investigator from the sub-Sahara African country institution, more than one co-applicant from the country linked to a civil society organization and government entity? Also, can you have more than one co-applicant from the Canadian institution?

There can only be a principal applicant or co-applicant on one application (see definitions of each category in FAQ 9). Each team requires one principal applicant, one Canadian based co-principal applicant, one co-applicant from the civil society organization and one decision-maker applicant.

W8. Can two universities form a team, one as principal applicant and the other as co-applicant in addition to a civil society co-principal applicant?

Yes, if one principal applicant is a sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher at an African-based university together with an independent researcher based at a Canadian university, and a civil society organization and decision-maker partner. As stated in the call document, each implementation team must be made up of:

a principal applicant who is a sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher (citizen or permanent resident of an African country) with a position in an institution based in an eligible country;
a co-principal applicant who is a senior member of a civil society organization led by and/or prioritizing underserved populations, including women and girls, and who has been active in supporting priority areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution;
a co-principal applicant who is an independent researcher based in a Canadian institution; and
a co-applicant who is a relevant local-, district-, or national-level decision-maker, based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution.

W9. Can a research institution in Africa present two principal investigators?

As described in FAQ 1 in this document, an organization can submit a maximum of two applications as a principal applicant organization. The onus is on the organization to demonstrate that it has the resources and capacity to undertake the two projects if both of their applications are successful. Different departments or faculties within the same institution may be considered different principal applicant organizations for this purpose.

An organization may apply as a co-applicant organization on multiple applications.

Each project may only have one principal applicant (meaning one project cannot share the principal applicant role between two Africa-based researchers).

W10. Are there African countries exempted from the call (i.e., with similar projects)?

Countries eligible for funding through this call are listed in Annex 3 of the funding call.

W11. Can the civil society organization/NGO be the principal applicant and the sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher be the co-applicant?

No. The principal applicant must be a researcher and the civil society organization must be a co-applicant (see definitions of each category in FAQ 9).

W12. Can the African organization be the lead applicant and have a co-applicant who is an international researcher?

As described in the letters of interest call document and FAQ 9, the principal applicant must be a sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher (citizen or permanent resident of an African country) with a position in an institution based in an eligible country. A co-applicant must be a Canadian independent researcher, senior member of a civil society organization or a decision-maker.

W13. Are there any restrictions on the senior member's organization which must be based in the home country? For example, can this senior member organization be an international locally based NGO with its head office abroad?

No. United Nations agencies and international organizations based in Africa or overseas are not eligible. Organizations headquartered outside Africa are also not eligible.

W14. Does the African office of an international NGO qualify as the civil society actor in the research team?

No. International organizations based in Africa or overseas are not eligible to be principal or co-principal applicants. Organizations headquartered outside Africa are also not eligible to be principal or co-principal applicants. They can be involved as collaborators or external consultants and a justification of their involvement and specific roles must be included in the proposal.

W15. What are the requirements for the institution of the African principal investigator? Does it have to be an academic institution? Can it be a corporate organization? Can the researcher be a university lecturer in any public university in Africa?

As described in the letters of interest call document, the principal applicant’s institution must:

have legal corporate registration, independent legal status and have the ability to receive and administer funds;
be based in an eligible country in sub-Sahara Africa and be eligible to conduct or coordinate independent research in study countries; and
have a corporate policy that allows researchers to publish without institutional restrictions in the international academic literature.

W16. In addition to the core applicants’ specific requirements, can other co-applicants be included? For example, can an international NGO with an affiliated office in the country of implementation or consultants from high-income countries be included in the proposal to support specific activities aligned with their expertise?

Outside the principal and co-principal applicant requirements, other organizations, including international organizations, may be included as collaborators, consultants or as external experts to contribute to the project. Their role must be clearly described and justified in the project proposal.

W17. For the decision-maker co-applicant, can they be senior staff of government agencies?

The criteria for a decision-maker are described in the call for letters of interest as: a decision-maker co-applicant at the local-, district-, national level in the same country as the principal applicant’s organization in a country where the research will take place. Decision-makers must have within their responsibility and authority to support the identification of research questions, implementation of research (where appropriate) and uptake of results at the appropriate level. If the decision-maker is not from a government entity, teams need to justify how the chosen decision-maker co-applicant can support the research, act to implement the research findings, and influence relevant levels of government. Women and other under-represented people in decision-maker positions are strongly encouraged to apply.

W18. If someone is eligible as a co-PI meeting the criteria of independent researcher based in a Canadian institution, but as well as their university appointment they are also employed with a Canadian NGO, can the researcher apply with the NGO instead of the university?

The Canadian co-principal applicant must be qualified as an independent researcher according to the definition provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

W19. What if the Canadian co-principal investigator is an employee an institute/division within a university that focuses on knowledge translation and roles are not described as appointment, just staff members. The University stands behind the involvement as a co-PI on the project.

The Canadian-based co-principal applicant must be an independent researcher according to the definition provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

W20. Is a private for-profit Canada-based organization eligible for a co-applicant?

The Canada-based co-principal applicant’s institution must:

be a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation) or an Indigenous NGO in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate;
have legal corporate registration in Canada, be allowed to contract in its own right and name and will be responsible for managing grant funds in Canada; and
have a corporate policy to allow researchers to publish without institutional restrictions in the international academic literature.

W21. Can a PhD student be part of the IRT?

A PhD student can be included as part of the IRT but may not be a principal applicant or co-principal investigator as they are not considered an independent researcher according to the definition provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

W22. Can a postdoctoral fellow at a Canadian university apply in collaboration with other research team members if they have affiliation with their institution back home?

A postdoctoral fellow may join an IRT as a collaborator or as an external expert/consultant. According to CIHR’s definition, postdoctoral researchers are not considered independent researchers and therefore are not eligible to be the Canadian co-principal investigator.

W23. Is it okay if the co-principal applicant is an independent researcher based at a Canadian institution but not a Canadian national?

Yes, as long as the co-principal applicant is an independent researcher based at a Canadian institution who meets the definition of an independent researcher as set out by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

W24. Can a prospective PhD student apply without the support of any organization, but with a letter of support from the university?

No, a prospective or current PhD student can be included as part of the IRT but may not be a principal applicant or co-principal investigator as they are not yet considered an independent researcher according to the definition provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

For information on IDRC’s funding for doctoral candidates, please visit IDRC’s website on Doctoral Research Awards.

W25. How many members are allowed per team?

There is no maximum number of team members. However, at the time of submission of the letter of interest, teams must include:

a principal applicant who is a sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher (citizen or permanent resident of an African country) with a position in an institution based in an eligible country;
a co-principal applicant who is a senior member of a civil society organization led by and/or prioritizing underserved populations, including women and girls, and who has been active in supporting priority areas of SRHR based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution;
a co-principal applicant who is an independent researcher based in a Canadian institution; and
a co-applicant who is a relevant local-, district- or national-level decision-maker, based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution.

W26. Can we submit more than one proposal?

Please see questions 1 and 2 in this document.

W27. Can a Canadian researcher, who is acting as the co-applicant on one call, be the co-applicant on other proposals?

Please see theresponse to FAQ 3: “An individual can only be a principal applicant or co-principal applicant on one application. Key team members can be listed on a maximum of two applications (e.g., someone can be a principal or co-principal applicant on one proposal and a collaborator or co-applicant on one other application).”

W28. Is there room for testing new ideas/approaches?

Yes, this could be included as part of a project proposal if the proposed activities align with the objectives, research areas and core design elements as described in the call for letters of interest document.

W29. Should proposals describe a new project or implement research in an existing project that is ongoing on any of the thematic areas highlighted?

Teams should develop proposals that best address the objectives of the call, whether as part of an existing project or a new initiative.

W30. We have an existing research program consortium with two institutions headquartered in one country and implementing SRHR research in refugee settlements in two different countries. The call does, however, indicate that the co-principal applicant who is a senior member of a civil society organization and the co-applicant who is a relevant local-, district- or national-level decision-maker should be based in the same country as the principal applicant’s institution. In our case, would a principal investigator aligned with an organization based in a neighbouring country disqualify us?

As described in the call document, at both the letters of interest stage and the submission of full proposals, a principal applicant is a researcher who is a citizen or permanent resident of a sub-Sahara African country, and who is based in an eligible institution and residing in an eligible country where the research will take place.

W31. For applicants employing a multi-country approach, can they involve countries from East and West and/or South and Central Africa?

Yes, projects can propose a multi-country approach that include any combination of countries in East, West, South and/or Central Africa. Please refer to the list of eligible countries in Annex 3 of the call document.

W32. Are multi-country applications more attractive to IDRC?

Proposals will be evaluated by an external review committee based on the criteria outlined in the call document. There are no evaluation criteria that favour single or multi-country proposals, but rather how well the proposal meets the objectives of the call and related evaluation criteria.

W33. Does the project need to employ a health system strengthening approach only? Is there flexibility to work with other sectors such as education?

Projects may include sectors outside of the health system. Implementation research projects are encouraged to engage the sectors that are best aligned and most relevant to address the objectives of the call and their specific projects.

W34. Would you consider applications that take into account the role of men as influential in decision-making processes in relationships characterized by power imbalances or violence in order to offer more finely grained interventions for vulnerable populations?

Yes, we recognize that the SRHR of underserved populations requires an understanding of power differentials that affect people’s access to opportunities, risks and services related to SRHR.

W35. Could you explain in a little more detail what gender-transformative approaches entail and what categories of vulnerability would weigh more?

As described in the call document and in the gender equality glossary referred to in the call, gender-transformative research examines, questions, analyzes and builds an evidence base to inform long-term practical changes in structural power relations and norms, roles and inequalities that define the differentiated experiences of women and men, girls and boys, and gender-diverse people for more equitable, fair and inclusive systems. This approach also strengthens the agency of groups at the individual, household and community levels. For more information, please refer to the glossary and reference articles included as part of the call.

Applicants are encouraged to describe how chosen target populations may be underserved with respect to accessing safe and high-quality services, leveraging legal instruments, policies and processes to exercise their rights, and participating in advocacy and accountability around neglected areas of SRHR in their contexts. Teams should also consider the many intersecting and overlapping identities among these listed groups in the call document.

W36. Please provide clarification on the letter of interest being intersectoral and gender transformative.

The call document highlights the need to engage multiple sectors and develop inter-sectoral interventions to address many of the structural and system-level determinants of the priority areas of SRHR described in this call. The call document also defines gender-transformative research as it intersects with implementation research and provides several reference documents for those who might be interested in learning more. We also encourage implementation research teams to describe how their project will embed and apply a gender-transformative approach that is most relevant to their contexts.

W37. Based on the core research areas, are teams to pick one of the areas to focus on?

Proposed implementation research projects must address at least one of the priority research areas of SRHR, address all of the initiative’s objectives and integrate the core design elements throughout the project’s design.

W38. For the requirement that the civil society organization have three years experience in the field of SRHR, do the three years have to be overall or in the specific country of the proposal?

The requirement that the civil society organization have three years of experience working in the field of SRHR refers to experience in actively supporting priority areas of SRHR outlined in the call in the specific country of the proposal or other countries in sub-Sahara Africa.

W39. If we are unable to find a Canada-based partner, are there any supports available to us?

IDRC is not able to make connections between principal applicants and co-applicants.

This call requires an Africa-based principal applicant, a senior member of a community service organization and a Canada-based co-principal applicant. Please visit IDRC’s webpage about funding opportunities for more information on other funding opportunities for which you may be eligible.

bFinancial and Budgetary

W40. Will the CAD50,000 be part of the award grant of up to CAD1.2 million?

No, the CAD50,000 is intended to support teams in developing their full proposals. These funds may be used to convene team members, build capacity in specific areas and/or conduct a feasibility analysis, among other activities deemed necessary to prepare a full proposal. The grant of CAD1.2 million will be provided to support the implementation research projects.

W41. What is the maximum budget for projects?

The maximum available for each project is a grant of CAD1.2 million over 36 months.

W42. Please clarify the format and level of detail for the budget for the letters of interest?

At the letter of interest stage, there is no template for the budget. The budget should be presented in a format that is familiar to the applicants and that makes clear the apportioning of the budget between the different applicants.

We will provide additional details to guide the budget submission for teams invited to submit at the full proposal stage.

W43. What are the regulations around compensation for the “local decision maker” if this person is a government employee?

The local decision-maker, if employed by a government institution, is not expected to be renumerated. They are invited to be part of the research team because of their role and position on a government decision-making body. If there are expenses (such as travel) that are required as part of their role in the project, then these may be included in the project’s budget.

W44. What are the guidelines around professional fees for co-investigators from Canada?

If the investigator from Canada is the co-applicant, they are employed by a research organization and are not expected to be renumerated. They are part of the research team because of their expertise and role within a research organization. If there are expenses (such as travel) that are required as part of their role in the project, then these may be included in the project’s budget.

If a Canada-based researcher is involved as a collaborator or external consultant, their involvement, specific expertise and role in the project, and allocated budget need to be justified within the project description.

45W45. Is there a cost-share or ‘contribution’ required for this opportunity? Can contributions be made in kind?

Yes. As described in FAQ Q10, for those applicants that are selected to receive a grant, IDRC’s policy on local contributions will apply as follows:

Any applicant and co-applicant institution in a low- or middle-income country and in Canada, respectively, selected to receive IDRC funding through a direct grant agreement will be required to make local contributions to the project.
We anticipate two grant agreements with IDRC per selected project: one for the principal applicant organization and one for the Canadian co-applicant organization. These two entities are required to make local contributions.
Local contributions represent cash amounts expended by the applicant from its own resources, from private grants or from grants received from local, provincial, or national authorities for the purpose of the project.
In-kind contributions may include salaries of regular staff, equipment and infrastructure and overhead costs.
Cash and/or in-kind contributions should be reflected in the project budget.

W46. Can projects sub-contract to a social enterprise or private-sector organization, for example, allocating budget for product distribution, education and material development?

Yes. Any use of external consultants or contractors must be described within the proposal, justified with respect to project objectives and existing expertise within the team, and accounted for in the budget.

W47. Is it possible for a non-co-principal applicant civil society organization/NGO organization to receive part of the budget? Would indirect costs be eligible?

Additional civil society organization/NGO partners could receive part of the project budget through sub-contracts; however, their role and the specific expertise they provide must be clearly justified in the proposal and be coherent with the proposal’s overall goals. Organizations receiving part of the project budget through sub-contracts would not be eligible for IDRC’s indirect cost coverage.

cAdministrative

W48. There are countries that are highlighted for advanced levels of approval before the grant is awarded. Why are they highlighted?

Every eligible letter of interest received will be reviewed by an external scientific review committee. It will be scored and ranked to identify the letters of interest invited to progress to Stage 2 (the submission of a full proposal). When and if a project from one of these countries is selected to be funded for an implementation research grant, there may be additional administrative and/or financial management steps required before the grant is formally approved.

W49. Could you please clarify the level of detail and format for the requested lists of current external donors and their contributions, as requested as part of the additional documents required list?

Some organizations may have a long history of external donors. If this is the case, organizations can include a list of external donors over the past five years.

W50. Does the principal applicant need to be the person to submit the letter of interest or is there flexibility for another member of the research team to submit it?

As mentioned in Q18 of the FAQ document, the principal applicant must be the person submitting the letter of interest.

W51. Does the individual creating an online profile have to be the principal applicant?

Yes, the individual creating an online profile has to be the principal applicant.

W52. Is there an application template?

Applications are to be submitted through the SurveyMonkey platform, where applicants are required to answer specific questions as well as provide their letter of interest submission addressing each of the evaluation criteria (as listed in the call document).

W53. How much change, both technical and financial, will be allowed in our proposal between the letter of interest and full proposal stages?

Teams are expected to revise and improve their proposals from the letter of interest to full proposal stage. It is also expected that the team’s budgets will adjust as planned activities change.

W54. We have conducted some preliminary research and needs assessment activities. How detailed should the letter of interest be? What types of things are out of scope and more appropriate for the full proposal?

Teams must use the limited space allowed within the letter of interest to present the most compelling case for their proposal to advance to the next stage. Teams should read the call for letters of interest document carefully for specific information about what should be included in their letter of interest and how each letter of interest will be evaluated to inform what they include in their letter of interest.

W55. What is the role of the Canada-based researchers in the project team?

Each team must identify and describe the expertise and contributions of each member of the team, as well as how the team plans to work together, as described in the team capacity evaluation criteria in the call document.

W56. What is the role of the decision-maker?

Decision-makers play a key role as part of IRTs by ensuring that research projects address priority needs by contributing to defining priority evidence needs and mobilization strategies, as well as guide how proposed strategies will influence programming and policy, and inform advocacy and accountability initiatives. Research can also be readily used by decision-makers and other knowledge users to strengthen responses that build more equitable realization of SRHR. Please see the call for letters of interest for more information.

W57. What does IDRC intend to achieve with the research work?

The initiative’s overall aim is to support greater realization of neglected SRHR by underserved populations, including women and girls, in sub-Sahara Africa.

Aligned with the intermediate outcomes of ANSRHRA’s logic model (Annex 1), the specific objectives are to:

Increase capacity to collaboratively generate evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative SRHR interventions.
Increase availability and mobilization of evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative SRHR interventions.
Increase demand by decision-makers for evidence on gender-transformative SRHR interventions.
Strengthen the use of evidence to advocate for promotion of SRHR, especially among underserved populations, including women and girls, and organizations that serve them.
Strengthen the use of evidence to hold communities, governments and other key stakeholders accountable for the promotion of SRHR, especially among underserved populations, including women and girls, and organizations that serve them.

Expectations for successful IRTs specific to these objectives are described in more detail in Annex 1 of the call document.

W58. One of the objectives distinctly emphasizes adolescents. Can we consider this objective as distinct from the others?

The specific objectives of ANSRHRA are to:

Increase capacity to collaboratively generate evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative SRHR interventions.
Increase availability and mobilization of evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative SRHR interventions.
Increase demand by decision-makers for evidence on gender-transformative SRHR interventions.
Strengthen the use of evidence to advocate for promotion of SRHR, especially among underserved populations, including women and girls, and organizations that serve them.
Strengthen the use of evidence to hold communities, governments and other key stakeholders accountable for the promotion of SRHR, especially among underserved populations, including women and girls, and organizations that serve them.

Teams are encouraged to address each of the proposal’s objectives. Adolescents are included as one of the priority research areas, of which proposals must address at least one.

W59. By implementation research, does this mean that the call is interested in integrating evidence-based interventions in health-care settings?

There is no restriction with respect to integrating evidence-based intervention in health-care settings, and implementation research in other sectors is encouraged. Please review the call document that outlines the type of implementation research eligible as part of this call, including the priority research areas and core design elements.

W60. Approximately how many letters of interest will move forward to the full proposal stage?

As described in the call for letters of interest, up to 15 applicants from the letters of interest stage will be invited to submit full proposals. From the up to 15 applications invited to submit full proposals, up to eight will be provided a grant for their implementation research projects.

W61. How many projects are going to be selected at the end and what is the duration of the grants?

As described in the call document, we anticipate funding up to eight projects with a grant of CAD1.2 million each for a duration of 36 months. A second cohort of projects is expected to be funded through an anticipated call for letters of interest in 2026.

W62. Will there be one grant to the primary African institution, or will there be separate grants for each of the co-principal applicants as well (e.g., for the Canadian institution and civil society organization)?

The total grant budget (up to CAD1.2 million) will be issued through separate grants to the principal applicant’s institution and the Canadian co-principal investigator’s institution according to the final budget agreed upon by the successful IRT and IDRC. The civil society organization in the principal applicant’s country will receive funds through a sub-grant, not a direct grant with IDRC.

dLetters of Support

W63. Can you provide the official competition name and who should the letters be addressed to?

The competition’s official name is Addressing neglected sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa (ANSRHRA). Letters of support can be addressed generally (either to whom it may concern, to the ANSRHRA Review Team, etc.).

W64. Does the institution have to provide any additional details outside of their letter or support at this stage? Do they need to register for anything?

No, at the letter of interest stage, supporting institutions do not need to provide any additional details.

W65. Are there expectations that in-kind support be described in the letters of support?

Letters of support are not expected to describe institutional commitments to projects through in-kind supports at the letters of interest stage.