Deadline: 13 December 2019

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are inviting expressions of interest (EOIs) from individual organizations, or consortia of multiple organizations, for a project intended to build knowledge and capacity to scale the impact of educational innovations in GPE member countries.

This call is part of the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX), a joint endeavor between the GPE and IDRC. KIX aims to strengthen national education systems and accelerate educational progress in GPE member countries by filling knowledge gaps, increasing access to evidence, and strengthening systems to support the generation and uptake of evidence and innovations in GPE member countries. KIX supports knowledge exchange across countries and funds projects at the global and regional levels, with a focus on deepening knowledge about effective means of scaling proven approaches to address challenges in the education systems of developing countries.

This call aims to fund action research across KIX-funded projects and build empirical evidence with an aim to:

• enhance the quality and results of KIX-funded projects with tools, mentorship and opportunities for co-learning between KIX grantees
• produce actionable knowledge for a broader variety of education stakeholders about scaling educational innovations in developing contexts

Objectives

Specific objectives of the project are:

• • To enhance quality of scaling efforts of KIX grantees through strengthening their capacities.
  • To develop new knowledge about scaling educational innovations in ways that optimize quality, equity, efficiency and sustainability of impacts in developing country contexts.

• To provide both conceptual and practical guidance to education stakeholders in developing countries on scaling educational innovations.

Components

The project will consist of two key components:

• Action research on scaling
• Complementary research on scaling

Funding Information and Duration

KIX will allocate CA$3.5 million (US$2.72 million) through this call. The project can be up to 42 months in duration. Funding can be allocated to individual organizations or groups of organizations (henceforth consortia) working together to implement the project. Only one individual organization or consortium representing multiple organizations will be awarded the grant.

Eligibility Criteria

• This call for expressions of interest is open to individual organizations or groups of organizations located within and outside of GPE member countries. Organizations applying for this project can be non-profit or for-profit.
• Eligible applicants must have a proven record of working in developing contexts and supporting the scaling of innovations in these contexts, preferably in the field of education. Organizations committed to develop research to inform and influence scalability of education innovations are encouraged to apply.
• Transdisciplinary consortia are encouraged to apply. Consortia may consist of up to four organizations. In case of a consortium, the expression of interest needs to provide a rationale explaining why the consortium has come together to implement the project and describing the role and added value provided by each member organization. Consortia must describe the governance and coordination arrangements they will use to produce high quality work and support fair and equitable partnerships. Consortia should include at least one organization based in a GPE member country.
• This call for expressions of interest is not open to individuals, government ministries and agencies, or for-profit providers of core education services.

Expression of Interest Requirements

The applicant organization (or, in the case of consortium, the lead organization) should submit an expression of interest of no more than 4,000 words that clearly addresses the following:

• What contribution to knowledge and capacity building the project will aim to make, including the intended outcomes and the main outputs;
• What specific research questions and conceptual frameworks the organization (or consortium) will pursue;
• The methodology the organization (or consortium) will use to conduct both the action research and complementary research;
• How the organization (or consortium) will use its results to engage and support both KIX projects and broader educational stakeholders;
• What the organization (or consortium) has learned through its work in scaling and how these lessons will inform the ways in which the organization(s) will approach the project (explain the organization’s (or consortium’s) experience(s) relevant to the project);
• What major challenges the organization (or consortium) foresees in implementing the project and what actions it will take to address them;
• The team composition and resources deemed necessary to successfully implement the project, including its evaluation and governance processes (in the case of consortium, outline the roles each member would play, which organization would lead, how partners would coordinate equitable and effective partnerships); and
• What the interest of the organization (or consortium) in applying for this project is and how this project aligns with their organizational mandate.

In addition to the expression of interest, applicants are expected to submit:

• contact information of the lead applicant and members of the consortium if applicable;
• Institutional Profile Questionnaire (IPQ) to be completed by the lead applicant; and
• abridged CVs of the lead applicant with relevant experience and key contact individuals from other organizations in the case of the consortium (CVs should be no longer than two pages).

Evaluation

Methodology and expertise for research (30%):

• Methodology outlines rigorous mechanisms and approaches for conducting action research, and additional knowledge-building on scaling educational innovations in developing contexts.
• Methodology presents creative, feasible, and cost-effective approaches to facilitating an action learning process among KIX grantees in order to support their scaling efforts.
• Methodology articulates knowledge mobilization and uptake strategies.
• Experience in conducting applied, action research that is oriented both to direct users (grantees) and to a wider audience and learning community.

Knowledge and expertise in scaling (30%):

• Experience and learning about scaling pathways, especially in developing contexts.
• Proposed research is grounded in solid conceptual framework regarding scaling issues, including the interplay between equity and inclusion, quality, efficiency and sustainability in scaling innovations.

Expertise in learning facilitation and knowledge mobilization (15%):

• Ability to facilitate knowledge exchange through participatory mechanisms both virtually and face-to-face.
• Experience in designing and developing products that support knowledge sharing and use: high quality practitioner-oriented outputs, toolkits, rapid knowledge syntheses, supporting resources, and policy briefs.
• Proposal to publish and disseminate academic-oriented outputs.
• Experience in knowledge mobilization for policy and practice improvement.

Organizational performance (20%):

• Experience working in developing contexts. Capacity to respond in an adaptive manner to a potentially large number of widely distributed innovation projects.
• Availability of the systems, resources, and management capacities necessary to succeed in conducting research on scaling, providing technical support to KIX grantees, and facilitating learning among them through an ongoing action learning process.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy.
• In the case of consortia, appropriate plans for coordination and governance.
• Capacity to work in English and French (other languages would be an asset).

Organizational motivation (5%):

• Evidence that the organization’s programmatic strategy, institutional mandate, and previous experience align with and are relevant to the project.

Eligible Countries

• ANGLOPHONE AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland and Puntland), South Sudan, Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar), Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• FRANCOPHONE AFRICA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Togo.
• ASIA/EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA/PACIFIC ISLANDS: Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Maldives, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tajikistan, Timor Leste , Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
• LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

For more information, visit https://fundsf.org/35fsprK