SDC Call for Proposals: Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development
Deadline: 5 April 2020
With the joint SDC-SNSF “Swiss Programme for Research on Global lssues for Development” (r4d programme) ending in 2022, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is launching a new Research and Innovation programme, which includes two pillars. A first pillar will provide direct support through contributions to big strategic, innovative applied research initiatives (TRANSFORM). A second pillar will continue supporting – on a competitive basis – research partnerships with smaller grants, based on the experiences of the ongoing r4d programme.
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The present Call for proposals takes place within TRANSFORM, the first pillar. SDC is looking for promising research and innovation initiatives, which engage researchers from Switzerland and from the Global South and East and implementation partners from other sectors (government, civil society, private sector).
This Call intends to support research initiatives, which directly respond to the needs and interests of implementation partners. It does not set specific thematic orientations. Impact evaluations, and other scientific methods, which help assess the impacts of international cooperation, can also be funded. SDC is particularly interested in initiatives which aim to contribute to the four medium-term strategic objectives of Switzerland’s international cooperation (IC) and addressing emerging issues and opportunities such as e.g. digitalisation, migration and cross sectoral approaches.
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Goal and Specific Objectives
TRANSFORM overarching goal is to promote applied, need-based scientific research conducted by consortia of researchers and implementation partners, who together analyse, develop and test innovative solutions to sustainable development challenges in least developed, low and middle-income countries in the Global South and East. Three specific objectives have been defined for TRANSFORM:
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To generate and validate transformative knowledge and technology that meet the needs of practitioners and contribute to sustainable development in the global South and East;
To foster and support the utilisation and scaling-up of research-based knowledge, technologies and innovation in development policies and interventions, through engaging implementation partners from the onset of research projects; and
To enhance scientific skills and know-how in conducting transformative and transdisciplinary research on systemic and complex development challenges.
Guiding Principles for the Initiatives
TRANSFORM will support research and innovation initiatives already ongoing or starting in 2020, which contribute to TRANSFORM’s goal and three specific objectives as well as to the planed objectives of Switzerland’s IC for the period 2021-2024.
It is allowed to pool several existing (research) projects under a single initiative (i.e into one comprehensive proposal); in this case, the projects must contribute to a common overarching goal and to a consolidated and plausible joint theory of change. The overarching initiative must be guided by a single strategic steering mechanism.
Proposals build on a track record of the consortium partners both in research and implementation work
Leverage effect: SDC’s contribution to initiatives conducted at local level facilitates the replication, validation and scaling-up of results and accelerates transformation towards the realisation of the SDGs.
Funding Information
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SDC in principle finances up to 50% of the total budget, but can cover up to 70% of the total budget if the type of initiative requires it (e.g. new innovative initiative). SDCs contribution comes under the form of a “contribution to a project”.
SDC’s contribution will indicatively be around CHF 1 million (m)/year (i.e. consortium partners match SDC’s contribution with approx.
What kind of Initiatives can be Funded
The initiatives should address concrete development challenges as identified by implementation partners from any sector (government, civil society, private sector) and refer to policy frameworks at national/regional/global level. The initiatives shall facilitate the validation of research findings and up scaling of research-based innovation with tangible results in the next three to five years.
The initiatives have to address several SDGs, on top of contributing to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the goals) and SDG 1 (no poverty). There are no specific requirements regarding the strategic steering mechanism of the initiative except a clear description of it in the proposal.
Duration
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The maximum duration of SDC’s contribution to the initiative is 60 months (5 years). The first disbursement from SDC should occur in 2020. The earliest possible start of funding is on 1 October 2020.
Eligibility Criteria
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The applying project partners (consortium) bring together the necessary expertise, capacity, network and experience and a good track record in scientific research, innovation, implementation of development projects and policy dialogue for sustainable development.
TRANSFORM will support interdisciplinary consortia that consist of at least a Swiss research institution, a research partner in the Global South/East and a non-research implementation partner of any nature (government, civil society, private sector).
Further (research) partners from the global North can also be included in the consortium.
A lead organisation, coordinating the initiative, has to be defined. The lead organisation will be the intermediary for all communication between the consortium partners and the SDC and will be responsible for supplying all documents and information to the SDC.
Applicants, which already receive a programme contribution from SDC, are eligible but double financing of activities and/or double financing of overhead costs are not allowed. Such applicants have to prove that there will be no double financing.
How to Apply
The pre-proposal is submitted in English;
The document submitted has a maximum total length of 5 pages;
A minimum of point 11 font size must be used;
No Annexes are permitted.
Pre-proposal must be submitted electronically via email at the address given on the website.
For more information, visit https://www.eda.admin.ch/deza/en/home/activities-projects/activities/research-culture/research/forschungsfoerderung.html