GCE Transition To Scale Grant Call For The Year 2020/2022

PROMOTING HEALTH INNOVATIONS THROUGH GRAND CHALLENGE APPROACH

CALL FOR HEALTH INNOVATION PROPOSALS: TRANSITION TO SCALE APPLICATION 

This call for proposals will be open until 12:00 am of June 30, 2020.

Background

Grand Challenges Ethiopia

Grand Challenges Ethiopia was officially launched in 2015 during the Health Sector Annual Review meeting (ARM) with the aim of stimulating the creation, appraisal, promotion and scale up of innovation ideas and concepts. The innovative ideas are to be responsive to the identified health related challenges and assist in the effective implementation of Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). GCEth is established under Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), with its own secretariat and national taskforce. It has strategic partnership with Grand Challenges Canada, Grand Challenges Bill and Melinda Gate foundation and other partners working in the health innovation.

The three funding schemes in GCEth:

• Seed grant funding to explore and test innovation ideas in priority areas
• Transition to scale funding to implement effective and impactful innovation at wider scale
• Validation funding  for testing innovations surfaced elsewhere that are applicable in our setup

Priority areas

Challenge 1. Maternal Health

Challenge 2. Newborn and childhood health

Challenge 3. Anti-Microbial resistance

Challenge 4. Pastoralist Health

Challenge5. Adolescent and Youth Health

Objective of this call

To call applications for transition to scale innovation grant

Who is Eligible?

1. Applicants must be individuals or group of individuals with a project lead having an affiliation to a government organization
2. All project implementation sites must be inside Ethiopia
3.  A project can have a maximum of two Project Leads, at least one Project Lead must be affiliated with the submitting Governmental Institution
4. A Project Lead may only be listed on one (1) application. An institution may, however, be the applicant on multiple applications, if all applications have different Project Leads
5. Application must include all required information and attachment. Only complete applications will be considered for review
6. Grand Challenges Ethiopia will fund technological innovations, social and business innovations on the five priority thematic areas listed above
7. Grand Challenges Ethiopia will not fund discovery science (pure research proposal aiming at improving knowledge), routine capacity-building initiatives or ongoing programmatic funding being funded by government or partner organizations
8. Transition to scale innovation aiming at improving equity of the health system will be encouraged

How to apply

Applicants need to apply using the application form that can be downloaded from: www.ahri.gov.et/gce/application form, you can also request the form GCE secretariat via: grandchallengesethiopia@gmail.com

Application must include

• Innovation transition to scale concept note, project work plan and budget breakdown (see details on the application format)
• Evidence for effectiveness and impact fullness of the developed prototype or tested project at initial phase should be clearly described in the concept note. The developed  and tested project are subjected to be  defended in person before award
• The CVs of Project Lead(s) and co-lead(s)
• Support letter from project leads’ organization
• Support letter from co-leads’ organization(s) if different from Project lead’s organization

The application must be submitted through e-mail to grandchallengesethiopia@gmail.com . Submitted application is considered after an email confirmation from GCEth secretariat 

Assessment and Selection Proposals

Application will be screened for its completeness by in-house GCEth screening committee before submitted for further detailed review by GCEth taskforce members according to the following criteria.

1. Soundness of the proposed innovation: the essence of the proposed idea or proposed transition to scale project
2. Feasibility of the use or implementation of the proposed innovation, tool or technology; proposed methods and execution of the proposed project
3. Value for money and potential population impacts: Delivers a strategically focused response to the grand challenges in a cost-efficient manner
4. Project implementation capacity of the applicants: Profile of implementation organization, the project lead/co-lead and the team

Funding

Through this call for proposals, Grand Challenges Ethiopia will award transition to scale funding up 1,000,000 Ethiopian Birr per project to be implemented over a maximum of 18 months. The project period must be between Sept 11/2020 and January 10/2022. The value for funding may vary and will commensurate with the proposed project.

GCEth reserves the right to fully or partial fund selected proposal(s) to increase or decrease budget as it deems appropriate and at its sole discretion.

Note

Applicants will be notified by GCE in writing of the decision concerning their application with in four (4) months after the closing date. Notice of decision will be not be given before the whole assessment process is finalized. Innovators should be aware that appropriate research ethics approvals are required and must submit associated documents to GCEth before implementation of the proposed innovation..

Innovators should be aware of respecting intellectual property right as appropriate and must apply only for their own previous innovation work for this transition to scale grant

Innovators who have already owned patent right are encouraged to submit with their CV

GCEth would like to underline that funding for the innovation transition to scale will be subjected to the availability of fund from Federal Ministry of Health. Furthermore, no financial commitment will be made by GCEth until an agreement has been signed with the chosen organization.

For further information

Contact details for Grand Challenges Ethiopia Secretariat:

Phone number: +2511183566823 or

E-mail: grandchallengesethiopia@gmail.com