1. LSTM Wednesday 20th November 2013
DFID’s approach to research funding, what’s new and how to get your proposal funded Sue Kinn and Malcolm McNeil Research and Evidence Division (RED)
LSTM
Wednesday 20th November 2013

2. How DFID programmes work
Working through governments (bilateral)
Country-led approach
With other donors and aid agencies
Poverty reduction strategies
Harmonisation and alignment
Longer term and more predictable aid
Accountability and tackling corruption
Encourage private sector, including NGOs and civil society providers
Post-conflict and Fragile states (500 million people)
Long term improvements to basic services

3. Impact of aid spending on the poor Transparency Accountability
Current issues in DFID
Value for money
Impact of aid spending on the poor
Transparency
Accountability
Working with new donors
Foundations
Emerging economies
Working with the private sector
Avoiding duplication

4. DFID priority areas
Climate and environment
Malaria and neglected tropical diseases
Reproductive, maternal and newborn health
Nutrition and food security
Water and sanitation
Wealth creation and private sector
Support to civil society
Humanitarian and emergency response

5. Why do we need research? (1)
Many current advances in development rest on evidence from previously conducted research, some quite old.
The best researched areas (where there has been investment in new products and greatest evidence on which to base decisions) are those where the greatest progress has been made, e.g. vaccinations, child mortality.
Evidence of what works, new products and innovations are often thin, poor quality or lacking in many areas of development.

6. Why do we need research? (2)
Without research, development will go backwards - we must continue to innovate to meet the evolving needs of the poor.
Pathogens develop resistance to prevention and control mechanisms
New diseases emerge and others can become more virulent and cause disease.
Natural disasters and shocks can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
We need to understand how best to deliver effective services at scale
We need to understand key development questions to support best policy choices

7. Research and Evidence Division
Responsible for delivering the Secretary of State’s major priority, to make DFID more systematic in using evidence and thereby have more development impact.
RED’s mission is to identify and generate the best evidence, knowledge, technology and ideas to improve the effectiveness of development and convey these to inform and influence policy, programmes and practice for poverty reduction.

8. Research and Evidence Division Director and Chief Scientific Adviser
Deputy CSA
Chief Economist
Research Commissioning:
Agriculture
Climate & Env
Human Dev
Growth
Governance, Conflict & Social Development
Evidence & Evaluation
Evaluation
Evidence into Action
Global statistics
South Asia Hub
East Africa Hub
Professional Cadres
Health, education, climate, environment, infrastructure, livelihoods, private sector, economics, statistics, governance, conflict, humanitarian, social development
QAU

9. DFID’s Research Programme
Three broad aims:
Development of new technologies which will have an impact on poverty
Better and more cost-effective ways of delivering aid and development assistance
Understanding the context for policy choices and delivery
To provide new knowledge and rigorous evidence to address the challenges of poverty reduction
Research must be seen as a development intervention – research which will have development outcomes and impact.
Research needs to be grounded and practical, delivering high quality global public goods

10. DFID commissioned research (1)
First consideration ALWAYS is high quality
BUT DFID-funded research has significant differences from that commissioned by research councils and charities:
Focus on:
Poverty reduction
Problems being faced in developing countries, by Governments, service providers and citizens.
Getting research findings into policy and practice (GRIPP) quickly.

11. DFID commissioned research (2)
First consideration ALWAYS is high quality
Strong focus on the development part of R&D.
Actively encourage partnerships between institutions in the north and those based in low-income countries, to enable capacity building and genuine collaboration
Increasingly encouraging partnerships between the public and private sectors.

12. How has research in DFID changed over past 10 years?
Central Research Department - expertise across sectors
Move to more open competition for funding
Increase in external peer reviewing
Appointment of Chief Scientific Adviser
More accountability/reporting about research
Need to include research uptake/pathways to impact
Research and Evidence as a separate independent Division
Set proportion of DFID budget for research (3% of total)
Changing thematic priorities

13. Changes in DFID’s views on evidence
External Research Advisory Group established
Higher priority for evidence in new programmes
Business cases, theory of change and Quality Assurance Unit
Commissioning and publishing Evidence products
Evidence papers
Systematic review programme
Creation of the Evidence into Action team
Creation of the South Asia and East Africa research hubs
Improved Links with Govt Office of Science

14. What does DFID want to achieve with its research?
Innovation and risk as well as more established research
Mix of research methods
Working with the private sector
Capacity building in various ways
GRIPP
Effective partnerships and influencing

15. Research challenges
How to be more effective in getting research into policy and practice (GRIPP)
How to use programmes to build the evidence base where no evidence exists (getting research out of practice – GROP)
How to better measure impact over time
Global public goods vs local country needs
Long term research timetables vs need for a rapid policy response
Improved access to timely evidence for policy and decision makers

16. Key challenge for RED
To demonstrate that the investment in evidence is changing working approaches in DFID, and leads to better developmental impact and VFM
Key risk for RED
Evidence investment by DFID does not deliver, or fails to achieve long-term support from other divisions

18. Funding for research
RED’s central research budget represents 3% of DFID’s total budget in FY (approx £330m)
RED’s funding last financial year was balanced across:
UK institutions – 31%
Overseas and international institutions – 36%
Southern institutions – 33%
Includes strengthening of tertiary education sector in Africa and Asia

19. Funding to?
Provision of core funds to international research organisations (e.g. CGIAR, icddr,b)
Product Development Partnerships (PDPs)
Research Programme Consortia (RPCs)
Direct funding other than to RPCs (e.g. TRAC, lab-lite)
With UK Research Councils (MRC, ESRC)
Collaboration with other donors HRCS)

20. Health research portfolio
Communicable diseases
PDPs, RPCs, MRC, JGHT, TDR, icddr,b, TRAC, NTD ir, Lablite
Reproductive, maternal and child health
RPCs, PDP, MRC, JGHT, HRP,
Health systems
Alliance, HSR, MRC,
Non-communicable diseases
RPC, ?tobacco

21. Product Development partnerships Research Programme Consortia
Funding modalities
Product Development partnerships
Aeras, DNDi, FIND, IAVI, IPM, IVCC, MMV, TBA, PATH
Research Programme Consortia
9: health systems (including one led by LSTM), strengthening delivery, FP, HIV, nutrition, mental health, systematic reviews
Joint with UK funders
MRC, ESRC and WT
WHO based programmes
Alliance, HRP, TDR
Other
Saving lives at birth, research capacity strengthening, icddr,b, TRAC, Lablite

22. Estimated health research spend 2013-14
PDPs (25.6m)
RPCs (19m)
RC (13.5m)
WHO (7.7m)
Other (10.8m)
PDPs
33%
RPCs
25% RC
18%
WHO
10%
other
14%
100%

23. What do funders want from research(ers)?
High quality research and outcomes
Answer timely relevant questions
Value for money
Potential for impact
Safe pair of hands
Technical
Institutional/Managerial
Financial/Budget

24. Universities, think tanks, NGOs, UN agencies etc.
Highest technical quality and respond to DFID requirements
Who is best placed to answer the research questions – including the ‘value-added’ aspects for DFID?
What are the aims of the funding – research alone, capacity building, partnership with developing country researchers/policy makers?
What are the transaction costs for DFID?
Where is the greatest value for money?
Research uptake – not advocacy

25. Your research should include
Innovation and risk as well as more established research
Mix of research methods
Working with the private sector
Capacity building in various ways
GRIPP
Effective partnerships and influencing

26. Technical issues
Make sure the proposal directly addresses the call or priorities of the funder
Do not dress up your pet project to fit the call
Use appropriate research methods
Match the level of ambition to the budget/time/resources being requested
Make sure all people named (and budgeted) have a clear added value for the specific research proposal

27. Institutional/Managerial issues
Don’t develop proposals beyond the institutional capacity to deliver
Keep things as simple as possible avoid excessive complexity in governance arrangements or technical approaches
Use appropriate partners to bring required experience
Spell out and justify the role of senior/expensive staff
Use junior/inexperienced staff appropriately, not just to save money
Don’t underestimate managerial and financial requirements to deliver research effectively

28. Financial/Budget issues
Technical proposals must be closely linked to the budget
Do not include items not permitted by the funder
Avoid excessive daily rates for staff – funders will calculate how they compare with published salary scales
Avoid excessive spend on travel and conferences
Make sure all budgets are clear and easy to follow
Make sure budgets are apportioned fairly between partners

29. Do you have a research uptake strategy? REF pathways to impact
Relevant research questions addressed
Research findings communicated appropriately
Building capacity to understand, do and use research
Open access publishing

30. Capacity building
Check if funding is available for capacity building
Integrate throughout the proposal
Gender balance
Mix between long-term and short-term activities
Wider than the research itself (e.g. technical, managerial, finance, planning, communication, research synthesis)

31. Stakeholders and communities
Check if funding is available
If engaging, take it seriously
Integrated throughout but with engagement as early as possible
Stakeholders will give you a full understanding about ‘norms’ and cultural issues
Feedback to participants throughout and at the end of the process

32. Keep in mind:
Write up research quickly
Don’t overclaim findings
Don’t bury negative findings
Make information accessible to non-specialists
Keep thinking about GRIPP and impact
Use mixed methods including economic evaluation, social science etc.
Liverpool STM very strong on these aspects

33. What puts research funders off?
Late and incomplete applications likely to be rejected
Rushed applications are always lower quality
Asking clarification questions that are already answered in call documentation/online help or other sources
Asking questions that are only relevant if you get through to the next stage
Applications that are too long, or do not follow instructions
Annexes included which have not been requested
Obscure labelling of electronic files

34. Top tips and blunders to avoid
Read the terms of reference for the call carefully – check that you are responding to what is wanted
Please, please!! Do not shoehorn your favourite research proposal into a call where it does not fit (surprisingly - we can tell)
Describe clearly what you propose to do and achieve
Show how the research is responding to needs described in the call
Be honest about your own expertise and capacity – make clear how any shortcomings will be addressed
Answer the questions in the application form in plain English
Stick to word/page limits and don’t change the format
Do not add a title page if not required
Name all your electronic files sensibly – amazing how many arrive labelled “DFID application” – but from whom?

35. Health Systems Research
Current opportunities are advertised at:
Health Systems Research
Neglected Tropical Diseases Implementation Research (just closed)
Building capacity to use research evidence (closed)
MRC responsive system/African Research Leaders
R2HC – health in humanitarian crises
WHO programmes calls
EDCTP

36. All outputs recorded on ‘Research for Development’
● R4D gets 150,000 visits & 100,000 downloads per month. ● Usage has increased by over 40% since March 2012 ● 41% of visitors to R4D access it from a Southern country: 11% from DAC Least Developed and Low Income Countries

37. Thanks