Request for Proposals: Shifting Perspectives on Research Impact – East Africa Focus

This opportunity has now closed.

Elrha’s R2HC programme is seeking a consultant to review our Research Impact Toolkit online learning materials and content to determine priorities for additional content and guidance. We are looking for an expert with knowledge of the East Africa humanitarian health policymaking context.

Please note: We kindly ask that individuals who previously applied for this consulting role when it was advertised earlier in 2024 do not reapply.

BACKGROUND 

The R2HC programme aims to improve health outcomes for people affected by humanitarian crises by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions.  

As part of the R2HC’s grant-making offer, we aid grantees in stakeholder engagement, knowledge translation, and research uptake through workshops, peer-learning, and guidance tools. The support package is based on the Research Impact Toolkit (RIT), created by ODI in 2018, featuring workshops on goal-setting, stakeholder engagement, and research communications. Since 2020, the RIT is available online with additional courses on social media and community engagement added in 2023. However, recent research suggests knowledge translation and research influencing approaches in the global South differ from Northern perspectives, emphasizing contextual knowledge and network-building. R2HC’s evaluations highlight the need for tailored support for national actors in crisis-affected countries to improve research uptake and outcomes.

This is Phase 2 of the ‘Shifting Perspectives’ project. In the first phase, a consultant reviewed the courses from a Middle East perspective, leading to some adaptations. However, current support materials may still fall short for grantees engaging policymakers and practitioners in East Africa. The upcoming R2HC Research Forum in May 2025, which will be held in Nairobi, offers an opportunity to incorporate East African stakeholder feedback to enhance these support resources as part of this assignment.   

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

An individual consultant with knowledge of the East Africa humanitarian health policymaking context will be engaged to review Research Impact Toolkit online learning materials, determine priorities for additional content and guidance tailored for East African policymaking contexts, and then implement amendments to online learning materials as agreed.  

This additional content and guidance should reflect approaches to policy influencing and research communications tailored to the perspectives and needs of both policymakers and humanitarian practitioners in East Africa, particularly in crisis-affected countries. (In due course we will seek to build on this assignment to include additional regions.)  

Objectives 

1. To generate and synthesise expert and stakeholder insights on R2HC’s research impact guidance materials and their appropriateness for researchers and humanitarian partners from East Africa 
2. To implement key recommendations by producing more tailored and appropriate learning materials, tools and guidance for these audiences 
3. To support R2HC to learn from the experience and to share the lessons and insights from the project with the humanitarian health academic community via a published article in a peer-reviewed journal.

BUDGET & TIMELINE

A budget in the region of £11,200 is available excluding applicable UK VAT but including any taxes that overseas suppliers may be liable for outside the UK. This figure excludes article processing charges and expenses related to travel, accommodation and subsistence at our Research Forum, which R2HC will cover separately. 

We estimate approximately 28 person days will be required to complete the assignment. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application deadline to submit a Proposal is midday (12:00 GMT) on Monday 25 November 2024.  

Please review the full Request for Proposals package below before submitting your application. This package includes instructions on what you are required to submit.

The Proposal should be submitted to Cordelia Lonsdale as per the following instructions:

• Email address: R2HC@elrha.org , with bidsandproposals@elrha.org in copy
• Subject line: Proposal–‘Shifting Perspectives– your name’.