Call for proposals: Managing organizations for regional research networks to foster an inclusive and sustainable future of work

Call for proposals: Managing organizations for regional research networks to foster an inclusive and sustainable future of work is sponsored by International Development Research Centre (IDRC). This call is for regional research hubs to develop and lead a regional research network to advance skills and policies for an inclusive and sustainable future of work, focusing on skills development, TVET, and lifelong learning in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribb…

Call for proposals: Managing organizations for regional research networks to foster an inclusive and sustainable future of work | IDRC - International Development Research Centre Call for proposals: Managing organizations for regional research networks to foster an inclusive and sustainable future of work FutureWORKS: Skills for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future of Work Launch date: May 1st, 2023 Full proposals to lead a regional research network, including a draft call for proposals outline, must be received no later than June 26th, 2023, at 11pm Eastern Standard Time or EST.

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is pleased to announce a call for full proposals as part of the FutureWORKs initiative, for the selection of regional research hubs intended to develop and lead a regional research network to advance skills and policies for an inclusive and sustainable future of work.

About IDRC, the Program Divisions and the Focus Area IDRC is a Crown corporation created in 1970 by the Parliament of Canada. IDRC supports and strengthens the capacity of people and institutions in developing countries to undertake the research that they identify as most urgent.

It works with researchers and research users as they confront contemporary challenges within their own countries and contributes to global advances in their fields.

The Centre’s 10-year strategy, Strategy 2030, affirms IDRC’s vision for a more sustainable and inclusive world, and commits the Centre to the following mission: IDRC will be a leader in research for development, investing in high-quality research and innovation, sharing knowledge for greater uptake and use, and mobilizing alliances for more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive societies.

(Please refer to IDRC’s Strategy 2030 for more information.) In the context of this strategy, we identified the following five programs that will shape IDRC’s work over the next decade – making knowledge a tool for improving lives across the developing world: Climate-Resilient Food Systems Democratic and Inclusive Governance Sustainable Inclusive Economies Gender equality and inclusion are central to all our programs.

This call is a joint initiative of the Education and Science and the Sustainable Inclusive Economies programs. It seeks to leverage past IDRC investments on challenges in the Future of Work, Women’s Economic Empowerment and skills development to create a multi-regional initiative supporting innovation research to advance skills for the future of work and promote decent work.

Fostering inclusive and sustainable development and managing the future of work (FOW) are more interdependent today than ever before. Eighty-five percent of the world’s working-age population lives in the Global South and over the next few decades, this share will increase, compounding the urgency to create new and more quality jobs and develop adequate skills, while addressing climate change.

From demographic trends to technological advancement/disruption and climate change, major forces were already upending the world of work before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The pandemic further accelerated digitalization, new ways of working, the gig economy and automation. Adding to these changes is the reality of climate change and transitions to low-carbon economies, which will change economic structures in yet unknown ways.

These drivers may further worsen labour market participation and outcomes, disproportionately impacting marginalized women and young people. There are demands from job-seekers to those seeking better employment and those in government keen to harness their power to produce positive employment outcomes through skills development, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and lifelong learning.

Unfortunately, many low-income countries remain ill prepared to take full advantage of some of the opportunities that accompany these challenges.

The impact of climate change, the transition to low carbon economies, and technological change through digitalization on the future of work will differ across regions depending on conditions such as the size and prevalence of the informal economy, demographic trends, productivity levels of different sectors, quality and nature of existing jobs, and trends in international trade.

Once again, how these changes affect the future of work will depend on the strategies and policies that countries design to benefit from these transitions, mitigate their adverse effects, and share benefits inclusively and fairly among the whole population. Beyond quantity, the quality of existing jobs is important.

Globally, the ILO estimates that more than 60% of the world’s working-age population work informally, and this share is even higher in lower-income economies. Women and young people are more likely to be in informal, low-quality jobs that are poorly paid, precarious and do not provide access to social protection systems.

Current drivers of economic transformation such as AI and climate change can intensify and deepen these inequalities, creating winners and losers. Without deliberate effort and policy intervention to guide the transitions and mitigate the impacts, many women and young people will likely see already precarious employment worsen.

Equipping workers with skills that are not only appropriate for growing and relevant sectors but also, for lifelong learning and adaptability, may expand the options of labour market entrants. In tandem, strengthening social protection systems will support displaced workers and allow them to retrain with relevant skills to help guide a worker-centric transition.

Skills development and training systems have long emphasized the school to work transition and ensuring readiness among labour market entrants for the jobs available. While consultation across government and with the private sector is an important component, there is often a disconnect between real or future-oriented needs and the current skilling system priorities.

Policies designed to meet emissions targets or to improve competitiveness in specific supply chains, for example, are often done in isolation from existing education and skilling infrastructure.

The potential for transformation that comes with advanced technologies and digitalization and the pressures to eliminate carbon emissions intensify the need to create skilling systems that are responsive and not merely reactive to change, and that prepare workers for economic mobility, instead of specific occupations or tasks.

Equally, there is a need to support more responsive social protection systems that take these changes into account in order to foster quality jobs and to mitigate adverse impacts on those whose jobs are changing or are no longer there.

Key questions to address through implementation research include how advanced digital technologies, like generative AI, and the transition to low-carbon economies impact employment, what are the skills and policies needed to foster resilient and quality jobs, particularly for women and youth, and what is the role of formal and informal educational programs and labour market institutions to aid this process.

This initiative supports high-quality, innovative and gender responsive research that addresses key Future of Work challenges and opportunities to advance skills, strengthen social protection and promote decent work. Support Southern-led research on the impact of digital technological advancements such as AI, and the transition to a low carbon economy on future of work and deliver innovation policy solutions.

Foster networks for knowledge sharing and peer learning, through the development of future of work research hubs in regions where IDRC operates. Support knowledge mobilization for uptake by engaging policymakers, private sector actors, civil society and workers representatives across the skills ecosystem to help co-develop and utilize evidence in decision making, as well as scale good practices.

To help achieve these objectives, hubs are expected to support the following priorities: Foster high-quality research: Develop an integrated research program examining the extent and drivers of labour markets disruption and the contribution of training and government policies to supporting inclusive labour market outcomes.

Research is expected to address labour supply challenges by equipping women and youth with skills that position them for the jobs of tomorrow; demand challenges by creating greater economic opportunities for women and youth; linkage challenges to connect youth and women to with industry for better economic opportunities; and unlocking decent, green job opportunities, investment in new skills, the inclusion of workers and communities in a low carbon development trajectory.

Lead training and capacity strengthening strategies: Promote the advancement of next-generation researchers (masters and doctoral training / post-doctorate, and those in vocational institutions).

Strengthen the ability of firms, industry associations, training and vocational institutions and government to understand and act on emerging evidence through a range of activities (e.g., participation in implementation research projects, workshops, training events, policy dialogues, peer-learning) and appropriate reskilling measures that are needed to drive the just transition.

Foster sustained networking and cross-sectoral partnerships: Develop and sustain a functioning research network that spans borders and disciplines, and is informed by and engages with non-academic actors. Carry out peer learning and knowledge exchange activities and foster collaboration across projects.

Ensure knowledge Mobilization: Help position policymakers, private sector actors, civil society and workers representatives across the skills ecosystem to utilize evidence in decision making and scale good practices in relation to countries pursuit of a low carbon economy. Hubs will determine their exact role and structure.

Proposing organization(s) will provide information on how they will add value to the regional networks to ensure that its outputs and outcomes are greater than the simple sum of individual research projects. The hubs will play an important role as part of a global network of IDRC-supported organizations working on skills for an inclusive and sustainable future of work.

This means that hubs are expected to work with each other, not just independently, aiming to move the needle on commonly identified objectives per a joint theory of change. For example, we anticipate the need for hubs to collectively think about critical issues such as approaches to gender equality and inclusion, common challenges related to drivers of change, and avenues to policy uptake.

Indicative research questions The following are indicative of the types of research questions and activities that are in scope.

Proponents should identify context-relevant priorities in their proposal: On understanding the drivers and impacts of changing labour markets for those most vulnerable amid climate and digitalization/technological transformation: In what sectors/occupations are job tasks changing rapidly, why and to what effect?

How does platformization impact structural barriers for gender equality such as the care economy, and how it can be leveraged to accelerate change towards the 5Rs? What role does AI have in reshaping the future of work in highly informal economies, and in environments where the majority of SMEs operate in analog?

What are the skills needs of women, youth and marginalized groups in a low carbon development trajectory in different local jurisdictions?

On examining the role of education and training to inclusively and adequately prepare for/anticipate labour market needs: What is the role and potential for informal and formal education programs and policies, including but not limited to, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in large-scale institutional strategies for skilling and reskilling?

On supporting policy frameworks informed by regionally contextually evidence: What new skill sets, policy frameworks, and regulations are needed to promote quality and secure jobs and enhance economic mobility in the face of climate and technological transformations. How are they gendered in their acquisition?

For example, how can social protection systems be adapted and leveraged to respond to changing forms of work and ensure effective protections for the most vulnerable workers, including those in transition and seizing new opportunities? What are the critical knowledge gaps around impacts of low carbon policy options on inclusion, in terms of the impacts on women, youth and marginalized groups?

Indicative scope of work for regional research hubs We are seeking two hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) - one to cover Eastern and Southern Africa and one to cover West and Central Africa - and one each in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Through a ‘hub and spoke’ model, critical issues in the creation of skills development systems that enhance economic mobility and future readiness/adaptability will be defined by region to ensure contextual grounding. Hub leads will be selected as sole grant recipient by IDRC. The lead will take responsibility for sub granting to other organizations in a timely manner.

Hubs will design and launch calls for proposals that respond to thematic and regional realities, building on the body of IDRC-supported evidence and the proposed research questions above. Competitive projects selected will be funded and managed by the hubs in each region.

In preparation for the development of calls for proposals, IDRC will host a workshop with all selected regional research hubs to create alignment in the process and support hubs to finalize their methods for soliciting proposals. Hubs are expected to select sub-grantees, on a competitive basis, that propose innovative and gender responsive research initiatives to advance skills and quality of future of work.

Intersectional gender approaches are expected to be central to the design of regional research networks and the research questions, with the objective of centering the analysis on excluded or underserved groups. Primary hub responsibilities include: Help shape an initiative-wide theory of change, including objectives, expected outcomes and outputs, and monitor against indicators.

Hubs will be invited to generate a proposed workplan and a theory of change. Develop and manage an open call for proposals to select and fund applied research projects that address the initiative’s objectives and respond to regional priorities. Manage selected projects of up to 4 years, providing technical and administrative support, and ensuring project monitoring.

Support all initiative-related activities during its 5 years. Ensure quality control of the research generated by network members, providing support and guidance to enhance quality and positioning for use. Ensure that gender analysis is incorporated in all aspects of the applied research projects and throughout the project cycle, including securing multidisciplinary expertise and gender diversity in teams.

Foster a network among selected teams within and across regional hubs, ensuring knowledge exchange and cross-collaboration. Support strategic positioning of results with key decisionmakers, including synthesis efforts, participating in and organizing key engagement opportunities throughout the lifecycle of the initiative, not just at the end.

Ensure proper monitoring of projects, both technical and financial, report progress to IDRC, and contribute to an initiative-level monitoring and learning framework. If external evaluations are commissioned, hubs are expected to actively contribute to this process.

The above are essential elements of the role of each regional research hub, but each hub will develop a comprehensive scope of work that reflects the initiative priorities, as well as the hubs expertise, interests and regional and thematic needs. As stated, an initiative-level theory of change will be developed collaboratively by all members.

The desire of hubs is to build cohesion across projects and ensure that they establish cross-links building to more than the sum of individual project results. The hubs will be expected to work with each other, facilitating and participating in knowledge sharing and peer learning opportunities, and participating in strategic engagement opportunities as they arise.

As part of the initiative, a knowledge translation, monitoring and learning organization(s) will be selected to support this function across hubs and help advance uptake and learning efforts for the whole initiative.

Hubs will also be expected to facilitate the production, communication and marketing of research outputs stemming from the network and ensure research publication in appropriate venues in accordance with IDRC’s Open Access Policy. Regional research hubs can submit budget requests of up to a maximum of CAD1,700,000.

IDRC is expecting to fund 5 regional research hubs, depending on quality, in the following regions: Asia, sub-Saharan Africa (2), MENA and LAC. The initiative’s duration is a maximum of 5 years, including all research activities and final reporting. IDRC reserves the right to fund additional proposals from this call if/when more funding becomes available.

IDRC is under no obligation to issue any funds prior to the applicant returning a fully executed Grant Agreement to IDRC. All grants are subject to sufficient funds being made available to IDRC by the Parliament of Canada. IDRC reserves the right to cancel this call for proposals at any time without prior notice and/or to not issue any grants under this process.

Only full proposals that meet the eligibility criteria will be considered. The following eligibility criteria apply: This call invites proposals from individual organizations or consortiums headquartered in LMICs in the respective region (MENA, LAC, Asia, SSA). If taking a consortium approach, it must be composed of organizations working in the regions of focus.

This call for proposals is open to non-profit research organizations and higher education institutions. Consortia may involve government and UN agencies, but these partners are not eligible to be the lead institution or to have salary costs included. This call is not open to individuals.

International organizations with offices in LMICs playing a leadership role in this proposal are eligible. A demonstrated track record leading and supporting high quality research in the FOW field, through a strong publication record. Demonstrated knowledge of regional priorities in the FOW field is a must.

Proven high capacity to support networks or partners, including demonstrated experience fostering knowledge exchange and learning opportunities, both virtually and in person. Demonstrated experience through a record of publication in conducting gender analysis and ensuring the integration of gender, equity, and inclusion considerations in all project activities.

Proven administrative capacities, including demonstrated expertise in managing research projects, ability to disburse funding to other organizations and in different countries. Ability to work in English and the working languages of the region (e.g., Spanish for LAC, French for West and Central Africa) at a minimum. Other languages are considered an asset.

Applicants must have independent legal status (or “legal personality”) and be capable of contracting in their own right and name, receiving and administering funds, and have authority to direct proposed project activities. Applicants must be able to demonstrate legal status through written documentation. Legal status will only be reviewed if and when applicants are selected following technical selection.

Only complete applications are eligible. Expectations of regional research hubs Research hubs are expected to comply with the following considerations in the design and governance of the research network they will foster.

How this will be done should be reflected in the proposal itself: A) Fostering high quality research for impact through a network approach Assessed against the following four quality dimensions (refer to IDRC’s Research Quality Plus (RQ+) framework for more details): Scientific rigour: extent to which the proposal demonstrates accepted standards of technical merit for its domain and discipline.

This involves an assessment of the structural quality of the project, including the following: the study is framed by examination of current knowledge on the issue and regional specificities, clear presentation of research questions and methodology, and well-considered reporting and sharing.

Research legitimacy: extent to which the proposal accounts for the concerns and insights of relevant stakeholders and addresses potential environmental consequences. IDRC has defined three sub-dimensions for assessing the legitimacy of the proposed research: Addressing potentially negative consequences – appropriateness of proposed strategies to address the risk of negative consequences of the research process or expected outcomes.

Gender equality and inclusion – [see B) below] Engagement with local knowledge – extent to which the proposal is contextually grounded, relative to the appropriate scale (community-level, national, regional, or global) at which the research is designed. Research importance: is the value of the research questions for intended users and uses.

IDRC has defined two sub-dimensions for assessing research importance: Originality – potential to contribute to theory and/or practice in terms of innovation in generating new knowledge relative to current state of the research field or context. Relevance – extent to which the proposed research design and expected outputs and outcomes address existing social and/or environmental problems.

Positioning for use: extent to which the project design has a knowledge sharing plan that will enhance the probability of use and impact. IDRC has defined two sub-dimensions for assessing positioning for use: User engagement – degree to which the proposal has incorporated plans to build meaningful, two-way connections with intended knowledge users at appropriate stages of the research process.

Openness and actionability – appropriateness and feasibility of the plans in the proposal for sharing research data and results. This includes the extent to which the knowledge sharing plan has considered tailoring products to be timely, useful, comprehensible, and attractive to knowledge users, as well as following guidance on whether a data management plan is required.

B) IDRC gender equality and inclusion considerations IDRC strives for equality in all aspects of its work. We support the generation of knowledge — including by individuals from diverse genders, communities, histories, and experiences — that tackles the systems which perpetuate inequalities based on identity.

Inequalities exist across multiple and intersecting categories of identity, including, but not limited to, the following: gender, sexuality, age, class, race, caste, ethnicity, citizenship status, religion, and ability. Taking an intersectional approach to gender equality recognizes these differences and understands diversity as central to advancing equality.

Given that gender inequality is a significant barrier across all dimensions of diversity, IDRC invests specific efforts in ensuring its work promotes gender equality and inclusion. For additional background, please see IDRC’s Equality Statement .

Accordingly, proposals should demonstrate how gender equality and inclusion will be promoted and adopted using an intersectional approach, both with respect to the following: (i) team composition and organizations comprising the research team; and (ii) the design and implementation of the proposed research. IDRC’s mandate is to promote inclusive development in the Global South.

Projects that are led by researchers from the Global South will be given greater preference. D) Open Access and data management plan Applicants funded through this program will be expected to comply with IDRC’ Open Access Policy and IDRC Open Data Statement of Principles . Applicants are to submit a Stage 1 Data Management Plan.

, and to apply ensure network members have data management plans in place. The DMP templates can be found here . E) Required network collaboration Hubs will be expected to participate in several activities as part of the global Future of Work initiative at IDRC.

This may include events and/or conferences that are not currently detailed. Hubs should budget for some additional travel for members of the team/consortium, to cover an estimated two international trips by representative members of the hub. This should not exceed 3% of the budget.

Selected network members will also be expected to participate in the broader network and their budget should reflect this.

F) Knowledge sharing and scaling A key objective of IDRC’s Strategy 2030 is to share knowledge for greater uptake and use – increasing the reach and impact that IDRC-supported research has in driving solutions, and in influencing national, regional, and global development agendas, including through synthesizing, and communicating results.

Applicants must explain how their proposal responds to an emerging need, knowledge gap or demand, and they must demonstrate intentionality and identify opportunities to move knowledge (research evidence) into action (policy, social and behavioural change, etc.). Network members are also expected to develop policy uptake plans with support from the hub.

Applications must include a knowledge sharing strategy that identifies key knowledge users, and that describes the anticipated approach to engage these strategic stakeholders (ideally throughout the research process) to support research uptake and use and/or to scale impact (by optimizing impact beyond original project boundaries).

Note that IDRC anticipates supporting the implementation of knowledge sharing plans which are integrated into project proposals – provided the resources required are clearly described, appropriate, and incorporated as part of the overall project budget.

Where research questions or directions proposed by the hubs have an emphasis on scaling impact, IDRC’s Scaling Science approach focuses on scaling impact rather than scaling specific actions or innovation. This means that scaling is not necessarily about pushing up or out, because bigger outputs or more actions do not always lead to better impact.

Aiming for impact at optimal scale requires balancing multiple dimensions of impact including equity, sustainability, variety, and magnitude. You can refer to the The Scaling Playbook: A Practical Guide for Researchers for guidance on this approach. While it may not be possible to address all these considerations to the same degree, their integration and inclusion into the applications will be a key component in the evaluation process.

Applicants should submit an electronic application through Survey Monkey Apply through the following call link before the deadline: FutureWORKS: Skills for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future of Work - IDRC - CRDI (smapply. io) Complete applications must be received no later than June 26th, 2023 at 11pm Eastern Daylight Time, or EDT] Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Applications can be submitted in either English or French. An acknowledgement of receipt of your submission will be sent to all applicants whose application was received before the closing date and time. Format and requirements for proposals The application form for this call for proposals includes 11 fields that applicants will need to complete, considering the maximum number of characters allotted per question.

Section 1. Contact information Please provide the contact information of the lead organization and the proposed lead of the hub, or Principal Investigator. This includes an email address, phone number, address of the lead organization and a link to their organizational website (if available).

Please also provide the name of other hub members (organizations and websites). In the document upload section, you need to submit the CV of the hub project leader and up to 5 more staff members chosen to lead key activities within the hub.

You will make the determination of which individuals are listed, aiming to demonstrate a comprehensive coverage of skills and qualifications to match the hubs expected outcomes as referenced in IDRC’s call document. Please include all CVs as one single attachment in PDF. Section 2.

Abstract (300 words) Please provide a short abstract of the project, encompassing the vision and objectives of the network you propose to develop. It should be written clearly for a non-technical audience. Avoid acronyms and technical jargon.

Describe the development problem, the purpose/objective of the project and expected results in the form of project outputs and outcomes. Section 3. Research program and justification (1500 words) This section describes the scope of and the justification for the proposed research program the regional research hub seeks to advance.

Priority research questions are to be presented and discussed in the context of research gaps and it should also provide a brief overview of the body of research related to the problems and indicate the gaps that the network proposes to fill.

To show the importance of the problems, this section should provide detailed insight into the regional dynamics and context and should discuss how the proposed research network relates to the intersection of skills for the future of work and the changing nature of work as a result of climate change and technological transformations.

It should delve into the social and economic importance of the problems; the magnitude of the problems and how the research will contribute to their solution; and the need to build up research capacity and policy connections in the proposed areas of research. Section 4. Objectives (300 words) This short section should provide both the general and specific objectives of the research and network.

The general objective should state the development goals being pursued by the research network. The specific objectives should indicate the specific types of knowledge to be produced by research teams selected to form the network, the audiences to be reached and forms of capacity to be reinforced and align with the objectives set forth in this call. These are objectives against which the success of the project will be judged.

Use active verbs. In this section, please also identify how many sub-grants you envision issuing to network member institutions. Section 5.

Methodology (5000 words) Describe in the form of a draft competitive call for proposals, your plan to set up, support and manage the regional research network including thematic priorities and how you will validate them. This section should list key research questions the network will seek to address and show how they will be answered in the most rigorous possible way.

You must be clear about what activities are envisaged and how they will contribute to achieve each objective and define the budget in terms of these activities. The network methodology and draft call for proposals should discuss the following details as appropriate: Network priorities. Provide a robust background outlining the identification of knowledge gaps to be addressed through this call document.

What are the main research questions that this call should ask candidates to answer? Why are you proposing those in line with thematic and regional priorities? Network development and support.

Discuss the set of activities that will be taken to develop and support a research network across countries in the region of focus. This should reflect the structure and governance of the network and the monitoring, evaluation and learning activities that are envisioned.

This section should also include an explanation for proponents of the configuration of the hub, its intended outcomes, theory of change and the proposed activities the network will undertake. This section is your articulation of what the hub intends to do and should detail how exactly selected projects are expected to contribute and co-design these proposed activities and objectives.

Technical and methodological assistance to network members. Indicate how the hub institution(s) will support selected members of the network in areas such as intersectional analysis, technological transformation and climate change, research communications, research ethics, research design and development, deployment and uptake. Gender equality and inclusion considerations.

Indicate how gender equality and inclusion considerations will be integrated into the project and how the network design with address intersectional issues that women and other marginalized groups experience. See Annex 1 for more details. This should be integrated into the call for proposals as well as the network development and support.

We will provide an additional space to expand further on these details. Contribute to advancing knowledge and policy dialogues. Discuss the set of proposed activities taken by the hub and members that will support the translation of knowledge into policy and action in the respective region.

Sample call template. This should detail key questions for applicants covering, at minimum, the following criteria: proposed research questions, methodology, risks and mitigation strategies, ethics and safety protocols, monitoring, evaluation, and learning,