TheSimeenMahmudMemorialFundJanuary2020
1. AboutGAGEGAGEisanine-year(2015-2024)mixedmethodslongitudinalresearchandevaluationprogrammefollowingthe lives of adolescents in diverseGlobal South contexts. GAGE aims to generate new evidence on ‘whatworks’totransformthelivesofpooradolescentgirlstoenablethemtomoveoutofpovertyandfast-tracksocialchange.TheprogrammeisfundedbyUKAidfromtheUKgovernment.
GAGE aims to understand what programmes are most effective in transforming adolescent girls’ lives atspecific junctures during the second decade of life.Wewill generate unique cross-country data following18,000 adolescents (including approximately 12,000 girls and 6,000 boys), along with their families andpeers,acrossthecourseofthecriticaltransitionfromearlyadolescencethroughtoadulthoodinBangladesh,Ethiopia,Nepal,Rwanda,JordanandLebanon.
Theresultswillsupportpolicymakersand implementerstodeveloppoliciesandprogrammestoeffectivelyreach adolescent girls and boys to advance their well-being and what is needed to meet the ambitioustargetsoftheSustainableDevelopmentGoals.
PleaseseetheGAGEConceptualFrameworkforfurtherinformationontheprogramme.
2. GAGESimeenMahmudMemorialFundWhatistheSimeenMahmudMemorialFund?Tocommemoratethe lifeandachievementsofourpartnerSimeenMahmud, theGAGEPoliticalandLegalAnalysisleadforBangladesh,GAGEhascreateda£20,000flexiblefundinSimeen’sname.SimeenMahmudbeganhercareerasaresearcher in1974withtheBangladeshInstituteofDevelopmentStudies(BIDS)andcontinued working till the day she died in March 2018 when she was Cluster Head, BRAC institute ofGovernanceandDevelopment,BRACUniversity.Shewasaprolificwriterandwasamentor,acolleague,afriend,asisterandarolemodelformany.
FocusoftheFundThe fund will focus on one of Simeen Mahmud’s research interests- the role of gender norms in theeconomicempowermentandreproductivechoicesofyoungwomeninBangladesh.
FundingstreamsTheSimeenMahmudFundwillcoverfundingstreams1-3outlinedbelow.
1. NewresearchstudiesdrawingonGAGEpaneldataaswellasadditionalunderexploreddatasetswithadolescent-relevantdata,withtheaimofsheddinglightongenderedadolescenceexperiencesindiversecontexts;
2. Thematicevidencesynthesisworkrespondingtoemergingquestionsaroundwhatworks,especiallyas,overtime,anincreasingvolumeofnewevidencebecomesavailable;
3. Demandgenerationandstrategicresearchuptakeoutputs,to improvetheaccessibility,relevanceandusefulness of evidence, through collaboration and engagement with decision-makers and other keystakeholders(outputswillincludetailoredlearningproductsandevents).
Proposalsmayinclude,butnotbelimitedtothefollowing:
• analysisofunminedimpactevaluationdatasetsoncapabilitydomaindimensionswherechangewasnotobservedtoteaseoutwhatfactorsexplaindisappointingresults;
• evidencesynthesisworkdesignedtoplugevidencegapsintermsofwhatdoesnotworkinsupportingadolescentgirls’developmenttrajectoriesvis-à-visoneormorecapabilitydomain;
• processevaluationsorareviewofevaluationdataaboutaninterventionorgroupofinterventionsthathavenotbeenaseffectiveashopedandwhy;
• aresearchmethodologieslessonslearnedessayorreflectivearticle/paperonwhathasnotworked,aimedatimprovingunderstandingofwhatworkstosupportadolescentwellbeing;
• aresearchuptake/engagementlessonslearnedessay,reflectivearticle/paperoreventonwhathasnotworked,intermsofimprovingpolicyandpracticeofwhatworkstosupportadolescentwellbeing
Keyprinciples• Weexpectthehigheststandardsinresearchethics.• Proposedmethodologiesmustdemonstrateacademicrigourandthehighestacademicstandards.• Prospectiveawardsmustbegendersensitive.• Prospectiveawardsshouldbuildthecapacityofearlycareerresearchers.• Prospectiveawardsmustdemonstratevalueformoney.Thisisdefinedasdemonstratingeconomy,
efficiencyandeffectivenesswithinyourproposedbudget.Anyin-kindormatchingfundingwillalsobepositivelyassessed.
EligibilitycriteriaThefollowingeligibilitycriterianeedtobemetinordertobeassessed.
• Durationandcommencement:Awardsaretobecarriedoutandcompletedwithina6tomaximum12monthsperiod,anticipatedtostartnolaterthanMarch2020(followingapriorcontractingprocess).
• Budgetsize:Weexpecttofund4-6projectsofupto£5,000perproject..• Financialandnon-financialcontributions:Contributionstotheproposalsinformoffinancial
resourcesorin-kindcontributionsareencouraged,butarenotarequirement.• Geographicscopeofresearch:ProposalsshouldfocusonBangladesh.• Eligibleorganisations/individuals:earlycareerresearchers(below35)mayapplyindividuallyor
throughtheirorganisations.• Contractualmode:ContractswillbesignedwithBIGDonbehalfoftheGAGEconsortium.• Languageofproposals:ApplicationsmustbecompletedinEnglish.• Numberofapplicationspermitted:Amaximumofoneawardwillbemadeperorganisationortoan
individual.• Organisationsandindividualsnotpermitted:ExistingGAGEinstitutionalpartnerswillnotbeeligible
toapply.
3. ApplicationProcessWeinviteapplicantstosubmitoriginal,solution-orientedproposalsforresearch/researchsynthesis/evaluation/essaysandresearchuptakewhichreflectexpertiseandexperienceinresearchingand/orworkingwithadolescentsinBangladeshonthethemesidentified.
ThecalllaunchesonJanuary7,2020.Applicantsarerequiredtosubmitacompletedapplicationform,outliningtheirproposal,inresponsetothisTermsofReference(TOR),anddemonstratingeligibilityandexperience.Thedeadlineforsubmittingapplicationsis30January20205PMBDTtime.Anyapplicationsreceivedafterthistimewillbediscountedandwillnotbeeligibleforconsideration.CompletedapplicationformsmustbesubmittedtoGAGE-Simeen-Mahmud-Fund@bracu.ac.bd.Pleasetitleyouremail‘SimeenMahmudMemorialFundapplication-nameoforganisation’.WeexpecttonotifyapplicantsofthepreliminaryoutcomeoftheirfullproposalsubmissionbyendFebruary,whenfundingofferswillbemadesubjecttoanyclarificationsandrequestedmodifications.TheGAGEBangladeshteamwillreviewallapplicationstoensuretheymeeteligibilityrequirements.AnAdvisoryGroupincludingarepresentativeofGAGEManagementTeamandanexternalresearcherwillreviewalleligibleapplicationsandnotethosethatareparticularlycomplimentarytoplannedGAGEresearch.TheAdvisoryGroupwillmakerecommendationsonwhichproposalsshouldbefunded.TheManagementTeamwillmakethefinaldecisiononwhichprojectsaretoreceiveanaward,basedontherecommendationsoftheAdvisoryGroup.Allqualifyingapplicationswillreceivefeedbackontheirproposals.
GenderandAdolescence:GlobalEvidence(GAGE)isanine-yearlongitudinalresearchprogrammebuildingknowledgeongood-
practiceprogrammesandpoliciesthatsupportadolescentgirlsintheGlobalSouthtoreach
theirfullpotential.
ThisdocumentisanoutputoftheprogrammewhichisfundedbyUKAidfromtheUK
DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(DFID).Theviewsexpressedandinformationcontainedwithinarenotnecessarilythoseof
orendorsedbyDFID,whichacceptsnoresponsibilityforsuchviewsorinformationor
foranyrelianceplacedonthem.
