KIX CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Knowledge and Innovation for Achieving Gender Equality and Social

Inclusion at School
table Of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
Challenges of gender equality and social Inclusion at school ................................................................. 1
Grants types, funding scope and duration........................................................................................................... 5
Eligibility criteria: general and specific to grant types .................................................................................. 6
Expectations of projects ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Proposal submission details........................................................................................................................................... 8
Proposal evaluation criteria ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Submission and review process ................................................................................................................................. 13
Inquiries ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Call timeline.............................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Additional considerations ............................................................................................................................................... 15
Annex A: List of Eligible Countries: GPE partner countries ........................................................................... 16
Annex B: Integrating GEI In research proposals and projects ................................................................. 18

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Introduction
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Global Partnership for Education
(GPE) invite proposals for applied research projects to generate and mobilize evidence in support
of contextualizing and scaling the impact of innovative approaches to strengthen gender-
responsive and socially inclusive education and safe schooling experiences for all children,
especially those facing multiple forms of gender inequalities and marginalization, in GPE partner
countries.

The Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is a joint
endeavor of GPE and IDRC. KIX supports countries to have and use the evidence and innovation
they need to accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality through equitable,
inclusive, and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. KIX achieves this by facilitating
direct knowledge sharing across GPE partner countries through four regional Hubs and by funding
applied research on their priorities. KIX is part of GPE’s strategy to support transformative change
for education in lower-income countries.

The objectives of this call are to:

• Generate evidence about how to scale the impact of innovative approaches to address
challenges of gender equality and social inclusion at school.
• Strengthen the capacities of relevant stakeholders to use that knowledge and
innovation.
• Mobilize the evidence developed to improve policy and practice in education systems.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is August 28, 2023 (23:59 EDT).

CHallenges of gender equality and social Inclusion at school

The past few decades have seen a notable improvement in opportunities for all children to
realize the right to education. Countries have affirmed their commitment to ensuring that the
most marginalized – including girls, children with disabilities, and those living in poverty – can
access, participate in, and complete their education. Yet, gender equality and issues of equity
and inclusion remain critical topics in primary and secondary education and an identified
priority among policymakers and stakeholders in GPE partner countries. This has become even
more important in recent years as the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced existing inequalities,
resulting in decreasing global rates of basic literacy.

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Addressing the intersecting disadvantages many groups face is critical to ensuring quality and
safe education for all. Therefore, countries are seeking evidence to help them adopt more
gender-responsive and inclusive policies and practices, as outlined in a recent scoping study.
While there are many important issues within the broader lens of gender equality, equity, and
inclusion, this call for proposals focuses on two core issues that can make a difference in
children’s learning: inclusive and gender-responsive curriculum, pedagogies and leadership;
and safe, inclusive, and supportive schools for all.

The challenge

To generate and mobilize evidence to contextualize and scale the impact of innovative
approaches to strengthen gender-responsive and socially inclusive education and safe
schooling experiences for all children, especially those facing multiple forms of gender
inequalities and marginalization.

Subtheme 1: Inclusive and gender-responsive curriculum, pedagogies and leadership

While education and schools serve as fundamental tools for promoting gender equality, equity
and inclusion, they can also perpetuate social biases, stereotypes, and exclusion. These factors
significantly impact education access for girls and boys, especially those from marginalized
groups, as well as their educational experiences and learning outcomes. In many GPE partner
countries, girls’ disadvantages are multiple, and the work of gender equality will particularly
focus on girls. However, gender-responsive curriculum and positive gender norms must
consider children of all genders, including challenges facing boys, which are often not
adequately addressed in work addressing gender equality.

In many GPE partner countries, a significant portion of the student population faces challenges
of poverty and geographic conditions. Moreover, certain groups face compounded inequalities
and exclusions due to their unique characteristics, such as children with disabilities, refugees,
internally displaced persons, and children belonging to ethnic or linguistic minorities. It is thus
imperative to adopt an intersectional approach to combat these forms of exclusion.

Therefore, it is crucial to address these inequalities by adopting effective and context-specific

teaching and learning approaches encompassing pedagogical practices, curriculum
development, instructional materials, teaching methods, school management practices,
community engagement and assessment strategies responsive to these disparities.

Subtheme 1 focuses on educational innovations and their potential to have a broader impact by
implementing inclusive and gender responsive curricula and school management and
leadership. Areas of research interest include understanding how to adapt, contextualize and
scale innovation that addresses:

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 1. Designing and implementing curricula that authentically reflect the experiences,
contributions, and perspectives of individuals of all genders, and addresses harmful
gender norms.
2. Promoting equitable participation and learning among all students through inclusive
and gender-responsive teaching methods and pedagogical strategies that cater to
diverse learning styles and preferences.
3. Facilitating leadership and professional development opportunities for educators, school
principals and management, enabling them to deepen their understanding, application,
and advocacy of gender-responsive and inclusive pedagogies and strategies.
4. Understanding how gender norms and expectations influence girls’ and boys'
experiences, academic outcomes, and educational trajectories and identifying
strategies to promote positive and inclusive masculinities.

Subtheme 2: Safe, inclusive, and supportive schools for all

In addition to its primary role in education and learning, the school provides a crucial
experience for children and adolescents, facilitating social skills and personal development. Yet,
evidence reveals that schools can also become spaces of exclusion, insecurity, and even
violence. These risks are disproportionately higher for certain marginalized groups, including
girls, children from ethnic, racial, linguistic, or religious minorities, children with disabilities,
LGBTQ+ students, and migrant or displaced children.

For schools situated in fragile and conflict-affected situations, social, economic, and
institutional structures are often weakened or disrupted, and education systems are particularly
affected by a lack of resources, limited security, and a shortage of qualified teachers, leading to
disrupted learning environments and increased risks for children. The need for safe and
inclusive schools is even greater in such challenging contexts.

Understanding the experiences of students, especially those from marginalized groups, through
the lenses of inclusion and gender equality is fundamental to comprehending how innovative
and scalable interventions can enhance students' safety, inclusion, and overall well-being,
including physical, psychological, and socio-emotional dimensions.

Topics of research interest include understanding how to adapt, contextualize and scale
innovation that addresses:

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 1. Gendered patterns of marginalization and victimization - including school-related
gender-based violence - with a particular focus on teenage mothers returning to school,
children with disabilities and LGBTQI+ students.
2. Students' socio-emotional well-being and their mental and physical health, including
access to water and sanitation hygiene and sexual and reproductive health services and
education for girls in particular.
3. Crisis management and emergency preparedness in schools situated in fragile and
conflict-affected situations to minimize learning disruptions.
4. How gender norms and expectations influence learning and school safety for girls and
boys, and how strategies can be implemented to promote positive and inclusive
masculinities.
5. Support for teachers, school leadership, and management structures for building
positive school culture – both in-person and virtually, where applicable – to promote
safety and inclusion.

Research Questions

Proposals should generate knowledge in response to the challenge by addressing the following
overall research question and three sub-questions:

How can we scale the impact of innovative approaches addressing gender-responsive and
socially inclusive education and safe school experiences for all children, especially those
facing overlapping issues of gender inequalities and social marginalization?

1. What are promising or proven innovations that address gender-responsive and socially
inclusive education and safe school experiences for all children?
2. How can these innovations be adapted, scaled, and implemented in effective, equitable,
and sustainable ways?
3. What factors enable, incentivize, or impede the scaling of these innovations?

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Grants types, funding scope and duration
KIX will allocate up to CA$14.5 million through this call.

Proposals may be of any of the following three types:

Focus Funding Duration

Type
(CA$) (months)
Single-country targeting impact in a single country; 300,000- Up to 24
grants tailored to specific national needs, in 500,000
direct association with national
policymaking institutions
Multi-country targeting impact in three or more 800,000- Up to 36
grants countries with direct relevance to specific 1,500,000
priorities in those countries
Regional/global targeting impact more generally at a Up to Up to 36
grants regional or global level, with grounded 2,500,000
work in at least three countries;
generating public goods such as toolkits
or platforms

Multi-country and regional/global grants are preferred. Single-country grants will be considered
where multi-country work is difficult and/or when the proposal provides a compelling and unique
opportunity for learning from a single-country case.

Proposals must target, and be grounded in, GPE partner countries (see Annex A for the list of
countries).

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 or under a donor partnership agreement with a particular external funder.

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.

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Eligibility criteria: general and specific to grant types
Only proposals that meet the eligibility criteria will be considered.

General eligibility criteria for all grant types

Proposals must be submitted by nationally/internationally registered or incorporated

organizations. These could include, inter alia, research institutions, universities, think tanks,
network secretariats, associations, civil society organizations, non-profits, or the private sector.

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

Proposals may be submitted by individual organizations, or by consortia of up to three

organizations. Proposals from consortia must name one lead organization, which can subgrant
to the others. Proposals from, or that include, private sector partners should demonstrate how
private sector resources – financial or technical knowhow - will contribute to the project.
Organizations/consortia must have a strong presence and track record of work in the education
sector of GPE partner countries.

Who is NOT eligible?

• Individuals.
• Government ministries and agencies are not eligible for funding but can be involved in
projects.
• For-profit providers of core education services.

Specific eligibility criteria for the three types of grants

KIX will prioritize funding to organizations based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Single-country grant proposals must be submitted by national organizations based in the

country of focus. They may apply as individual organizations or lead a consortium that includes
other organizations whether from within or outside the country.

Multi-country grant proposals must be submitted by an organization based in a low- or

middle-income country. Other consortium members may include organizations from within or
outside the region; national, regional, or international offices of multilateral organizations; or
international NGOs.

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Regional/global grant proposals may be submitted by any organization that meets the general
eligibility criteria, as an individual organization or leading a consortium.

Expectations of projects
Linkages to education policy priorities and key stakeholder endorsement

Proposals must demonstrate clear links with education policy priorities and define plans for
effective engagement of key stakeholders such as the ministry of education. This could be
through a letter indicating approval or interest from an appropriate authority in the ministry, or
evidence of clear alignment with current official documents such as the partnership compact,
the education sector plan, or other similar strategic plan documents. Proposals should
demonstrate that the organization applying for the grant is working in and has relationships with
relevant education stakeholders in the target countries.

High-quality research for development

Funded projects will be expected to undertake research for development, which is designed to
build knowledge, innovation, and evidence, strengthen capacity, and mobilize knowledge for
policy and practice. They should be problem-focused and action-oriented. They should
creatively identify and engage with relevant users of the knowledge and innovation. They should
involve education system stakeholders throughout to ensure that research is relevant and
positioned for use in policy and practice. They will also be expected to meet the quality standards
expressed in IDRC’s Research Quality Plus (RQ+) framework. They must be methodologically
rigorous, original, and relevant. They must be ethically sound, address gender equality, equity,
and inclusion (GEI) dimensions, and be well-positioned for use by different stakeholders.

Research for scaling innovation, using a critical approach

Proposals are expected to focus on promising or proven innovative approaches that have
potential to be scaled and facilitate transformative change in GPE partner countries. Innovations
may include, but are not limited to, tools, practices, policies, programs, technologies, frameworks,
methodologies, or any other interventions that can be used to address the challenge, sometimes
in combination. The innovative approaches may come from within or outside GPE partner
countries.

KIX will not support the large-scale implementation of identified innovations; it will, however, fund
research for development to generate evidence for their scaling. This may include:

• adapting and refining the innovations to the contextual needs of the selected countries;
• developing and testing means and models to scale them;
• supporting capacity strengthening of stakeholders who will adapt, adopt and scale the
innovations;
• conducting a cost analysis of the innovations; and
• assessing results.

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Proposals will be encouraged to take a critical approach to scaling. Scaling is not only about
making something bigger or increasing the coverage of an intervention. Scaling is the process of
improving the reach, breadth, quality, equity, and sustainability of the changes, benefits, and
solutions that innovations bring to education systems. Projects should use the research process
to determine an optimal scale for their innovation (see more in Gargani and McLean, 2017).

Gender equality, equity, and inclusion (GEI)

This call focuses on policy challenges related to gender equality, equity and inclusion. The design
and implementation of the proposed research should be geared to those challenges, including
project objectives, research questions, data collection, analysis and interpretation. Proposals
should also demonstrate how GEI will be promoted, using an intersectional approach, with
respect to team composition and organizations comprising the research team, monitoring,
evaluation and learning, and knowledge mobilization processes. Gender-blind proposals will not
be considered. Annex B provides a series of questions to help guide the integration of GEI in
research proposals and the implementation of projects.

Being part of the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX)

The projects funded out of this call will become part of KIX. They will be invited to participate in
joint learning and synthesis activities with other projects, and to extend their knowledge
mobilization strategies with regional Hubs. They will be invited to participate in the KIX-wide
project called Research on Scaling the Impact of Innovations in Education (ROSIE). They will be
required to link their results to the KIX-wide results framework and track some common results in
their monitoring, evaluation and learning strategies. Proponents should anticipate allocating
necessary personnel and at least 20 days to these KIX-level activities in their plans and budgets.

Proposal submission details

All applications should be submitted in English or French, using the online application form link.

The online application will ask applicants to provide:

• The project title.

• Countries of focus.
• Project duration.
• Project summary in plain language.
• Contact information of the project leader and co-applicants (if applicable).
• The rationale for the consortium (if applicable).

1.1.1 Problem Identification and Background (max. 1,500 words)

• Clearly state the problem or opportunity to be addressed in your project; how it
addresses an important knowledge gap relevant to the identified GEI policy challenge;
how the project responds to education priorities of the chosen GPE partner country(ies),
including their education sector plans or partnership compact priorities.

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 • Present a review of relevant literature in relation to the proposed project.
• Provide a justification for the selected innovation(s) to be adapted and further tested,
including available evidence of its effectiveness.

1.1.2 Research Purpose and Anticipated Results (max. 1,000 words)

• Clearly state the project objectives1 in response to the call objectives, addressing and
promoting GEI.
• Present the project’s research questions in reference to the guiding research questions
and addressing the challenge and one or more of the subthemes.
• Describe the project outputs and outcomes, and the intended impact to which it will
contribute; explain how it will add to existing knowledge for education systems.

1.1.3 Project Design and Methodology (max. 1,500 words)

• Describe the study design, conceptual framework, methods, and type of analysis. Outline
the scaling approaches and delivery mechanisms to be tested.
• Outline how GEI considerations will be incorporated in all elements of project design and
methodology.
• Outline how relevant stakeholders will be involved in fair and equitable partnerships
during the project.
• Describe the project’s adaptive management approach, and how it will manage and
address potential risks.

1.1.4 Knowledge Mobilization Strategy (max. 700 words)

• Provide an overview of how the activities and outputs of the project will engage potential
knowledge users (including ministries of education) on an ongoing basis, the strategies
to ensure that research results are used by relevant stakeholders, and what the
outcomes of the project might be for policy making and capacity building. Proposals
should consider plans for leveraging the platforms provided by relevant KIX Regional
Hubs in their knowledge mobilization strategy.

1.1.5 Research Ethics (max. 500 words)

• Provide details of the potential ethical issues in relation to the proposed research and
what steps will be taken to ensure the highest ethical standards and the greatest
protection of research participants. Refer to the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement
on Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans.
• Identify which institutional or national research ethics body will provide ethics review and
oversight. Note that prior to commencing research, applicants will need to obtain approval
from an official institutional or national research ethics body and will need to comply with
the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement.

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1.1.6 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (max. 700 words)
• Outline the project theory of change, along with intended results that focus on
knowledge generation, capacity strengthening of project relevant stakeholders and
knowledge mobilization of project results.
• Describe the processes that the project will use to monitor progress, adapt, achieve
results, and report.

Project Team Capacities (max. 1,000 words)

• List the project team members, their roles, and expertise relevant to the project
(research, gender equality, equity, and inclusion in education and/or more broadly,
scaling, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and knowledge mobilization).
• Provide a brief overview of the organization’s (or the consortium’s) track record relative
to its proposed role in the project.
• Explain how GEI principles will be upheld with respect to the project team members.
• Describe project governance and coordination arrangements to produce high-quality
work and support fair and equitable partnerships.

Additional Documents

In addition to the proposal, applicants are expected to submit:

1. Contact information of the lead applicant and members of the consortium if applicable.
2. Institutional Profile Questionnaire (IPQ) to be completed by the lead applicant and
submitted along with a copy of the organization’s legal registration.
3. Estimated budget, with a cost breakdown by categories using the IDRC budget template.
Complete all the tabs except the Summary tab, which will be generated automatically.
Save the completed and duly signed budget as a PDF document and attach this to your
application. For a list of eligible expenses, please refer to the IDRC Guidelines for
Acceptable Project Expenditures. For general information, refer to the General IDRC
Funding Guidelines. Please add information on any matched funding, or additional
leveraged resources, that are relevant to this proposal under the “Donor contributions”
and “Local contributions” tabs.
4. Two-page CVs of the lead applicant with relevant experience and key contact
individuals from other organizations in the case of consortia.

By submitting this proposal, the Applicant confirms that their acknowledgment of the
applicable Terms and Conditions for the Grant Agreement, acknowledged and accepted, form

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This includes general and specific objectives of the project. The general objective should state the development goal being
pursued related to the policy challenge. The specific objectives should indicate the specific types of knowledge to be
produced; the policy, practice or innovation that could be improved with that knowledge, specifying which stakeholders will
be reached; and capacities to be strengthened. The success of the project will be judged against its specific objectives.

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an integral part of the funding application. The Applicant also agrees to abide by GPE's Policy on
protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, by IDRC Corporate Principles on
Research Ethics, IDRC Open Access Policy and IDRC Open Data Statement of Principles to
proceed.

Proposal evaluation criteria

An independent expert panel will assess proposals using the evaluation criteria and criteria
weighting (in percentages) outlined below.

Evaluation Criteria %

Relevance and likelihood of impact 30

• The proposal responds to the identified shared GEI policy challenges
outlined in the call.
• The proposal speaks to the guiding questions of the grant.
• The proposal focuses on adapting, contextualizing, testing and assessing
the scalability of an innovation that is well-justified, feasible and cost-
effective in the context of chosen GPE partner countries.
• The proposal presents convincing strategies, including stakeholder
involvement, policy engagement approaches and links with education
planning processes, for the uptake of project results in the selected GPE
partner countries.

Project design and methodology 40

• The proposal presents a convincing design to achieve relevant and
important results within the (maximum) funding period.
• The proposal has an appropriate methodology to address the research
question(s). The methodology clearly states how GEI will be incorporated
in the project design, including data collection, analysis, interpretation,
capacity building, and knowledge mobilization processes.
• The proposal includes clear strategies for adaptive management and
mitigation of risks.
• The proposal identifies key ethical issues and ways of addressing them,
including how ethical oversight will be managed.
• The proposal includes clear strategies for knowledge mobilization,
scaling impact and uptake.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning 10

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 • The proposal includes a theory of change with results relevant to
knowledge generation, capacity strengthening and knowledge
mobilization.
• The proposal outlines processes to help the project monitor progress,
adapt, achieve results, and report.

Organizational capacity 20
• The applicant demonstrates a strong track record that is suitable to the
task proposed.
• The team demonstrates capacity in education systems, GEI issues,
knowledge mobilization, and applied research.
• The proposal explains how the team will coordinate their work to ensure
fair and equitable partnerships.

Total 100

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Submission and review process
Eligible proposals must be submitted no later than August 28, 2023 (23:59 EDT). Proposals
received after the deadline or incomplete proposals will not be considered. All applications
must be submitted using the online application form. An acknowledgement of receipt of
proposal will be sent following the timely submission.

Responding to this call is the first step in the application process for potentially securing funding
for your proposal. The review process will consist of the following steps, conducted by IDRC
program staff and external reviewers with relevant expertise.

1. Verification of eligibility requirements and proposal completeness: IDRC will review all
submitted proposals to ensure they meet eligibility requirements and include all
necessary application materials. Ineligible, incomplete and irrelevant proposals will not
be considered further.
2. Initial shortlisting of eligible proposals: If a large number of proposals are submitted, IDRC
will review them based on the evaluation criteria presented in section 7 and send a
shortlist of the top proposals to the KIX Independent Assessment Panel (IAP).
3. Review and ranking of shortlisted proposals: IAP members will review eligible proposals
using the evaluation criteria under section 7. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least
two panelists. Proposals will be ranked on the basis of scoring and subsequent IAP
discussion. The IAP will recommend which proposals are of sufficient quality to receive
KIX funding.
4. Recommending a cohort of projects: IDRC will identify a cohort of IAP-recommended
proposals up to the maximum budget for the funding envelope available for the call. As
much as possible, the cohort will balance thematic, geographic and applicant diversity.
IDRC will also analyze budgets and proposals’ value for money. The cohort will be
submitted for approval from the KIX Executive Committee.
5. Final approval: The Executive Committee will provide final approval of the projects
funded through this call.
6. Notification of results: Following the selection by the Executive Committee, successful
and non-successful applicants will be notified of the results by November 6, 2023.
7. Request for changes: IDRC reserves the right to request successful applicants to make
changes based on feedback from the IAP and IDRC, if necessary. IDRC may also facilitate
additional interaction with KIX representatives in GPE member countries to further hone
the selected proposal to country realities.

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 8. Inception Phase: Upon selection and the signing of the Grant Agreement, grantees will be
oriented to KIX objectives and processes over a period of three months called the
Inception Phase. During this period, KIX program officers will work with grantees to align
projects with the overall KIX theory of change and results framework and provide support
and guidance on important requirements such as scaling research, GEI, knowledge
mobilization, and MEL reporting.

Inquiries
Questions must be submitted to kixcalls@idrc.ca.

Any inquiries that affect all applicants will be posted anonymously online on the KIX Call FAQ
page. Applicants are strongly encouraged to monitor this website for any information updates
regarding this call.

Call timeline

Activity Date

Call launch June 15, 2023

Deadline for submitting proposals August 28, 2023

Applicants informed of final decision November 6, 2023

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Additional considerations

• As a Canadian Crown Corporation, IDRC is subject to Canada’s Access to Information

Act. Consequently, any submissions in response to this Call for Research Proposals will be
held by IDRC in a manner consistent with the Access to Information Act, including IDRC's
obligations to disclose documents requested by members of the public.
• By way of submitting an application under this Call, applicants consent to the disclosure
of the documents they submit to IDRC and external reviewers who are involved in the
assessment and selection processes of proposals. If selected for funding, applicants
further consent to the disclosure of their name and the title of the proposed project in
any announcement of selected projects. Unsuccessful proposals will be destroyed within
180 days after the close of the application period. Proposals deemed as high quality by
the IAP, but which do not receive funding from this round, will be retained for an
additional 12 months, based on applicant permissions.
• Applicants must publish research findings in the public domain in accordance with
IDRC’s Open Access Policy.
• The technical selection of a proposal does not constitute a formal commitment by IDRC
to fund the project. Applicants whose proposals are selected for a recommendation for
funding will undergo an institutional assessment. This step assesses the potential risk of
material loss of IDRC funds due to weaknesses in the capacity of an applicant’s
institution to manage or report on the financial aspects of project activities, or because
of economic and political conditions relating to the institution's operating environment.
IDRC needs to review three broad areas in its assessment of what measures should be
applied to minimize such risk: the materiality of the investment; the management
capacity of the applicant’s institution; and the wider environment within which the
organization operates. IDRC will have no obligation to issue any funds prior to the
applicant returning an executed Grant Agreement issued to them by IDRC. The process
for finalizing the project proposal, budget and administrative documentation is expected
to take place between November 2023 and January 2024.
• IDRC reserves the right in its sole discretion at any time to withdraw support for a project
or recipient where the i) implementation, ii) monitoring of, or iii) access to a project is not
possible or would jeopardize the safety of staff, contractors or anyone affiliated to IDRC.
Additionally, where it is determined that a project or participation of an institution or
individual would or could reasonably violate laws, sanctions or other obligations with
which IDRC and or the applicant must comply, support for the project may be withheld or
withdrawn.

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 • Country clearance requirements: IDRC has conducted general agreements for scientific
and technical cooperation with a number of governments. These agreements establish
the framework for IDRC cooperation with that country by defining the rights and
obligations of both IDRC and the government. As such, the applicant institution may be
required to obtain country approval in accordance with these agreements prior to
receiving funding from IDRC. This requirement applies only to selected applications. IDRC
reserves the right to not pursue the funding of a selected project if the country approval
is not secured within six months after IDRC officially announces approval of the project,
as this would jeopardize the timely completion of the initiative.
• Applicants whose proposals are selected to recommend for funding will be required to
provide additional documentation (see additional documents under Proposal
Submission Details) prior to confirmation of funding of their projects. IDRC reserves the
right to rescind its selection of a project if it is deemed that the information provided in
the application is false or misleading.

Annex A: List of Eligible Countries: GPE partner countries

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Afghanistan Honduras Solomon Islands
Albania Indonesia Somalia
Angola Kenya South Sudan
Bangladesh Kiribati Sri Lanka
Belize Kyrgyz Republic Sudan
Benin Lao PDR Tajikistan
Bhutan Lesotho Tanzania
Burkina Faso Liberia Timor-Leste
Burundi Madagascar Togo
Cabo Verde Malawi Tonga
Cambodia Maldives Tunisia
Cameroon Mali Tuvalu
Central African Republic Marshall Islands Uganda
Chad Mauritania Ukraine
Comoros FS Micronesia Uzbekistan
Congo, Democratic Republic Moldova Vanuatu
of
Côte d'Ivoire Mongolia Vietnam
Djibouti Mozambique Yemen
Dominica Myanmar Zambia
El Salvador Nepal Zimbabwe
Eritrea Nicaragua
Eswatini Niger
Ethiopia Nigeria
Fiji Pakistan
The Gambia Papua New Guinea
Georgia Philippines
Ghana Rwanda
Grenada Saint Lucia
Guatemala Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
Guinea Samoa
Guinea-Bissau Sao Tome and Principe
Guyana Senegal
Haití Sierra Leone

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Annex B: Integrating GEI In research proposals and projects
IDRC’s Equality statement says “We support the generation of knowledge—including by
individuals from diverse genders, communities, histories, and experiences—that tackles the
systems that perpetuate inequalities on the basis of identity.” Integrating GEI in all stages of
research projects is essential for producing research that is fair, equitable, and inclusive, and
ultimately promotes equal opportunities and treatment for all people regardless of their gender,
sexual orientation, race, religion, or any other identity.

When a project integrates GEI considerations across its design as well as methodologies, outputs,
outcomes and organizational practices, the project is gender-responsive or gender-
transformative (see IDRC’s Guide to integrating gender in your proposal). Even for a call that
specifically targets GEI issues, proposals should consider how to orient projects to be either
gender-responsive or gender-transformative in all aspects:

Problem identification and background

Including GEI in the problem identification and background contextualizes the research problem
within the broader sociocultural and historical context. It helps to explain how gender and
inclusion-related challenges in education have emerged and how they are perpetuated.

• To what extent does the problem identification and background section discuss the
contextual factors that contribute to GEI challenges?
• What does the existing research say about the issues in focus with respect to GEI?
• To what extent does the problem identification and background section clearly articulate
the specific GEI needs or challenges to be addressed in the project?
• Does the proposal include an intersectional approach to understand how gender
intersects with other aspects of identity, such as age, ability, race, ethnicity, geographic
location, sexuality, and wealth status?

Research purpose and anticipated results

Including GEI in research objectives, research questions, and project results helps to focus the
project on GEI and ensure that it works towards addressing identified GEI challenges.

• To what extent do the research objectives and questions incorporate GEI issues?
• To what extent do the results - outputs, outcomes, and intended impact - address GEI
issues and their underlying causes?

Project design and methodology

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Including GEI in the research design and methodology helps to incorporate a diversity of
perspectives, including those of marginalized groups who may be underrepresented in the
research.

• To what extent are GEI considerations reflected in the project design and methodology?
• Are different groups involved in the research process in a meaningful, participatory way?
To what extent do they represent the diversity of target groups, including the most
marginalized?
• How does the design accommodate for the effective participation of all stakeholders?

Knowledge mobilization strategy

Including GEI in knowledge mobilization activities helps to ensure that GEI issues are raised and
addressed beyond the project.

• Are GEI considerations included in the knowledge mobilization strategy?

• How will GEI-specific findings be documented and shared?
• Are you considering involving relevant key stakeholders or change makers (government,
NGO and others) that work on and influence gender-based discrimination and
inequalities in the knowledge sharing process?

Monitoring, evaluation, and learning

Including GEI in your monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan ensures that there are GEI targets
set, their progress is monitored, and learnings are documented and reported.

• To what extent is GEI integrated into the project's monitoring, evaluation, and learning
plan?
• Does the proposal outline mechanisms to monitor and report on GEI-related results?

Project team capacities

Including GEI expertise and ensuring GEI representation in the composition of the team is
important for ensuring diverse perspectives and experiences, addressing gender and inclusion-
related challenges, conducting ethical research, engaging stakeholders, and disseminating
findings to diverse audiences.

• Do you have a person responsible for leading GEI integration?

• Does the project team include a balanced mix of people of different genders? What roles
do they have?
• How might you strengthen the capacities of the research team regarding GEI?

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Have you highlighted the expertise within the team needed to conduct rigorous gender analysis
and to analyze data by sex and other relevant indicators?

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