SAMRC / FORTE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

PROGRAMME

Request for Applications (RFA)

SAMRC/FORTE-RFA-01-2016

15 January 2016

CLOSING DATE AT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY FOR VALIDATION: 22 FEBRUARY 2016

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Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1

2. AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME .................................................................................................... 1

3. AREAS OF COOPERATION ........................................................................................................ 1

4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FOCUS AREAS ............................................................................ 1

5. DURATION AND START DATE OF PROJECTS ............................................................................ 2

6. WHO MAY APPLY .................................................................................................................... 2

7. HOW DO I APPLY? ................................................................................................................... 2

8. WHICH ACTIVITIES MAY I APPLY FOR? .................................................................................... 4

9. HOW MUCH MAY I APPLY FOR? .............................................................................................. 4

10. HOW ARE APPLICATIONS EVALUATED? .............................................................................. 5

11. PROJECT FOLLOW-UP AND REPORTING ............................................................................. 6

12. SCIENTIFIC COMPLIANCE .................................................................................................... 6

13. PUBLICATIONS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY .................................................................. 6

14. WHEN IS THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS? ............................................................ 7

15. WHERE CAN I OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION? ................................................................... 7

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1. INTRODUCTION Within the framework of the agreement on cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology, and

Innovation between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the

Kingdom of Sweden, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Swedish Research

Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

in August 2015 to expand collaboration between South African and Swedish scientists. Pursuant to

this MoU a joint workshop of South African and Swedish scientists was held in Cape Town on 22 &

23 October 2015. As an outcome of the aforementioned workshop, we are pleased to announce a

call for joint research project proposals between South African and Swedish researchers, and

herewith invite all interested parties to submit their applications.

2. AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME

Joint funding of collaborative basic and translational research projects;

The exchange of technical expertise, personnel, materials and information;

Jointly planned scientific meetings, workshops and symposia;

Training activities and consultations;

Publishing scientific findings and other forms of communicating research results;

Exchange of knowledge and learning models, as well as networks of learning; and

Other forms of cooperation identified jointly.

3. AREAS OF COOPERATION

Joint research proposals may be submitted in the following two prioritised health research focus

areas:

i. Inequalities in health; and

ii. Health Systems and Health Systems Policies

In keeping with our ethos of human capital development, applications from previously

disadvantaged individuals are encouraged as is the involvement of historically disadvantaged higher

education institutions and other research institutions.

4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FOCUS AREAS

Basic, translational, behavioural, clinical, preventive, or epidemiological research may be proposed

under this programme. The specific areas of research under this programme are:

i. Inequalities in health

Comparative research opportunities could include studies of the impact of the change of the global

labour market; impact of migration and the situation for refugees; alignment between public and

private health services and identifying strengths and weaknesses.

Systemic approaches including studies of historical trends and determinants of inequality in the

context of, e.g. the constitution, policies, public health and occupational health and safety

strategies.

Research aimed at reducing health inequalities may target: inequalities in primary health-care

delivery systems due to geographic factors in terms of access and quality, and also in terms of the

complexity of care required; the impact of inequality on health-seeking behaviour and how can we

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increase the demand for services among the poor; the effects of inequality on children and the

youth, and what interventions would reduce these inequalities and when is the best time to

intervene; the impact of schooling and employment on inequality and health.

ii. Health systems and health systems policies

Health systems and policy research that focuses on people, programmes and systems that

strengthens access to and quality of comprehensive health services, with an emphasis on primary

health care, community-based and district health systems, and on contextually relevant and adapted

approaches, which involve local actors integrally in the research process.

Key challenges for research projects to aim at include: learning how to implement research results

and knowledge, strengthening management and governance and finding strategies for scaling up

evidence-based interventions.

5. DURATION AND START DATE OF PROJECTS

Projects will be supported for a maximum period of three (3) years. The official start date of the

project, expected during May – July 2016, will be decided through consultation between the SAMRC,

Forte and the successful applicants/applicant institutions.

6. WHO MAY APPLY

South Africa:

Investigators who hold a post-graduate/medical qualification, preferably a PhD, MBChB or

equivalent degree, in the relevant research focus area and are full-time employees or on a full-time

fixed term-appointment (for the duration of the project) are eligible to apply.

This call is open to active researchers residing in South Africa and affiliated with a recognised high

education or research institution such as a university, university of technology or science council.

Sweden:

The lead Swedish applicant should hold a doctoral degree at the start of the project and be scientist

at a Swedish University or Higher Education Institute (HEI), or at another research organisation that

has been approved as an Administrative organisation by Forte and has an organisational account in

the Swedish application system, Prisma.

7. HOW DO I APPLY?

South African and Swedish applicants shall submit a common/joint application which must be

completed in English. All applications must be completed on the SAMRC-Forte Collaborative

Research Project application form posted on the SAMRC and Forte websites or obtainable from the

Project Administrator, Arlene Smith (arlene.smith@mrc.ac.za). The length of the application should

not exceed 20 single spaced pages, excluding annexures. The application must address the following

areas:

i. Problem identification/research question (max 3 pages)

Give a brief description of the health or scientific research problem in the aforementioned

focus areas that will be addressed by the proposed project, and

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Outline the nature, source, extent and impact of the problem to be addressed, giving

particular attention to the extent of the problem in South Africa and Sweden.

ii. Rationale and motivation (max 3 pages)

Provide a background and scientific rationale for the proposed research, outlining, where

appropriate, the theoretical framework that forms the basis of the research, and

discussing how the proposed research will address the problem identified above, and

Indicate how the proposed research is expected to contribute to an integrated, cross

disciplinary research programme advancing health-relevant knowledge and/or contribute

to improvements in health outcomes.

iii. Research aims and objectives (max 2 pages)

Outline the main aim(s) of the proposed research and specify the research objectives that

are to be achieved.

iv. Research design and methods (max 6 pages)

Noting that the overarching goal of the programme is to support innovative, inter-

disciplinary, collaborative research projects that address both South African and Swedish

health problems, give an account of the overall research approach and the following:

o specifics of the research design, including any multi-disciplinary aspects as well as

stakeholder interaction/participation;

o the research methods and/or experimental techniques to be employed, including

human subjects protection plan for clinical studies;

o the data collection and analysis strategies / approaches to be adopted;

o the statistical treatment and analysis of data, and

o responsibilities and timelines in doing the work (who will do what when?), including

communication and collaboration activities

Applicants should give a detailed account, as required above, of the targeted outcomes in each of

the three years of their proposed research. The research design and methods should be well aligned

with the stated research aims and objectives.

v. Expected outputs/outcomes/impact (max 4 pages)

Outline the expected direct and/or indirect outputs/outcomes/impact of the research in

terms of the collaborative programme goals outlined in section 4. It includes:

o the advancement of scientific/health knowledge ;

o human capacity development (number of post graduates trained and post-docs

mentored);

o specific research outputs (e.g. publications in high impact journals) , and

o Contributions the research is envisaged to make to improvements in health and/or

policy outcomes.

The onus is on the applicant to find their own research collaborator(s) in the partner country. A

common/joint proposal only will be considered.

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8. WHICH ACTIVITIES MAY I APPLY FOR?

Each selected project will be funded for a maximum period of three (3) years, subject to the

submission of an annual report and satisfactory progress for continuation of funding. To facilitate

the objectives of the joint project, labour costs, consumables, research expenses, project related

visits of South African and Swedish researchers to the counterpart country may be supported.

Funding under this programme will cover the following expenses related to the project:

Support for research expenses: Expenditure by the project team in their country would be

provided by the respective funding agency, i.e., Forte in Sweden would support expenditure

on Swedish side of the project whereas the SAMRC would support expenditure on the South

African side.

Participation of research students would be encouraged.

Institutional overhead will be determined in accordance with specific research and

development programme related policies of each institution/government.

While the exact nature of expenditure is not fixed, the following may NOT be funded from

this allocation: purchase or construction of a building, rental costs for space that is owned by

the institution, recruitment costs for staff, and purchase of office furniture.

9. HOW MUCH MAY I APPLY FOR?

There are three (3) funding streams available as shown in Table 1. Depending on the nature and

extent of the potential projects, applicants may apply in only one of the available funding streams.

The funding levels are maximum levels in each category and the amounts being applied for do not

have to be of comparable size in the two countries.

In Categories 1 and 2, an application must designate two principal investigators, one in South Africa

and one in Sweden, both of whom will bear the main responsibility for the project, including the

technical and administrative coordination as well as scientific and financial reporting.

Category 3 funding is aiming at developing new partnerships between South African and Swedish

researchers. Accordingly, applicants for Category 3 funding need not have a partner either in

Sweden or South Africa at the time of application. However, Category 3 projects should be planned

for three years, with year 1 focusing on establishing partnerships, reviewing and revising the project

objectives in collaboration with partners, getting ethics review finalised, if applicable etc., in

readiness to implement the project in year 2 and 3. By the end of project month nine in year 1,

recipients of Category 3 funding shall submit a revised application including details of the

partnership, an updated project plan, and a budget for years 2 and 3. Before the start of year 2, the

SAMRC and Forte will decide on the awarding funding for year 2 and 3 of successful Category 3

projects.

Table 1. Categories and maximum funding levels

Category

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

ZAR SEK ZAR SEK ZAR SEK

Category 1 R1.0m 700 tkr R1.0m 700 tkr R1.0m 700 tkr

Category 2 R500k 400 tkr R500k 400 tkr R500k 400 tkr

Category 3 R200k 150 tkr R400k 300 tkr R400k 300 tkr

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10. HOW ARE APPLICATIONS EVALUATED?

There will be a two-step review and evaluation process, viz,

Internal SAMRC-Forte screening for responsiveness to all the specified administrative and

procedural provisions required in the RFA, and

Peer-review to assess the scientific merit (and other review criteria as specified below) of

applications found to be responsive to the provisions of this RFA.

Internal screening

All applications will be screened jointly by the SAMRC and Forte for completeness and

responsiveness to the goals of the RFA and its administrative requirements/provisions. If the

application is found incomplete or unresponsive to the provisions described in the RFA, the

application will be returned to the applicant/institution without further review.

Peer-review of qualifying applications

Responsive applications will be reviewed by a panel comprising of recognised experts in the scientific

field(s) of research and the societal relevance represented by the proposals received. These experts

will evaluate each proposal based on the following criteria:

Relevance and clarity of objectives in relation to the aims of the call;

Scientific quality of the proposal (scientific excellence of the proposal in terms of innovative approach, originality and expected progress beyond the state of the art, availability and quality of existing data, comparative perspective and multidisciplinary);

Quality of the project consortium (international competitiveness of participants in the field(s), previous work and expertise of the participants, added value of the transnational collaboration, participation of early-stage career researchers);

Feasibility of project plan (relation of work packages to proposal themes and aims, quality of work plan and time schedule, balanced participation of project partners, quality and efficiency of the coordination and management, scientific justification and adequateness of the requested budget and risk assessment); and

Potential impact on society and citizens (response to actual societal needs, providing evidence for policy makers and practitioners; early integration of relevant stakeholders, ensuring societal relevance over the course of the project and its dissemination).

Particular emphasis is to be placed on the training of students and young researchers achieved through research and the transfer of knowledge and know-how aimed at socio-economic development. The integration of young researchers and students, and the exchange of post-doctoral researchers are encouraged, as is the involvement of students and researchers from previously disadvantaged communities. Review and award of successful Category 3 projects are highly dependent on sound project

ideas/proposals which are feasible and where a collaborative partnership in Sweden or South Africa

will enhance the achievement of the aims and objectives of the project.

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11. PROJECT FOLLOW-UP AND REPORTING

PIs must submit common/joint scientific and financial annual reports in English from the year of

receipt of the grant. A final scientific and financial report must be submitted in English no later than

3 months after the end of the project. Reports must be completed on the template provided by the

SAMRC and Forte.

12. SCIENTIFIC COMPLIANCE

Ethics

Principal Investigators (PIs) are required to maintain the highest ethical and safety standards in

conducting the research, particularly when human and animal subjects are involved. It is the

responsibility of the PIs to comply with all relevant regulations in this regard, including those of the

institution at which the research is carried out. Applicants should comment in the application if the

project lacks ethical problems, needs certain ethical considerations, will be submitted to an ethical

review committee, or has been approved by an ethical review committee.

In SA, an ethics approval certificate from a National Health Research Ethics Committee approved

Institutional Ethics Committee must be submitted to the SAMRC in respect of successful applications

before funding can be released.

In Sweden, if the review panel finds it appropriate, a registration number from an ethics approval

certificate from an ethical review committee must be submitted to the Forte in respect of successful

applications before full funding can be released. Rules for ethical review and the ethical review

organisation are described in detail at http://www.epn.se/.

13. PUBLICATIONS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The PIs and their project teams shall jointly publish research results from the joint research project in the appropriate form and according to the standards of the SAMRC and Forte. The joint publications by the researchers will mention the funding support from the SAMRC and Forte. Researchers financed by Forte must publish according to the agency’s Open Access regulations: http://forte.se/en/funding/how-to-apply/open-access-policy/Forte provides 30 000 SEK in extra funding for granted research projects for open access publishing. Publications and any other intellectual properties rights generated out of the project should be

jointly shared and published after mutual agreement between the collaborators. In the interest of

encouraging meaningful collaborations, the collaborating parties are strongly encouraged to engage

in appropriate discussions and negotiations to determine issues such as ownership of any arising

intellectual properties and each party’s rights and obligations under the collaboration.

South Africa

Funding by the SAMRC is subject to the provisions of the SAMRC Intellectual Property Policy

(http://innovation.mrc.ac.za/policy.htm) as well as the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly

Financed Research and Development Act 51 of 2008 (http://www.nipmo.org.za/legislation).

The SAMRC may require the South African PI in the future, in the event of any intellectual property

being developed from the project, to sign an intellectual property sharing agreement for each

project funded by the SAMRC as part of the acceptance of this grant.

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Sweden

The basic principle in Sweden is that the individual (as well as employed) researcher owns the result

of his or her research. This applies to what one writes or draws as well as any technical invention. As

regards literary or descriptive work, the person who has done the work has an exclusive right,

according to the Act on copyright (SFS 1960:729). The rule is general, and thus does not apply

specifically to researchers, but can yield to other agreements concerning the assignment or

employment relationship. The employee thus often has to grant the employer a right to use such

material that s/he was employed to create. http://codex.vr.se/en/agande1.shtml

14. WHEN IS THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS?

The closing date for applications is 29 February 2016. Applications received after this date will not

be considered for funding. Table 2 provides an outline of the stages and timelines for the application

and award process.

Table 2. Proposed application and award timelines

Stages Date/period

1. Publication of call 15 January 2016

2. Deadline for submitting applications 29 February 2016

3. Evaluation period (indicative) 01 March – 14 April 2016

4. Feedback to applicants (indicative): Official grant award letter (award decision)

15 April 2016

5. Grant funding agreements finalised (indicative) May 2016

6. Project start May – July 2016

15. WHERE CAN I OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION?

Please direct your requests for information and questions/queries to:

For SAMRC For FORTE

Dr Niresh Bhagwandin Strategic Research Initiatives SAMRC Phone: +27 (0) 21 938 0652 email: niresh.bhagwandin@mrc.ac.za

Ms Arlene Smith Strategic Research Initiatives SAMRC Phone: +27 (0) 21 938 0653 email: arlene.smith@mrc.ac.za

Dr Tove Hammarberg International Relations Coordinator Forte Phone: +46 (0) 761 151 704 Email: tove.hammarberg@forte.se