Introduction

The World Bank’s Development Data Group (DECDG), in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), is interested in supporting innovative collaborations for data production, dissemination, and use. The collaborations should take place in low-income countries and lower-middle-income countries, and be directed towards sustainable development generally, and linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular.

This initiative is supported by the World Bank’s Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB) with financing from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), the Government of Korea and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland.

This call has been issued to target improvements where needs are continuous or recurrent, and where innovations can be readily adapted to other regions and sectors. We are interested in projects that result in data or methods which allow data to be produced faster; in a more cost effective manner; at a higher resolution or granularity; or address data gaps. Our ultimate goal is to encourage collaboration, experimentation, learning and capacity development in the field of sustainable development data.
Who may apply?

Any consortium, with at least two organizations, may apply. Consortium members may include social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, government agencies, international organizations, academic organizations, networks and partnerships. We are especially interested in proposals that bring different types of organizations together and in seeing these organizations contribute and integrate their data.

To better understand how the proposed project supports action and decision making, a specific end-user of the project’s outputs (e.g., a government agency or organization who needs and can act on the outputs) must be identified and included as part of the team applying. However, the lead organization may not be a government organization (including United Nations agencies) as project awards will be in the form of vendor contracts with the World Bank and subject to World Bank’s vendor contract terms.

What are the 2018 themes?

Scaling local data for impact: We are looking for innovations, which have an established proof of concept, and will provide more detailed, disaggregated, in-depth information to benefit local decision-making that can be replicated in other regions of the same country, or in a similar setting in a different country.

Fostering synergies between the communities of non-official data and official statistics: We are looking for collaborations which take advantage of the relative strengths and responsibilities of official (i.e., governmental) and non-official (e.g., private sector, civil society, social enterprises and academia) actors in the data ecosystem, and which can build lasting links between them.

What is the geographic focus?

We prioritize the funding of work in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

What are the criteria for funding?

In summary, proposals must include the following elements:
A focus on the 2018 theme of scaling local data is required and a focus on the theme of fostering synergies between communities of non-official data and official statistics is preferred (and may strengthen your proposal).
A link to specific data needs of monitoring or implementing the SDGs.
Evidence of support and involvement from an end-user as part of the project consortium.
A minimum of two collaborating organizations, inclusive of the end-user.
Be implemented in a low- and/or lower-middle-income country.
Proposals that include these elements will be reviewed by a multi-stakeholder peer review committee and a portfolio of those will be selected for funding. The committee will include members of the Secretariat and Technical Advisory Group of GPSDD, representatives from the World Bank and others from across sectors, disciplines and regions.

Scoring will be based on the following criteria and the final selection may consider a balance of thematic and geographic coverage:
1. Innovation and impact (0-35 points)
a. How novel is the approach and intended outcomes?
b. Will the project significantly advance data production, dissemination and/or use for sustainable development?
c. Is the project expected to result in data or methods which allow data to be produced: faster; more cheaply; at a higher resolution or granularity, or where there was no data before?
d. Will the proposed project build capacity, improve a process and/or create a process, approach, product or service where needs are continuous or recurrent in the localities where it will be scaled?
e. Does the project adequately align to the focus areas of the call, build a compelling collaboration among organizations, and bring new data sources to bear?
2. Proof of concept and scaling (0-30 points)
a. How easily can this idea be repeated or adapted to other countries or regions?
b. Is there strong evidence that the pilot or proof of concept project was successful and able to be scaled?
c. Are the challenges of successfully scaling the project addressed?
3. Results and lessons learned (0-20 points)
a. Are the anticipated results clearly articulated and measurable?
b. Is the anticipated risk/reward or cost/outcome ratio realistic and worthwhile?
c. Is there an effective means to capture knowledge and share it with others?
d. Has the team considered the ethical implications of the project and put in place mitigating measures to address potential risks?
4. Experience, record and resources (0-15 points)
a. Is this an experienced team with a variety of organization types (e.g., non-profit, for-profit, academic, governmental) collaborating together?
b. Does the team have a broad understanding of the problem and context?
c. Why and how is this team better positioned to carry out the proposed work than another team?
d. Do the collaborating organizations have significant expertise in the data area of the innovation proposed and have significant experience working in low- and lower-middle-income countries?
e. Do the collaborating organizations have a strong track record of project implementation and financial management?
What are the levels of funding?

Funding may range from between $25,000 and $250,000.
What are the required elements of this application?

Applicants must submit the following proposal elements, all in English, via this online application system.
A set of narrative responses that addresses the criteria above
A high-level budget (Note that awards will be in form of vendor contracts and that indirect costs or administration fees, as well as the purchase of equipment (any durable good with a value of $1,000 or more) are not allowed.)
Letters of support from all collaborating organizations
Letters of support from all end users of the project
Proposals must be submitted by 17:00 U.S. ET, on Wednesday, August 15, 2018.

Applicants will be able to edit their submissions up until the August 15 deadline.

Proposals that are incomplete, do not follow the parameters described above, or are submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Emailed or hard copy applications will not be accepted.
What happens when finalists are selected?

1. Following the peer review committee’s evaluation of proposals, the World Bank and GPSDD will reach out to finalists regarding any questions raised by the committee and request the following documents:
2. A more detailed budget, a breakdown of activities and a proposed delivery timeline
3. Details of the team composition, roles, locations and levels of effort expected for individuals.
4. CVs for all key personnel
5. Evidence that the lead organization has been operational for no less than 12 months (e.g., bank statements, tax returns or audits)
6. The lead organization's most recent audit statement
7. 3 examples of the lead organization's relevant prior experience
8. Confirmation that finalists accept the terms and conditions of the contract
   Final results are expected to be announced in January 2019. Funding disbursements will take place after March 1, 2019.
9. All project implementation work must be completed on or before June 30, 2020, with an additional three months of effort allocated for evaluation and documenting lessons learned.

For more information: https://wb-gpsdd-datainnovation.forms.fm/call-for-proposals-2018-collaborative-data-innovations-for-sustainable-development/forms/5070