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The Centre of Excellence for Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for research projects to contribute to the Centre’s strategic agenda in impact evaluation and evidence synthesis.

This announcement follows on from the early notification published in December 2018.

Commissioning themes and project types

CEDIL will commission projects under three themes (the programmes of work), which reflect our current priorities for innovation in impact evaluation and evidence synthesis for international development. These are:

1. Evaluating complex interventions
2. Generalising evidence through middle range theory
3. Enhancing the use and usefulness of evaluation findings

The three call specification documents (links below) set out the requirements and objectives of each programme of work.

Within each of these programmes, CEDIL aims to deliver a range of short- and longer-term knowledge outputs that will advance the field and generate useful products and tools for policy makers, implementing agencies and evaluation practitioners. We are therefore commissioning four types of projects to deliver results throughout the lifetime of the Centre. The types of project invited under each programme of work are summarised in the table below:

Project type	Maximum budget	Maximum duration	PoW 1: Complex evaluations	PoW 2: Middle-range theory	PoW 3: Evidence use
Evaluations	£1,000,000	3 years	YES	YES	NO
Secondary Data Analysis	£300,000	2 years	YES	YES	NO
Evidence Synthesis	£200,000	18 months	YES	YES	YES
Exploratory Projects	£100,000	1 year	NO	YES	YES

Call documentation

If you intend to submit a project proposal, please download all the documentation below. Note, some documents are not yet available and will be published in late March / early April. We will notify all applicants who have confirmed their intention to submit a proposal of these updates by email.

1. CEDIL calls overview document
2. Call specification for programme of work 1: Understanding complex interventions
3. Call specification for programme of work 2: Generalising middle range theory
4. Call specification for programme of work 3: Enhancing the use and usefulness of evaluation findings
5. Selection criteria
6. Application guidelines
7. Budget guidelines
8. Budget template
9. Note on DFID priorities and programmes
10. Frequently asked questions
11. Contract terms and conditions

Confirm intention to submit proposal

If you intend to submit a proposal, you must confirm your intention by completing this form. The deadline for confirming intention to submit is 11th April 2019. Please note, we will use the email address provided in the form to send updates relating to the CEDIL calls.

Application process and forms

Evaluation and secondary data analysis projects will be selected through a two-stage process. Applicants for these project types should first submit an Expression of Interest. These will be shortlisted by CEDIL and selected teams will be asked to submit full proposals.

Evidence synthesis and exploratory projects will be selected through a single stage process, with applicants submitting full proposals in the first instance.

Applicants should follow the links below for the appropriate project type:

• Application form for expressions of interest – evaluations and secondary data projects

For guidance on how to complete the application forms, please refer to the application guidelines document.

Please note, it is not possible to complete the online application form in stages, or to save and return to the form later. We therefore advise you to prepare your application responses in advance and then populate the online form in one sitting.

Questions?

If you have questions relating to the calls and the application process, please refer to our FAQ document in the first instance. If the answer to your question is not in there, please send an email to cedil.commissioning@opml.co.uk.

Application submission deadline

Expressions of interest for evaluations and secondary data projects must be submitted by 11.59pm GMT on 8th May 2019.

Full proposals for evidence synthesis and exploratory projects must be submitted by 11.59pm GMT on 14th May 2019.

Supplier engagement events

In March 2019, CEDIL will hold several online and in-person supplier engagement events. The purpose of these is to explain more about CEDIL’s research agenda and the call for proposals, respond to queries, and give participants an opportunity to meet and network. Please follow this link for further information and to register for one of these events.

Keep informed

If you would like to be notified about CEDIL news and updates, please sign up to our mailing list at www.cedilprogramme.org.

Connect, follow, ask questions or have a conversation with us:

Twitter: ‎@CEDILProgramme

LinkedIn: CEDIL

Email: cedil.commissioning@opml.co.uk

What is CEDIL?

The Centre of Excellence for Development Impact and Learning is a new international research centre, established to innovate in and improve methods to undertake and maximise the value of impact evaluations and evidence synthesis in international development.

The centre consists of two parts: a directorate, whose role is to set the research agenda for the centre, manage its delivery and ensure quality outputs; and the programme, which will be established through CEDIL’s commissioning process and which will consist of a portfolio of research and evaluation projects that aim to deliver the directorate’s research agenda.