Sheila Mburu

Request for proposal 

The UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) is seeking to commission a supplier to develop an online, mixed-media platform which will support coordination of researchers funded by the COVID-19 Research Coordination and Learning Initiative (COVID CIRCLE) partners, undertaking COVID-19 research relevant to low resource settings. The platform will enable researchers to connect, identify synergies and opportunities for collaboration, facilitate information sharing and host an online resource hub.   

This platform aims to support COVID CIRCLE’s broader ambitions to improve coordination of funded research to inform research for future epidemic and pandemic response.  

Background 

COVID CIRCLE is a global initiative to improve coordination and efficiency of research funding and practice, to increase impact of the research response to COVID-19 with a focus on resource limited contexts.  UKCDR in partnership with GloPID-R are supporting the alignment of research funders towards a coordinated effort for supporting COVID-19 research in, for, and with, low and middle income countries (LMICs) to improve relevant research outputs, ensure outputs are shared rapidly to permit consolidation and review, inform policy and practice and ensure lessons are learned to improve responses within this outbreak and for future outbreaks.

COVID CIRCLE Aims: Aligning and strengthening the global effort on COVID-19 research in resource limited settings, through: 

  1. Funder coordination through a joint principles approach, identification of research priorities for LMICs and mapping and analysis of funding.  
  2. Researcher-level coordination through communities of practice to support the research process.  
  3. Facilitating learning for both funders and researchers to improve responses to future epidemics and pandemics. 

The online platform supports the ambitions of the second aim, researcher-level coordination, to ensure that funded researchers can collaborate, and are coordinated to ensure and effective epidemics impactful COVID-19 research for low- and middle-income countries.    

Electronic copies of your proposal should be submitted by 1st November at 23:30 GMT

The point of contact for all communications is Sheila Mburu, UKCDR Research and Policy Officer (s.mburu@ukcdr.org.uk).