Call for proposals for COHESA – Kenya Sandpit event.

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Sandpit Event on developing innovative solutions to curb antimicrobial resistance, zoonoses and environmental degradation in Kenya

Call_For_Proposals

Call for Proposals

Sandpit event: February 2024, Nairobi, Kenya

Closing Date for Applications: 15 January 2024

The overarching topic of the sandpit is “Antimicrobial Resistance, Zoonoses and Environmental Degradation”. Submitted proposals should outline how proposed activity or research will contribute to addressing gaps identified in the latest follow-up Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of International Health Regulations (IHR) Core capacities mission for the Republic of Kenya[1]; The Latest Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) report – Kenya[2], and The National Action Plan for containment of antimicrobial resistance[3].  Applicants are expected to align their proposals with one of the sub-topics listed below with a justification for the choice of sub-topic.

  1. Antimicrobial resistance in humans, animals, plants and ecosystems 
  2. Priority zoonotic and neglected tropical and vector borne diseases
  3. Microbial and chemical contamination of commodities along food value chains
  4. Impacts of environmental degradation (including land-use change, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste and climate change)
  5. Strengthening WASH in community and health care facilities

What is a sandpit?

The purpose of a sandpit is to generate and develop high quality research proposals during a 5 day event that encourages networking, collaborative working and interdisciplinarity. Research ideas generated through a sandpit should have impact within the Country through addressing the gaps identified in the latest JEE of IHR Core capacities mission for the Republic of Kenya and The National Action Plan for containment of AMR by responding to national priorities using a One Health approach. Sandpits provide an opportunity for participants to develop, refine and present research ideas. As part of the event, the selected research teams will be provided with lectures and guided learning around One Health, ethics, grantsmanship, and how to present research proposals. At the end of the week participants will pitch their proposal to a panel of experts and the winning proposal(s) and team(s) will be funded through a grant not exceeding Euro 35,000.. Proposed research projects must be completed before April 2025.

The five-day Sandpit event will entail activities as shown in Table 1.Table 1: Proposed activities for the sandpit

Day 1

‘Network’ Informal opportunity to meet mentors and peers

Day 2

‘Clarify & Conceive’ Consider initial research ideas and learn more about One Health

Day 3

‘Collaborate & Create’ Develop project ideas collectively in groups with peers and mentors

Day 4

‘Develop & Prepare’ Grow ideas into projects, and learn how to pitch proposals in groups

Day 5

‘Pitch’ Project teams to present their proposals to the funding panel.

Alongside participants who attend the sandpit, there will be a team to support you to develop research projects as follows:

            Funding Panel

Including the COHESA management team responsible for the allocation of funding

Mentors

Expert academics to support the development of One Health research

Stakeholders

Organisations that have an interest in One Health activities in the country

Facilitators

To guide and manage the agenda, and ensure the purpose of sandpit is met

About COHESA project

Capacitating One Health in Eastern Africa and Southern Africa (COHESA) project aims to generate inclusive research and innovation ecosystem in the region that facilitates uptake, adaptation, and adoption of solutions to issues that can be addressed by a One Health approach.

The objectives of COHESA are:

  1. Increase the relevance of One Health research and policies in eastern and southern Africa
  2. Enhance national and sub-regional cross-sectoral collaboration between government entities with One Health mandates and One Health stakeholders across society
  3. Equip educational and research institutes to train the next generation of One Health workforce
  4. Increase the capacity of government and non-governmental stakeholders to identify and deliver One Health solutions to key problems

https://www.ilri.org/research/projects/capacitating-one-health-eastern-and-southern-africa-cohesa

One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems[4]. It recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent. The approach mobilises multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change and contributing to sustainable development. This is true in Kenya where animals are culturally, socially and economically vital in the region. Livestock provide, for example, over 40% of agricultural GDP in Kenya, but can also be a source of human disease. Outbreaks of disease in animals thereby directly affect people's health, but also their wealth and nutrition. Livestock production and human health and wellbeing in Kenya can be increased through research, leading to improved agricultural systems; more food and less malnutrition; more financial resilience; and better detection, diagnosis, prevention and control of disease.

Research Projects

The research projects will be fully developed & defined at the sandpit event which will be a 5 day event. However, we are asking for applications from teams of individuals with a proposed research area/topic. You should be aware of the following conditions when preparing your application:

  1. The cost of each project or plan will vary depending upon the number of planned activities.
  2. Costs are permitted to cover consumables, travel, field costs, and subsistence allowances (where necessary). Further information on budget conditions will be provided at the sandpit event.
  3. Research ideas proposed should respond to national priorities of the country (JEE of IHR Core capacities mission for the Republic of Kenya and The National Action Plan for containment of AMR -please refer to the various sections of the documents to provide evidence of this within your application)
  4. Collaboration is essential for One Health projects, and when applying, the team must include multiple disciplines. Please consider human, animal, environmental & social science expertise when establishing your team and applying.
  5. Research teams should include both women and men across all projects. We will be aiming for 50:50 gender representation at the event.
  6. All research projects (if funded) will have to apply for full local ethical approval, and research permit from NACOSTI before commencing, and the time taken to obtain approval should be taken into consideration. You will be supported throughout this process by your mentor/s if your project is funded.
  7. When ethics has been granted, research projects must be achievable in a maximum period of 12 months (to include, ethics approval process, data collection, analysis and submission of publication).
  8. When applying, please consider the skills and expertise that you would like to gain  from mentors for your project.

Eligibility

  1. Researchers at all levels are eligible to participate in a COHESA - Kenya sandpit, but we especially welcome applications from early career/junior researchers
  2. We expect teams of researchers to submit an application, and have a transdisciplinary idea for a project that meets our funding criteria. They will have a chance to refine it at the event, but must come with an outline and team members already in place
  3. We encourage applications from new teams and new research projects
  4. Applications are open to researchers from Kenya
  5. Applicants from a wide range of backgrounds are welcome to apply, including (but not limited to): microbiology, economics, data scientists, public health, medicine, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, zoo-archaeology, vector biology, anthropology and social sciences.
  6. Projects must include multiple disciplines amongst team members, and teams can have a minimum of 2 people up to a maximum of 5 people (this does not include mentors)
  7. Attendance at the full five days sandpit event is required - please ensure you are able to attend all five days before you apply
  8. Important: applications that include teams from different research institutes is allowed, however, given time restrictions, there can only be one national institutional ethical review for the research.

Further Information for Applicants

Attendance of the sandpit is not a guarantee that your project will be funded, as you will pitch your idea at the end of the sandpit event to a funding panel.  You will also be supported throughout your research projects by expert mentors.

Please note only one application needs to be submitted per team. The application form requires you to complete a number of questions, as well as upload copies of: - CV of all team members (maximum 2 pages per CV). The cost of attending the sandpit event will be paid for by COHESA-Kenya. Details on the exact dates and the location of the Sandpit will be provided at a later date but it will take place in Nairobi, in the month of February 2024. Due to the many applications, we normally receive, letters of acceptance to the sandpit event will only be sent to the successful applicants by end of January 2024.

 

To apply 

Applications should be sent to the following email address: iagas@uonbi.ac.ke

Deadline for submission is 15th of January 2024 at 5PM EAT

 

Reference

 

  1. Joint External Evaluation of IHR Core Capacities of the Republic of Kenya. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  2. Kenya national action plan on antimicrobial resistance: review of progress in the human health sector. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022 (Antimicrobial resistance policy information and action brief series). Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  3. FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH, 2022. Global Plan of Action on One health, towards a more comprehensive One Health, approach to global health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4660/cc2289en
  4. Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) report – Kenya: 26 November – 8 December 2017

[1] Joint External Evaluation of IHR Core Capacities of the Republic of Kenya. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

[2] Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) report – Kenya: 26 November – 8 December 2017

[3] Kenya National Action plan on antimicrobial resistance: review of progress in the human health sector. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022 (Antimicrobial resistance policy information and action brief series). Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

[4] FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH, 2022. Global Plan of Action on One health, towards a more comprehensive One Health, approach to global health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4660/cc2289en

Application Form