Call for projects notice

The deadline for receipt of project concept notes is February 28, 2025.

I. CONTEXT OF THE CALL

The health challenges facing Côte d’Ivoire are considerable. Some indicators remain worrying: the country still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world (the rate increased from 543 to 720 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2005 and 2013), and infant mortality remains high (108 deaths per 1,000 live births).

Available data point to medical causes as the main causes of maternal death, with 80% of these deaths occurring in health facilities and due to inadequacies in the capacity to manage obstetric complications.
Furthermore, the rate of antenatal consultations in the first trimester of pregnancy (CPN1) increased from 32% in 2018 to 34% in 2020 and that of antenatal consultations in the 4th trimester (CPN4) increased from 30.4% in 2018 to 42.31% in 2020.

The proportion of women who gave birth in a health facility with the assistance of qualified personnel has increased significantly. Indeed, the rate of childbirth assisted by qualified personnel increased from 57.43% in 2016 to 71.56% in 2020.
The National Development Plan of Côte d’Ivoire aims to improve the accessibility of all populations to diversified and quality health services, with four priorities:

(i) strengthening health sector governance, (ii) improving the supply, quality and use of health services,

(iii) strengthening the fight against diseases and

(iv) improvement of maternal and child health.
In order to achieve health security, ensure, guarantee the availability and quality of maternal, neonatal, child and child health services, the Fund for Science, Technology and Innovation (FONSTI) has set up a research program: Advanced Research Program in Global Health for Mothers and Adolescents (PRASGMA).

This innovative initiative co-financed by IDRC, FONSTI and PASRES, as part of a partnership, aims to improve the health and well-being of mothers, adolescents and children in Côte d’Ivoire. It pursues four main objectives:

(i) identify specific health challenges related to access to care, reproductive health, nutrition and mental health;

(ii) develop innovative solutions based on the latest scientific advances, such as telemedicine and mobile health applications;

(iii) strengthen local capacities by working with authorities, NGOs and communities to improve health systems and train medical personnel and

(iv) evaluate the impact of interventions through rigorous monitoring to improve the quality of care.

It is in this context that FONSTI has chosen to launch this call for projects, aligned with the objectives of the National Development Program in terms of maternal and adolescent health. This initiative made it possible to identify the challenges of maternal and adolescent health in Côte d’Ivoire, to define the eligible themes and to optimize the structuring of the call’s calendar.

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE CALL

 General objective
The general objective of this call for projects is to boost research in public universities and research institutions in Côte d’Ivoire to meet the challenges of sustainable health and resilience of health systems in Côte d’Ivoire. It focuses on research and development of cutting-edge health solutions, adapted to the specific needs of populations from rural areas.

 Specific objectives
The specific objectives are as follows:
 Contribute to improving the health of populations and reducing maternal, neonatal and infant mortality;
 Strengthen access to health facilities,
 Strengthen and train research teams working in the health field,
 Contribute to improving healthcare offerings (family planning, pre- and post-natal monitoring, basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care developed),
 Boost the pharmaceutical system by strengthening the supply chain: improving logistics distribution capacities at central and intermediate levels and better availability of blood products

III. SPECIFICITY OF THE CALL

i. Eligible themes
Projects submitted to this call for proposals must be mainly focused on issues affecting people with disabilities, women and children. Proposals must address one of the following issues:
Axis 1: Governance of maternal health and sustainable health system in rural areas

1. Quality of care and satisfaction in sexual and reproductive health (consultation, networking, caregiver-patient relationship)
2. Public policies and standards for maternal and adolescent health
3. Optimization of data collection and management
4. Approaches for improving the management of sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls

Axis 2: Resilience in the face of problems of geographical accessibility of health centers (community participation, telemedicine, traditional medicine) in rural areas

1. Innovative techniques for the management of immediate postpartum hemorrhage

Axis 3: Innovative techniques for managing obstetric complications in rural areas

1. Determinants of attendance at health centers
2. Endogenous strategies for access to care
3. Technological innovations and digital health

Axis 4: Mental health of mothers and adolescents

1. Determinants and characterization of mental health of mothers and adolescents in rural areas
2. Innovative endogenous strategies for managing mental health in rural areas

Axis 5: The continuum of traditional medicine and modern medicine in maternal and child health.

1. Phytotherapy and sexual and reproductive health
2. Care offers and pathways (continuum, collaboration, plural experience) for mothers and adolescents
3. Phytotherapy and management of adolescent addictions
4. Phytotherapy and sexual and reproductive health

It should also be noted that the issues related to the resurgence of vector-borne and water-borne diseases will also be addressed, as well as hemoglobinopathies in order to strengthen the educational mechanism of the targets.

ii. Composition of research teams
For the composition of the team, the following are required:
– transdisciplinarity;
– gender dimension, inclusiveness (a mixed composition: man, woman, junior researcher (student), senior researcher (post-doc), civil society actor, private sector, etc.).
Submissions within the framework of the Public-Private partnership are strongly encouraged.

iii. Considerations on open science
A significant place should be given to actions of dissemination, transfer of technology to potential users. In the context of scientific publication, the winners must have the agreement of FONSTI on behalf of the IDRC before any publication.
The scientific journals targeted must be those in Open Access. The results must be published only after their validation by FONSTI and peers.
Particular attention will also be paid to the popularization of the results and, where appropriate, to patent filing projects that would be likely to bring strong added value in terms of technological innovation resulting from this Action Research. A budget must therefore be planned accordingly. The application file should indicate the channels for popularization and transfer of technologies.

iv. Grant management and peer review mechanisms

a. Grant management
The grant management process and peer review mechanisms are recorded in the FONSTI call for projects management procedures manual, available and downloadable via the following link: manuel-de-procedures-de-gestion-des-appels-a-projetspdf.pdf (fonsti.org).

The different stages of the call for projects are:
 Preparation of the call for concept notes memorandum
 Dissemination of the call for concept notes for projects;
 Receipt of concept notes for projects by the General Secretariat
 Notification to applicants whose concept notes for projects have been accepted or not by the Scientific Council;
 Call for complete detailed projects for applications selected after the evaluation of the concept note;
 Receipt by the General Secretariat of the digital version of the complete detailed projects of candidates whose concept notes have been accepted by the Scientific Council of FONSTI;
 Dissemination of the results through several channels including the press, the FONSTI website, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS) and posting in all research structures and institutions.

b. Peer review mechanisms

The grant evaluation mechanism is structured in several phases:
a. Evaluation of project concept notes by the Scientific Council using an evaluation grid (Grille-de-notation_NoteConceptuelle_RD-2.xls (live.com)) which is sent to them by the FONSTI General Secretariat.

b. Evaluation of the complete detailed projects by the external evaluators and by the members of the Scientific Council (SC)
 Evaluation by two national and/or international external evaluators within fifteen (15) days after the transmission of the files
 Evaluation by the members of the Scientific Council (SC) within fifteen (15) days after the evaluation made by the external evaluators

v. Ethical considerations

All projects that may have an impact on human health, but also on animal and environmental health, will necessarily have to be evaluated by the National Committee for Ethics in Life Sciences and Health, whose mission is to examine all health research protocols and projects, including clinical trials and all social, anthropological and agronomic research that may have an impact on human health, but also on animal and environmental health.
Any other activity relating to the collection of primary information or the implementation of funded projects will be carried out with informed consent. Funded projects will comply with rigorous ethical protocols, with an emphasis on protecting the well-being and rights of research participants. Before starting data collection, approval from the competent authorities will be requested to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines.

In addition, bidders must include in their application files a letter of commitment on honour with a view to the proper use of the resources allocated to their projects.

vi. Project selection criteria (taking into account inclusiveness)

The evaluation of the concept note is based on the following criteria:
– General information on the project (10%): This section evaluates the conciseness and clarity of the title, the relevance of the scientific field in relation to the planned research, the territorial anchoring of the project, as well as the clarity, conciseness and structuring of the summary, including the objective, methods and expected results.

– Composition of the project team (22%): This criterion assesses transdisciplinarity, the involvement and contribution of the private sector, the composition of the team in line with gender-related objectives, the skills required for the planned research, as well as the relevance and coherence of institutional collaborations.

– Scientific aspects of the project (48%): This section examines the positioning of the project in relation to the current state of knowledge in the field, its innovative nature, its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the consistency of the expected results with the project objectives, the clarity of the methods linked to these objectives, the specification of the target population and the study area, as well as the relevance of the methodology chosen for the research.

– Scope of the project (20%): This criterion concerns the monitoring and evaluation mechanism, the relevance of the scientific, socio-economic, environmental and cultural impacts of the project, as well as the involvement of the beneficiaries in its implementation.

The evaluation of the detailed project proposal is based on the following criteria:

• General information on the project (5%): This section evaluates the conciseness and clarity of the project title. It also examines the coherence between the chosen scientific field and the planned research. The territorial anchoring of the project is taken into account, as are the clarity, conciseness and structure of the summary. Finally, the adequacy of the project with its history and previous context is also evaluated.
• Composition of the project team (15%): This criterion focuses on the clarity of the transdisciplinary approach adopted by the team. The involvement and contribution of the private sector in the project are also taken into account. The distribution between senior and junior members, in line with the recruitment objectives of 2nd and/or 3rd cycle students, is assessed. The adequacy of the team with the gender parity objectives, as well as the skills necessary to carry out the research, are also scrutinized. Finally, the coherence and relevance of institutional collaborations are analyzed.
• Scientific aspects of the project (50%): This component evaluates the positioning of the project in relation to the current state of knowledge in the field. The innovative nature of the project in comparison with this knowledge is also an important criterion. The relevance and clarity of the theoretical bases and hypotheses, as well as the clarity of the project objectives, are analyzed. The adequacy of the expected results with the objectives set is examined, as well as the clarity of the methods and their link with these objectives. The specification of the target population and the study area is also taken into account. The relevance of the chosen methodology, as well as the mastery of experimental procedures and data collection methods, are evaluated. In addition, the relevance of the data analysis and the potential for valorization of the results are part of the evaluation. Finally, the credibility of the project organization and the realism of the work schedule are scrutinized.
• Project scope (15%): This component assesses the reliability of the monitoring and evaluation mechanism set up for the project. The relevance of the scientific, socio-economic, environmental and cultural impacts of the project is also analyzed. In addition, the involvement of beneficiaries in the implementation of the project and the clarity of the tools and the approach to disseminating results are elements evaluated.
• Budget (15%): The budget assessment is based on its realism as well as on the different sources of financing envisaged. The budget’s compliance with the ceiling of funds allocated by FONSTI is also verified. The budget’s compatibility with the categories of eligible expenditure is taken into account, as is the budget’s adequacy with the resources mobilized for the project.

The evaluation sheets used in the processing of this call for projects will include these different parameters deemed essential by FONSTI.

vii. Mechanisms to promote knowledge assimilation and application

Mechanisms to promote the assimilation and application of knowledge related to the grant application should be based on an integrated approach to capacity building, innovation and sharing of research results. To do this, applicants should plan the following activities at the end of their research:
 a restitution of the results of the research work in the localities where the subsidized projects will take place
;  capacity building sessions for community health workers;
 capacity building sessions for regional directors of the Ministry of Health;
 capacity building sessions for departmental directors of the Ministry of Health.
 a workshop bringing together health care providers, community health workers, researchers, policy makers with the aim of identifying the health needs of adolescents and responding to them appropriately.

FONSTI may provide support for capacity development, with greater emphasis on mechanisms for collaboration and networking of community health centres.

IV. TARGETS

Within the framework of this research program, the following categories will be eligible for funding:
 Teacher-Researchers and Researchers from universities
 Researchers from public research centers in Côte d’Ivoire

V. DURATION OF THE PROJECT

The projects selected under this call must have a minimum duration of 24 months and a maximum of 36 months.

VI. NUMBER OF POTENTIAL PROJECTS TO BE FINANCED AND THEIR BUDGET PER PROJECT

As part of this call for projects, each project will be funded up to 25,000,000 FCFA excluding scholarships. A scholarship will be awarded to one student per project funded over a period of 12 months, non-extendable for the Master 2 and two years for the doctoral student (regularly enrolled in a doctoral training school of the public universities of Côte d’Ivoire).

VII. ELIGIBILITY OF COSTS

Proposals must present a budget for the entire project. This budget must be clear and detailed in accordance with the framework already pre-established by FONSTI. It will be based on real costs and showing effective and reasoned control of expenses in relation to the objectives to be achieved. Eligible expenses, with mandatory justifications in the project:
a. Purchase of materials and equipment,
b. Supplies and consumables
c. Mobility of teams/people [field missions and travel]
d. Data collection and analysis
e. Scientific, educational and popularization [posters, patent filing, policy brief, organization of workshops, etc.]
Payments of the grant will be made according to the current procedures of FONSTI, by carefully respecting the disbursement plan that will be established by the winning universities in agreement with the General Secretariat of FONSTI. The various payments will be made following the presentation of the various interim technical and financial activity reports and supporting documents for the previous disbursement.

VIII. ACTIVITY REPORTS

Each research team must undertake (to be included in the project submission) to provide FONSTI with a start-up report, a bimonthly activity report. It must include:
a- Tables and figures;
b- Achievements over the last two months;
c- Compliance with the forecast schedule;
d- Justification for any delay;
e- Outlook and possible reframing.

IX. MONITORING-EVALUATION

Monitoring-evaluation sessions will be held following the presentations of activity and financial reports. FONSTI will reserve the right to suspend funding in the event of proven inadequacies in research results and unjustified non-compliance with the pre-established timetable.
The evaluation team will be composed of:

1. Members of the FONSTI Scientific Council in charge of the scientific field;
2. External evaluators specializing in the scientific field;
3. FONSTI General Secretariat;
4. FONSTI Monitoring-Evaluation Officer.
   Field and laboratory visits will be organized every six months to assess the reality and effectiveness of the research conducted.

X. APPLICATION

This call for projects is divided into two phases:

• First phase: Submission of a Project Concept Note
  The project concept note templates are available on the FONSTI website (www.fonsti.org). Project concept notes must be sent by email (info@fonsti.org) no later than February 28, 2025 , deadline.
  A response will be communicated to the universities (concept note validated or not) no later than April 4, 2025.
• Second phase: Submission of the complete detailed Project
  All forms can be downloaded from the FONSTI website (www.fonsti.org).
  The duly completed template must be sent by email ( soumission-projet@fonsti.org ) no later than May 7, 2025.

NB:
– The budget entered in the project concept note must be identical to the budget that will be entered in the detailed full project;
– The 2 digital files (identification form and project concept note submission form) must be sent as two separate files in Word format in the same email;
– The 2 digital files (identification form and detailed full project submission form) must be sent as two separate files in Word format in the same email.
– The concept note submission form and the detailed full project submission form must not form a single file with another document that will allow the project team to be identified.
– The concept note submission form and the detailed full project submission form must imperatively remain anonymous as required by said forms

XI. STEPS OF SELECTION

The Procedure for selecting projects to be financed at FONSTI is divided into 06 steps:
1- Evaluation of the project concept notes by the Scientific Council;
2- Analysis of the complete detailed projects by the General Secretariat;
3- Evaluation of the complete detailed projects by external evaluators;
4- Evaluation and preselection of the complete detailed projects by the Scientific Council;
5- Hearing of the preselected project leaders;
6- Financing decision by the Board of Directors.

 Evaluation of project concept notes by the Scientific Council

1. Project concept notes are received by the General Secretariat of
2. FONSTI. The applicant must send the FONSTI General Secretariat their project concept note in digital format via the FONSTI email address (info@fonsti.org).
3. The IT specialist (or communications officer) will be responsible for downloading the digital files and will send them to the RGPRI.
4. The Team responsible for managing calls for projects will send them to the members of the Scientific Council for evaluation.
5. The project concept notes sent to the members of the Scientific Council
6. will be subject to an evaluation. This evaluation consists of examining the concept notes followed by an opinion on the conformity of the presentation according to the indicated framework, the relevance and originality of the proposal and the feasibility of the project.
    Analysis of the complete projects detailed by the General Secretariat
   At the end of the deadline for submitting proposals, the General Secretariat proceeds to analyze the administrative compliance of the various files by verifying that the projects submitted for financing comply with the framework. Non-compliant projects are rejected and a notification is made to the applicants.

 Evaluation of complete detailed projects by external evaluators and by members of the Scientific Council
Project proposals will be subject to a preliminary evaluation by at least two (02) external evaluators. These evaluators will be identified in the database available to FONSTI. The same project proposals will be transmitted by the RGPRI to the members of the Scientific Council for evaluation upon receipt of the external evaluations.

XII. REASONS FOR REJECTION OF APPLICATION FILE

• Administrative Non-compliance
  – Incomplete files,
  – Error in calculating the budget for the contribution requested from FONSTI,
  – Error in calculating the budget lines,
  – Failure to comply with budget ceilings,
  – Failure to comply with the rates allocated to each budget line for the contribution requested from FONSTI,
  – Inaccuracy regarding the amount of the contribution requested from FONSTI,
  – Inconsistency between the budget entered in the project concept note and the budget entered in the detailed complete project;
  – Sending of application file after the deadline…

XIII. EVALUATION CRITERIA

See FONSTI website: www.fonsti.org

XIV. DOCUMENTS TO BE PROVIDED IN THE APPLICATION FILE

Applicants must have the following documents to set up their project:
– Institution leading the project (name, status, contact details)
– Certified copy of the identity document of each member of the team
– Letter of agreement (with letterhead) from the institution leading the project
– Letter of agreement from the direct hierarchy of the scientific coordinator of the project
– Curriculum vitae of the team leaders involved in the project
– Written agreement from the original institution
– Funding request
– Letter of commitment from the main leader
– For students, add the letters of scientific supervision and the certified copy of the last diploma

XV. SELECTION RESULTS

The list of selected projects will be posted at the FONSTI General Secretariat and put online on the PASRES and FONSTI websites:
www.csrs.ch/pasres and www.fonsti.org
Posters will be posted in all universities and research centers in Côte d’Ivoire.

XVI. IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES

a. A financing contract will be established and signed by the project leader.
b. The funds will be hosted by the Fund for Science, Technology and Innovation (FONSTI).
c. The payment will be made in several installments, conditioned by the progress of the project, according to the established schedule, the monitoring-evaluation results and the quality of the activity reports presented.

XVII. TIMETABLE

Description Planned dates

1. Launch of the call January 21, 2025
2. Deadline for submission of concept notes February 28, 2025
3. Evaluation of the administrative conformity of the concept notes March 03 to March 08, 2025
4. Transmission of concept notes to evaluators March 10, 2025
5. Evaluation of concept notes by the Scientific Council March 11 to March 28
6. Notification of acceptance or rejection of the concept note sent to candidates April 02, 2025 to April 04, 2025
7. Submission of detailed project proposals April 07, 2025 to May 07, 2025
8. Transmission of complete project proposals to evaluators May 13, 2025 to May 15, 2025
9. Evaluation of complete proposals by the Scientific Council May 15, 2025 to May 2025
10. Notification of acceptance or rejection of complete proposals sent to candidates June 2, 2025 to June 4, 2025
11. Hearing of projects deemed eligible June 17, 2025 to June 19, 2025
12. Announcement of results June 24, 2025

Download the notice and documents here