Open Window – General Questions
What do you mean by ‘Open Window’? This specific grant window is called ‘Open Window’ because it accepts proposals on all themes and sectors.
What are the target/focus countries under this call for proposals?
What is 3ie’s definition of social-economic development programmes? Social and economic development programmes have, as their primary purpose, to improve a population’s quality of life. For example, programmes aimed at improving health, education, employment, access to credit, infrastructure, and reducing income-poverty. They can be financed by public agencies, NGOs, or private institutions.
Who is the primary audience for 3ie’s funded studies? The primary audience for 3ie studies is developing country policy makers and programme managers.
How do I know if my institution qualifies for this Request For Proposals (RFP)? Or which institutions can apply to Open Window round 3? Any organization can apply under Open Window Round 3. The review criteria include qualifications and experience requirements for the study team.
Can an organization submit multiple applications? An organisation can submit multiple proposals under the same and/or multiple themes.
Can one organization be awarded more than one grant? Yes.
Can more than one affiliate of an organization submit proposals? Yes.
What is the total value of the award under 3ie's Open Window Round 3? 3ie hopes to make awards up to a total value of US$10 million under this Request For Proposals.
What is the maximum or minimum single grant limit available under 3ie’s Request For Proposals? There are no pre-established funding limits.
What was the average grant size awarded? The average grant size awarded was just under US$250,000.
In Open Window Round 1, there was a distinction between grants applying for more than $200,000 or less than $200,000. Larger grants were required to submit an additional “expression of interest” form before applying. Is this true for Open Window 3? No, under 3ie’s Open Window 3 all applicants are requested to first submit an Expression of Interest and are subject to the same unified review process. For more information, read
Open Window 3 review process.
Does 3ie pay for the costs of the intervention being evaluated? Does 3ie funds interventions? No. 3ie funds can only be used for the costs of the evaluation. The costs of the intervention are expected to be borne by the implementing agency.
Can one organization apply to Open Window 3 even if it did not apply to round 1 or 2? Yes, Open Window 3 is open to anyone, even if you did not apply to round 1 or 2.
Application – Expression of Interest
Is the application process under Open Window 3 similar to round 2? No, the application process under round 3 is different. Unlike previous rounds, it uses a two stage application process. Researchers are first asked to submit an
Expression of Interest by July 5 (11.59 pm Eastern Standard Time) through an
online application system. Only teams whose Expressions of Interests have passed the first screening will be requested to submit a
detailed application by August 16 (9.00 am GMT).
Where can I find more information on Open Window 3?
Where can I download the Expression of Interest form? Unlike previous rounds, all applicants will first have to register and log-in to 3ie’s new online grant management system. Only then will they be able to access and complete online the Expression of Interest form.
Can I access the application form for the full proposal during the Expression of Interest period? No. Only if your Expression of Interest is successful, will you be required to complete the application form online through the online Grant Management System. Once the Expression of Interest is successful, applicants will not have to register again. As part of the online system, you will receive a notification with a link to the full online application and detailed instructions.
Can I submit a full application even if my Expression of Interest has been rejected? No, only successful Expressions of Interests will be eligible to submit a full proposal.
What are the deadlines for submissions?
Researchers are first asked to submit an Expression of Interest by July 5 (11.59 pm Eastern Standard Time) through the online application system. Only teams whose Expressions of Interests have passed the first screening will be requested to submit a detailed application by August 16 (9.00 am GMT)
When will I be notified about the results of my Expression of Interest? And if my Expression of Interest is successful, when will I be notified about the results for the final awards? You will be notified by July 16 if your Expression of Interest has been successful. Otherwise, the announcement for the final awards will be by October 31.
If my Expression of Interest is rejected, can I revise it and re-submit before the deadline of the full application on August 16? No. The call for Expression of Interest closes on July 5. If your Expression of Interest is unsuccessful, your ONLY option is to apply under the next round of the Open Window.
Review process – Expression of Interest & Full application
What is your review process? Do Expression of Interests go through an external review? or is it just the full application or both? All Expressions of Interests go through an internal review by 3ie’s technical section. Expressions of Interests rejected by internal review are sent to an external reviewer for an independent decision. If accepted by the external reviewer, the Expression of Interest is then accepted by 3ie to go through the next screening. Full applications are then reviewed by an internal reviewer and three external reviewers. For more information on the review process, click
here.
What are the review criteria for the Expression of Interest? Are the review criteria different for the full application? The review criteria for the Expression of interest look at: (1) whether the proposal is for the impact evaluation of a socio-economic development intervention in a low or middle income country (eligibility); and (2) whether the proposed design meets 3ie’s minimum threshold for rigour.
Yes, the review criteria are different for the full application.
Is the review process for applications different from round 2? Yes. The
review process for full applications has been modified. Under the new system, the full proposals will first go through a technical review where external reviewers will shortlist all proposals of acceptable technical standard. The shortlisted studies will then be screened by a panel of policy makers to select those proposals with the greatest policy relevance and potential policy impact.
Will the review of my Expression of Interest affect the results of my full application? No. They are two separate review processes.
I have submitted a proposal under 3ie’s Policy Window 1. Will my organisation be eligible for submitting a proposal under Open Window 3? Yes.
When am I expected to hear from 3ieabout the result of my application? You should expect to get the results of the review process approximately three months after the deadline for submission of applications.
Proposal
How do I know if my idea for evaluation design stands a good chance for being selected?
I have an impact evaluation in mind, but I am currently looking for a Principal Investigator to partner with the execution. Does 3ie connect organizations with researchers or institutions that have the evaluation expertise to conduct rigorous impact evalu? Yes, upon request, 3ie provides support by way of connecting impact evaluation experts to the applicant. 3ie has an
impact evaluation expert database which currently profiles 150 experts. Using an expert suggested by 3ie is not a guarantee that your proposal will be accepted.
What’s the maximum and minimum time period for the study under this call? There is no pre-established maximum or minimum time period for the research.
Is it possible to review sample proposals of awarded studies selected under round 1 and round 2?
Do I need to submit additional documents a part from the online application form? No, you do not need to submit any additional document. The online form IS the full proposal, and all relevant information should be included in the form itself.
How long should the proposal be? The number of words required for each section is indicated in the grant application form.
How long are the awarded studies for usually? The length of the research can vary from 12 months to 4 years.
Do we need a 3ie member as part of the team since the Request For Proposal gives additional weight to application with a 3ie member as part of the team? No, having a 3ie member as part of the team is NOT a necessary part of a proposal. Under the 3ie review criteria and proposal scoring system, a 3ie member or a 3ie associate member gets 5% extra scoring weights.
Our institution does not have the capacity to develop a proposal, but our programmes are very innovative and have excellent policy relevance. What do we do? Your organisation can apply to 3ie’s Proposal Preparation Grants (PPGs). PPGs support developing country institutions to develop quality proposals with the technical assistance of an impact evaluation expert. Proposals can be sent anytime. For more information please visit:
http://www.3ieimpact.org/ppgs/
Does 3ie promote certain evaluation methods and approaches?
Does 3ie only fund randomized control trials? No. 3ie funds both experimental and quasi-experimental designs.
Is there a preference for evaluation of large-scale interventions? The evaluation should be of either a planned or on-going intervention. Under the Open Window 3, preference will be given to evaluations of large-scale programmes, but funding is not restricted to such studies. Evaluations of smaller scale interventions with great policy interest or technical merit will also stand a good chance of receiving funding.
What do you mean by high quality Impact Evaluations? High-quality impact evaluations measure the net change in outcomes amongst a particular group, or groups of people that can be attributed to a specific programme using the best methodology available, feasible and appropriate to the evaluation question(s) being investigated and to the specific context.
What kind of methodological standards are expected from the evaluation design? 3ie supports impact evaluations that adhere to agreed-upon methodological standards for addressing the “attribution challenge” – e.g. establishing cause and effect between programmatic activities and specified outcomes. In particular, evaluation designs must be capable of addressing: a) confounding factors; b) selection bias; c) spillover effects; d) contamination of control groups; and e) impact heterogeneity by intervention, beneficiary type and context.
Are there other funding opportunities with 3ie, or is Open Window the only one? There are other funding opportunities. 3ie issues requests for proposals through:
- Open Window grant, which accepts proposals related to any sector
- Policy Window grant, which focuses on priority interventions and programmes selected by a panel of internationally recognized policy-makers.
- Thematic Window, which focuses on priority themes and sectors.
- Synthetic Reviews, which examine existing evidence on the impacts of a particular intervention or programme.
- Proposal Preparation Grants, which help developing country institutions design high quality proposals
For more information visit: www.3ieimpact.org/grantsoverview/
How do I know when the next call is due? You can subscribe to 3ie news, which will alert you about our next calls.
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