Research call for applications

Generating evidence to strengthen intersectionality and gender

research efforts in infectious disease prevention and control
Deadline for submission: 17 August 2020 (17:00 CET)
Submissions after this deadline will not be considered
(Eligibility limited to applications from low- and middle-income countries)

TDR, the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in
Tropical Diseases, hosted at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, is pleased
to announce a call for research applications to stimulate intersectional gender research
efforts in infectious disease prevention and control.

Institutions from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) working on public health, gender
and intersectionality research, implementation research, infectious disease prevention and
control, are invited to submit individual or collaborative research proposals where two or
more institutions are forming a consortium.

This call aims to strengthen gender and intersectionality analyses in infectious disease
research. Under this call, either several individual institutions (up to three), or one multi-
country institutional consortium proposal, will be selected for eighteen months’ funding up
to a maximum amount of US$ 200 000.

Background
Understanding the intersection of different dimensions of gender with other social stratifiers,
including age, sex, disability, class, sexual orientation or ethnicity, among others, is critical in
the epidemiology, prevention and control of infectious diseases across different contexts.
There is increasing yet insufficient evidence on why and how gender intersects with other key
social stratifiers to shape infectious disease conditions, influence vulnerability to illness, and
affect experiences in access to health care. There is also an urgent need to explore how new
evidence in emerging priority areas can be efficiently translated into policy and practice, and
how gender dynamics influence implementation research processes.

A renewed and strengthened gender equality and health equity focus with an intersectional
lens could have a profound effect on infectious disease public health delivery for marginalized
populations globally. Prevention and control of infectious diseases and addressing gender
intersecting inequalities could result in better social justice outcomes that positively
contribute to fighting infectious diseases in LMICs, and among the most vulnerable
populations.

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Call for applications

Call objectives and expected outputs

The overall objective of this work is to generate evidence on gender intersecting inequalities
in infectious disease epidemiology, prevention and control, as well as gender and
intersectionality applied in infectious disease implementation research processes.
Specifically, studies could focus on one or more of the topics listed below. This list is not
exhaustive; research teams may suggest slightly different titles or foci although preference
will be given to closely related topics.

We invite research teams to generate evidence from single or multiple contexts that span the
translational research spectrum and are of any methodological underpinning. Teams should
address gender, sex, and their intersections with associated inequities in infectious diseases.
The evidence generated will inform TDR’s research and programmes, which in turn may also
influence future implementation research, policy and practice.

In the context of infectious diseases 1, research studies may focus on:

• Exploring how social and gender-related dynamics influence if, why and how
implementation strategies on infectious diseases work.
• Studying the intersection of sex and gender with other social stratifiers to understand
marginalization and disadvantage in access to health services and interventions.
• Research on the intersection of gender and other axes of inequality in delivery and
access to prevention and control approaches and products to prevent and control
infectious diseases.
• Considering ways in which underlying gender power relations can be challenged and
progressively changed during the research process.
• How to optimize health interventions in structural violence conditions where the most
vulnerable people live with a high burden of infectious diseases.
• Research studies that apply an intersectional gender lens to assess the risk of disease
exposure and the intersection with social determinants of infectious diseases and
comorbidities.
• Research studies that address sex- or gender-associated health or social outcomes of
infectious diseases, including the ways in which gender and other axes of inequality
shape individual or household-level indicators of well-being.
• Studies that address gender dimensions and apply an intersectional lens in infectious
disease programme delivery, including mass drug administration coverage, infectious
disease control interventions, utilization of water and sanitation resources, and access
to disease management services for morbidity, disability, or mental health services.

1
Please see TDR’s website for a list of TDR-supported work on specific infectious diseases including, but not
limited to, neglected tropical diseases.

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 Call for applications

• Evidence on the influence of gender dynamics/gender power relations, gender

intersecting inequalities, culturally dominant constructions of masculinity and
femininity in shaping people’s health and health seeking behaviours across population
subgroups.
• How gender norms, roles and relations intersect with other axes of inequality (e.g. sex,
age, social class, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic location, refugee status,
disability, etc.) to determine unique circumstances of disadvantage and/or privilege in
access to health care and treatment of infectious diseases.
• Evidence of the extent to which COVID-19 affects women, men, trans women, trans
men and people with non-binary gender identities, in terms of benefiting from health
interventions and access to care and treatment of infectious diseases.

Eligibility criteria
This research programme has a selective nature. It seeks to identify unique established
research groups, institutions, consortiums or networks with expertise and a track record in
applying intersectionality and gender analyses/approaches to public health and research on
infectious diseases of poverty that would benefit from a new influx of funding to advance
their research work.

Any research group, institution, consortium or network from multi-country institutions (from
at least two countries) working in low and middle-income countries are eligible to apply.

Applications are limited to groups or entities with previous experience/track record (through
publications and on-the-ground experience with community participatory projects) in
undertaking intersectionality, gender and public health research and/or interventions
relevant to infectious diseases in LMICs. Groups should include collaborations from across
multiple disciplines and those working in programmes embedded within the relevant sectors
(e.g. ministries of health and gender), academic institutions, research institutes and
nongovernmental organizations, professional societies and civil service organizations
involved in infectious disease research activities.

Applications should be headed by a qualified researcher (PhD level). Equality, Diversity and
Inclusivity are key principles embedded in core areas of TDR’s work. Women researchers,
researchers whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth and researchers
with gender identities of non-binary spectrum are strongly encouraged to apply. Grants will
be awarded to the beneficiary institution where the lead researcher/s is/are based.

Funding scope

Funds

The duration for the award will be 18 months with an estimated start date in
September 2020.

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Call for applications

Proposals will be considered for a total funding envelope of up to US$ 200 000, supporting a
maximum of 3 research projects.

Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis according to criteria including scientific

merit, relevance, innovation and feasibility of the project.

Selection process
Proposals can be submitted in English. However, we encourage Francophone and Spanish
speaking countries to apply as well.

Proposals will be selected through a competitive process. The selection of projects for funding
under this call will be conducted independently by an ad hoc committee established by TDR,
which will review the eligible proposals based on criteria such as scientific merit, relevance to
the call and feasibility, taking into account gender and equity issues.

If the proposal is selected for funding, two ethical clearances will be required from: 1) the
designated institutional and/or national ethical committee; and 2) the Ethics Review
Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO ERC). Selected research teams will be
invited to complete and finalize research protocols accordingly. Final approval of grants and
issuance of Technical Services Agreements (TSA) is subject to these ethical clearances.

Evaluation criteria
The proposals will be reviewed and evaluated taking into consideration the following criteria:

1. Scientific merit
• Well-articulated research vision, clearly linking and highlighting the impact of previous
research and/or the innovative intersectionality and gender lens of the proposed
project.
• Appropriate problem statement and rationale
• Clear and well-defined objectives
• Appropriate and feasible research questions
• Appropriate study design, methodology and data collection and analysis plan and
reporting
• Considerations of ethical issues arising from the research
• Feasible implementation timeline (Gantt chart)
• Soundness and appropriateness of budget
• Risk assessment and management approach to the project

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 Call for applications

2. Relevance
• Fitness with the theme and scope of the call
• Appropriateness of the methodology to the problem and the social and geographic
context
• Quality and suitability of the multi-disciplinary research team (with complementary
and integrated expertise), transdisciplinarity of research framework, and involvement
of multisectoral stakeholders (both at the national policy as well as at the local policy
implementation level, e.g. communities, development partners)
• Community engagement/participation and plans to engage non-researchers and
stakeholders throughout the research process
• Consideration of gender equality and health equity issues
• Potential for strengthening existing capacity (including organizational) of the research
team, institutions and communities
• Dissemination and utilization plan for research results
• Ability of the principal investigator to manage the project based on track record of
innovative and impactful research
• Outcome-oriented monitoring and evaluation framework
• Potential to influence policy through best practices and policy linkages
• The extent to which the proposed project is likely to contribute to improved health
outcomes for people affected by infectious diseases; How will achievement of the
research objectives change the concepts, methods, technologies, services, or
preventative interventions that drive advancement of infectious disease
prevention/control?

3. Feasibility
• Feasible implementation timeline (Gantt chart)
• Quality/suitability of the institution(s)/team (composition, expertise) for the proposed
tasks
• Ability of the principal investigator to manage the project based on track record
• Risk assessment and management approach to the project

4. Budget
• Sound and appropriate budget
• Budget well justified

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Call for applications

How to apply: submission process

The full proposal, written using the TDR research grant application form available at
https://www.who.int/tdr/grants/calls/Grant_application_form_rev26Jul2020.docx, must be
submitted by email no later than 17 August 2020 (17.00 hours, CET) to TDR Scientist Mariam
Otmani del Barrio (otmanidelbarriom@who.int) with a copy to Daniel Hollies
(holliesd@who.int).

Late applications will not be accepted. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant
and/or nonresponsive to the call will not be reviewed. Please specify in the subject of your
email: “gender and intersectionality in infectious disease research call”.

In the body of your email, please include the following brief information: a) descriptive title
of the project; b) name/s and affiliation of principal investigator; c) names of other key
personnel; d) collaborating groups/countries; and e) brief description of the research project.

Attachments must not exceed 8 MB.

About TDR
TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, is a global
programme of scientific collaboration that aims to improve the health and well-being of
people burdened by infectious diseases of poverty through research and innovation. It is
hosted at the World Health Organization (WHO) and is sponsored by the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World
Bank and WHO.