On behalf of the FCDO Research Commissioning Centre, 3ie invites expressions of interest from organisations or consortia to advance empirical knowledge on how to improve the use of research evidence by policymakers in the economic policymaking space and beyond. It is an open call for evaluations of interventions to improve the use of research evidence by decision-makers in governments in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, with a view to generating actionable knowledge about how, for whom and under what circumstances evidence-use interventions work in practice.
The deadline for sending proposals for this call for expressions of interest is 17:00 GMT, 27 June 2025.
At a glance
Background
The FCDO’s Economic Growth Research Team (EGRT) aims to advance collective understanding of how to improve the use of research evidence in policymaking and generate actionable insights for researchers, evidence intermediaries and decision-makers through learning from evaluations.
Full title: A research programme on evidence use in policymaking: Interventions to influence the use of evidence
Please see the research page for the evidence use in policymaking programme for additional resources to support your application.
Funding type: Accountable grant
Award size: up to GBP 400,000
Key Dates
Launched on: 10 April 2025
Deadline for queries: 25 April 2025
Q&A webinar: 1 May 2025
FAQs posted: 8 May 2025
Submission deadline: 27 June 2025
Shortlist invited to submit full proposals: week of 28 July or 4 August 2025
Note: In case there are any changes to these dates, the revisions will be reflected here.
Eligibility
- Only legally registered organisations and consortia of registered organisations, not individuals, may apply.
- There are no restrictions on the number of proposals an organisation can lead or be named on across the research programme (including the complementary workstream on examples of evidence use in practice) , provided they demonstrate the necessary expertise and capacity to carry out the project(s) successfully.
- To maintain the independence of the evaluation and minimise bias, research teams should be independent of any organisation delivering or closely associated with the intervention being evaluated. However, we recognise that some evaluations may benefit from existing partnerships between research teams conducting the evaluation and the organisation where the intervention takes place, such that their position cannot be considered independent. In these cases, research teams should explain the safeguards to be implemented to ensure an objective evaluation.
- The RCC strongly encourages the leadership of in-country research organisations where primary research is undertaken.
- Please review the call for expressions of interest document carefully for additional details.
How to apply
Funding recipients should review the full call for expressions of interest and complete the application form on the RCC grant management system.
Supporting information
If shortlisted, funding recipients will be required to adhere to several 3ie and FCDO policies mentioned below. We strongly recommend reviewing these before applying.
Note: In case of any discrepancies between the FCDO’s PrOF guidance and 3ie’s policies, the PrOF guidance will prevail. *Funding recipients are not required to fill in the risk register template at the calls for proposals stage. This resource is included for information only.
Contact
If you have any questions related to this opportunity, please submit these to the rcc@3ieimpact.org mailbox including “RCC evidence use interventions – Request for clarification” in the subject line.
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