BACKGROUND -
ESSENCE on Health Research is an initiative that allows donors/funders to identify synergies, establish coherence and increase the value of resources and action for health research. ESSENCE has led several innovative approaches to achieve harmonization and optimization of research funding, including the development of a good practice document series with the aim of better streamlining efforts aimed to support efficient and targeted research capacity building. One such output, the Five Keys to improving Research Costing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (‘the Five Keys’), was published in 2012 and subsequently, translated into French and Spanish. In 2014 a suite of multi-media training materials, Using the Five Keys to improving Research Costing in LMICs, was created to support training related to research costing, particularly to assist trainers to deliver short presentations as well as more in-depth workshops.
Since 2012, the Five Keys has been the most sought after and downloaded good practice document developed by ESSENCE. Evaluation research conducted by ESSENCE members has shown that this document has served as a timely, free and uniform framework to be used, particularly since few similar resources are available. However, this research has also pointed to changes in the research management environment in LMICs. Consequently, it was agreed at the ESSENCE members’ meetings in Ottawa and Lisbon in 2018, and subsequent discussions of several members of the Research Management Working Group, that ESSENCE embarks on a revision of the Five Keys that would reflect the changes in the research management landscape since 2012 and improve the Five Keys through the inclusion of updated experiences and cases.
PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY -
•To gather information on the use and impact of the Five Keys good practice document and the related training materials
•To gather new information on the research funding and research costing practices of funders
•To understand/assess, from a funder’s perspective, the major changes in the research funding and research management environment since the publication of the Five Keys in 2012
•To gather information, from a funder’s perspective, on common research costing and research management practices at recipient institutions
COMPLETING THE SURVEY -
The survey questions are structured under 5 headings. It should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete the survey. You can edit your response after you have submitted the survey by clicking on the 'Edit my response' button.
CONFIDENTIALITY -
Participation in this survey is voluntary. The information in this study will be used only for the revision of the ESSENCE good practice document on research costing. All responses will be treated as confidential and only anonymized, aggregated data will be published in the final report. Respondents will be consulted for consent should it be necessary to identify an individual/organization for the sharing of specific practices or experiences. During the project, the survey data will be kept in a password-protected database which only the project team can access. The database will be deleted on completion of the revised ESSENCE good practice document on research costing.
DEFINITIONS -
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs):
Countries as per the classification of the World Bank.
Research costing:
Calculating the true cost of all the resources needed to undertake a piece of research and includes the direct and indirect /overhead costs.
Research pricing:
Research costing assists to determine the appropriate price for a piece of research. The price is what is request and ultimately granted by a funder. The price could, therefore, be different from the cost of the research.
Indirect costs:
Costs that are not directly attributable to a piece of research, but nonetheless need to be paid for. It is sometimes also referred to as overhead costs.
Research management:
It embraces anything that research-focused organizations can do to maximize the growth and impact of the research portfolio. It can include the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of research related policies and strategies; research capacity development; facilitation and management of research partnerships and collaborations; identifying and disseminating research funding opportunities; supporting the development of funding proposals, including budgeting, costing and pricing; promoting and supporting research ethics and integrity, compliance and responsible research conduct; research contracts negotiation and management; research financial management; research project management; research data and information management; research dissemination, communication, uptake and innovation.
QUERIES -
For any queries or technical issues related to the survey, please contact Dr. Karin Dyason, Project Coordinator at
karin.dyason@signify.co.zaESSENCE Secretariat: Dr. Garry Aslanyan,
aslanyang@who.int 