Strengthening African National Regulatory Authorities Data Systems to Enhance and Track Performance - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility

Who is eligible for grants? 
This initiative is open to National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) in Africa. Each proposal should be submitted by one primary organization/applicant, but the awards require active collaboration between at least two NRAs per application. Proposals must demonstrate that at least 80% of the funding is going to NRAs. Proposals could include collaborations with other entities (academic, non-for-profit institutions, etc.). Individuals and organizations classified as individuals for U.S. tax purposes are not eligible to receive an award from the foundation as part of this initiative.

Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization as different terms and conditions may apply. You should confirm your organization's tax status with the appropriate advisor or entity within your organization such as your grants or contracts department, finance, or office of sponsored research. The foundation may request additional information regarding your tax status. For information about tax statuses, you may check with your own advisors and review information provided on the Internal Revenue Service web site at: www.irs.gov.

Application Process

What must my application include?
Please refer to the Application Instructions document.

Am I able to edit my proposal once submitted? 
Yes, you may edit your proposal up until the specified deadline.

What amount of indirect cost is available? 
Details of the foundation indirect cost policy guidelines can be found here: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy

Could the budget provided be used to purchase equipment?
Yes, but a maximum of USD 20,000 per applying collaborative team of NRAs over the duration of the grant.

How much funding should go to each of the collaborators?
Each application should include a budget along with a high-level narrative. It’s up to you and your collaborators to decide on the budget distribution in alignment with the proposal objectives, activities and timelines. Please do refer to the indirect policy guidance mentioned above.

Should 20% of the budget be allocated to institutions outside Africa?
No, your proposal can involve only African based partners. However, if your proposal involves collaborations with partners based in other parts of the world, they can’t receive more than 20% of the overall project budget.

Anticipated procurement delays at my institution

The applicant(s) should indicate how long procurement processes are likely to take at their organizations including for human resources, and how they plan to mitigate any delays. Where delays of up to 6 months are anticipated in spite of the mitigation plans, teams should indicate this and can request that the supporting Secretariat supports the year 1 procurement e.g. human resources, equipment; the procurement costs must still be included in the budget. If successful, then the cost of these procurements that will be channeled through the supporting Secretariat for the 1st year will be deducted from the total grant award.

Review Process

How does the review process work?
Please refer to the Rules and Guidelines document

Can I get a list of potential reviewers who might be assigned to my application? 
No. We do not make public the roster of reviewers.

Can I request that my application not be reviewed by a specific individual? 
No. However, we will ask reviewers about conflicts of interest and will not assign reviewers with conflicts.

Will I receive specific feedback on my application if it is not selected? 
Due to the rapid proposal and review timelines applicable to this RFP, applicants with proposals that are not selected for award may receive a notification of decline without specific feedback.

Award Information

Are grant awards made directly to individuals? 
No. All awards are made to the organization where the individual holds their primary appointment. Institutions must agree to the terms and conditions governing the grant award prior to award activation.

How much money will each grant provide? 
We will consider proposals for awards of up to $300,000 USD for the duration of each project, with a grant term of up to 18- to 24-months. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed. Indirect costs will be considered, and should be included in the budget for the $300,000 USD award (subject to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy).

How many collaborators can be involved in a proposal? 
While proposals require the collaborative participation of at least two investigators at different NRAs, proposals should be submitted by one primary applicant/NRA.

Could an NRA submit a proposal not involving any collaboration?
No, proposals require collaborative participation of at least two investigators at different NRAs.

Do I need to provide supporting documentation about the partnership?
A letter of commitment to the partnership from each collaborator should be provided that outlines the role of the collaborator at the proposal stage and their anticipated role in the execution phase. Shortlisted proposals might be requested to provide additional supporting documentation.

Can an NRA submit multiple proposals? 
While restricted to one application per institution as the primary applicant, applicants may participate as collaborators in multiple collaborative applications.

Technical Support

I forgot my password. How do I reset my password? 
You can request to update your password within the application site. If you continue to have issues, please reach out to [email protected].

How will I know if my application was submitted? 
Once an application is submitted, an email confirmation will be sent.

I'm having trouble uploading my application file. What should I do? 
If you are having issues submitting your application, we would encourage you to submit from a different browser. If the issue persists, please email the specifics of your problem to [email protected].

How often do you intend to update the Frequently Asked Questions, and do you plan to provide answers to all questions submitted? 
We will periodically post answers to questions as they are submitted, but do not have a specific schedule. We will provide answers on this page that are of relevance and of general interest to potential applicants. For answers to specific questions that are not covered here, please email [email protected].