1. Global Challenges Research Fund Matthew Lodge, Senior Manager Mathematical Sciences 26 February 2018

2. Outline Research for sustainable development: the UK funding landscape
Introducing the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)
GCRF: working in partnership
ODA compliance

3. Research for Development: The UK Funding Landscape

4. Global context: UN Sustainable Development Goals

5. UK Aid Strategy Strengthening global peace, security and governance
Strengthening resilience and response to crises
Promoting global prosperity
Tackling extreme poverty and helping the world’s most vulnerable
the objectives set out in the UK Aid Strategy which deliver in the UK’s national interests. These include strengthening resilience and crisis response, promoting global prosperity, tackling extreme poverty and helping the world’s most vulnerable, while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer

6. UK Funding for Research for Development
Department for International Development (DfID)
Newton Fund (£735m UK contribution; partner countries providing matched resources within the fund)
The Global Challenges Research Fund GCRF (£1.5bn)
Ross Fund (£1bn focused on health)
Fleming Fund (£195 million focused on antimicrobial resistance)
NB worth noting that These are specific funds set up for international development; however they are in addition to that the UK’s recognised strength and has a long history of funding excellent research in international development through a variety of mechanisms including through research council standard schemes and National Academies fellowships and international work

7. RCUK and Research for Development
Some Research Councils had large existing ODA funding programmes, for example ESRC (series of joint calls with DFID) and MRC (e.g. two research units based in Africa)
All seven Councils are partners in the Newton Fund, a BIS-led ODA funding initiative intended to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging knowledge economies
All seven Councils are partners in the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), both through individual allocations and through a common pot (Collective Fund) managed by RCUK
16 countries partner in Newton Fund, now including Kenya

8. Global Challenges Research Fund

9. Background to GCRF
Address global challenges through disciplinary and interdisciplinary research
Strengthening capability for research and innovation, within developing countries and the UK
Agile response to emergencies and opportunities
Cutting edge research which addresses the problems faced by developing countries
2015 Government Spending Review Outcomes
Key aims of the Fund – cutting edge research and innovation that addresses the problems faced by developing countries

10. GCRF Delivery Partners

11. GCRF Funding, Duration, Focus
£1.5 billion ODA funding
Distributed across 7 delivery partners
Challenge led / researcher driven
Interdisciplinary research with impact
Strengthening capacity

12. GCRF: Breadth of Ambition
Equitable access to sustainable development
to create new knowledge and drive innovation that helps to ensure that everyone across the globe can prosper through access to health, food, water, education, energy etc.
Sustainable economies and societies
to identify new responses to the challenges arising from changes in population, technology, consumption and pressure on the environment
Human rights, good governance and social justice
to understand how to strengthen the institutions that underpin peaceful societies, good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

13. Research agenda for change (1) Leave no one behind
Our vision is to create new knowledge and drive innovation that helps to ensure that everyone across the globe has access to:
Secure and resilient food systems supported by sustainable marine resources and agriculture
Sustainable health and well being
Inclusive and equitable quality education
Clean air, water and sanitation
Affordable, reliable, sustainable energy
12 areas highlighted under the 3 headings. Areas in bold particularly relevant to EPSRC/this call

14. Research agenda for change (2) Sustainable economies and societies
Our ambition is to identify new responses to the challenges arising from changes in population, technology, consumption and pressure on the environment:
Sustainable livelihoods supported by strong foundations for inclusive economic growth and innovation
Resilience and action on short-term environmental shocks and long- term environmental change
Sustainable cities and communities
Sustainable production and consumption, e.g. materials and other resources 

15. Research agenda for change (3) Support peace and justice
Our goal is to understand how to strengthen the institutions that underpin peaceful societies, good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law. We need new insights to help:
Understand and effectively respond to forced displacement and multiple refugee crises
Reduce conflict and promote peace, justice and humanitarian action
Reduce poverty and inequality, including gender inequalities

16. GCRF: Key Criteria
Research Excellence new approaches not constrained by traditional methodologies or disciplinary silos
Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliance OECD guidelines
Equitable Partnerships and Building Capacity strong and enduring partnerships between UK and developing-country researchers to enhance the research and innovation capacity of both
Impact: Problem and Solution Focused substantial impact on improved social welfare, economic development, and environmental sustainability

17. GCRF: Working in Partnership

18. GCRF: Equitable Partnerships
Equitable partnerships with researchers in low- and middle-income countries to:
Identify research gaps and needs
Co-create research questions and research outcomes
Test solutions to actual problems
Build research capacity in the UK and developing countries to do research for development

19. GCRF: Impact through partnership with non-Research Organisations
Working with NGOs, CSOs, governmental agencies, multinational bodies, and others to:
Identify development needs
Test potential – and potential limitations – of research outcomes on real-world problems
Co-design real-world implementation of solutions
Input into policy

20. GCRF: Portfolios of Research to Address SDGs
An ambition to create portfolios of research projects responding to SDGs to:
Disseminate, combine, and scale up excellent research and excellent impact
Have real impact on SDGs, at scale
Set benchmarks for best practice in research for development
Make sure that GCRF is more than the ‘sum of its parts’

21. Official Development Assistance (ODA)
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22. Official Development Assistance
Definition agreed in 1969 by the OECD DAC (Development Assistance Committee)
ODA is the key measure used in most aid targets and assessments of aid performance
DAC members agree definition – UK can influence but cannot set/change the definition
1970 most DAC members agreed to long term objective of 0.7% ODA target
2004 UK govt. set target to achieve 0.7% GDP by 2013
Detailed programme level data scrutinised and published by the OECD

23. ODA definition
Formally ODA is defined as “those flows to developing countries* and to multilateral institutions for flows to ODA recipients which are:
provided by official agencies, including state and local governments, or by their executive agencies; and
each transaction of which:
is administered with the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its main objective; and
is concessional in character and conveys a grant element of at least 25% (discounted at a rate of 10%).”
The key criterion in determining ODA eligibility is establishing economic development and welfare of developing countries as the main objective of the funding.
*Countries and territories on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) List of ODA recipients. Source of definition:
This is the official Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) definition of ODA.
Countries are added to the DAC List based on their per capita income falling below a certain threshold. The DAC List is refreshed every three years. Of EPSRC’s priority countries for proactive bilateral engagement China and India are both on the list.
The final part of the definition means to say that any loans being offered should be at preferential rates, with a minimum grant component.
This definition was agreed by DAC in In 1970, DAC agreed long-term objective of 0.7% of GNI.
In 2004 the UK signed up to this target, and as of March 2015 it is legally binding.

24. DAC list of ODA recipients
Based on World Bank – GNI per capita
Updated every 3 years, last reviewed 2017.
1 January 2018 – Chile, Seychelles and Uruguay graduated from the list
2020 – Antigua & Barbuda, and Palau will graduate if remain high-income countries until 2019.

25. ODA compliance
Will the research directly benefit a country or countries on the OECD DAC list?
Is the proposal directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of this country/these countries?
Could the proposal’s outcomes promote the economic development and/or welfare of a country or countries from the DAC list?
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26. Where to find out more….

27. Contact: Vivienne Blackstone
Questions?
Contact: Vivienne Blackstone
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