1. Innovations and Pilots under ISSNIP Why, What, How?

2. Why innovate? Success in getting results in programs comes from organizational learning Learning is an active process of finding solutions to problems Every solution leads to (one or more) problems; application of mind leads to more solutions – and more problems P1 >> S1 >> P2 >> S2 >> P3 …. There is no perfect solution to which there is no problem ICDS needs success, India needs ICDS to succeed We have been learning, can we make this more systematic? ISSNIP is an opportunity for all in the program to formalize learning

3. Why pilots? ICDS – like any other program – runs on a mix of interventions known to be effective and approaches that are not fully tested. Like any other program, it has run into a situation where its planned activities are patently insufficient to produce impact at the rate that we expect. To become more effective, we need to move to new solutions Most new solutions will need to dig deeper, take into consideration the complexities of the situation we are seeking to change: each next generation of solutions will be more difficult to conceive and refine Obvious solutions may not work in reality, testing is necessary

4. What do we pilot? Determined by program priorities, based on analysis: –Where do we stand in progress towards program outcomes? (understanding the problem and data) –What is preventing us from moving faster? (understanding cause effect relationships in program design and implementation) –Do we have a good idea of which activities remain effective? (evidence about likely magnitude of effect) –Do we know of solutions that have worked elsewhere? (what are approaches with known effect) Solutions to be piloted may of two levels: –System level innovations (what refinements will enable smooth implementation) –Program level innovations (what different approaches might accelerate impact)

5. Suggested (illustrative) outcomes to address Improvements in key complementary feeding and breastfeeding practices at the household level Reduction of nutritional anemia levels among adolescents, women and children Improved access to good quality nutrients for complementary feeding in poor families Identification and home based care of pre-term/very low birth weight newborn babies Timely identification and care of children with SAM, including home based care Improved management of child feeding during and after illness Improvements in food hygiene Improvements in general hygiene, use of toilets and access to safe drinking water Simultaneous improvements in access to key eligible services from multiple departments

6. Elements of a concept note a.Targeted outcome:  What programme outcome will the proposed innovation improve? a.Brief description of the innovation:  What process/approach is being proposed as an innovation?  Which existing part of the programme will it change or add to?  Which ICDS (or other) programme functionaries will it involve? a.Proposed scale of innovation pilot:  How many AWCs/blocks/districts will the pilot cover?  Will there be any control or comparison group? a.Brief description of the measurement/ assessment:  What methods will be used?  What will be the sample size?  Who will assess?  What parameters will be monitored and evaluated? a.Support expected:  Does the State have sufficient technical capacity to carry out the pilot?  How will the TA Agency of ISSNIP support?  Will support be available from other institutions, agencies or development partners? a.Timelines:  Details of start and end of implementation and measurements. a.Costs:  Additional costs of implementation and costs of evaluation.

7. Criteria for approving pilots under ISSNIP Conceptual clarity and relevance (outcomes relevant to program, clear cause-effect relationships between proposed approaches and outcomes, clarity of problem being addressed) Detailing (technical, operational) Contextual specificity (specification of context in which the solution is likely to work) Scalability (If it works, will it be feasible to implement at scale? Is it likely to remain effective when implemented at scale?) Appropriateness of scale of pilot (Is it too small / too big for a pilot for the stated purpose?) Comparison to other solutions (Will it be more effective than what it intends to replace or refine? Are there other solutions to the same problem that have not been considered?)