Request for proposals (RFP) For Operational Research on Tuberculosis in support of Challenge TB Project in Tanzania Issuance Date: 30/1/2018 Submit Expressions of Interest & questions to: pamela.kisoka@kncvtbc.org Closing Date for Submission of Expressions of Interest: 30/2/2018 Managed by: KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation Tanzania Funded by: United States Agency for International Development 1
Introduction KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis (TB), which is still the second deadliest infectious disease in the world. KNCV is an international center of expertise for TB control that promotes effective, efficient, innovative and sustainable tuberculosis control strategies in national and international contexts. It is an organization of passionate TB professionals, including doctors, researchers, training experts, nurses and epidemiologists. We aim to stop the spread of the worldwide epidemic of TB and to prevent the further spread of drug-resistant TB. Over the past century KNCV has built up a wealth of knowledge and expertise following the successful TB control in the Netherlands. Since the 1970s, the organization has also shared its knowledge and expertise with the rest of the world. It operates from a central office in The Hague, Netherlands, a regional office in Central Asia, and country offices worldwide. KNCV raises funds from private, institutional, corporate, and government donors. On the fight against TB, KNCV is the lead partner in Challenge TB (CTB). This is the new United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded 5-year global project to decrease TB mortality and morbidity in countries with high burden including Tanzania. To this end, KNCV leads an international consortium with eight partner organizations. The overarching strategic objectives of Challenge TB are to improve access to quality patient centered care for TB, TB/HIV, and MDR-TB services; to prevent transmission and disease progression; and to strengthen TB platforms. TB research agenda in Tanzania It is estimated that Tanzania has a Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence of 528 (215 979) per 100,000 population and incidence of 164 (78-281) per 100, 000 population with a case detection of only 37%. The country is listed among countries in TB high burden country list that will be used by WHO 2016-2020. MDR TB is estimated to account for 1.3% and 4.7% of the new and retreatment cases, respectively (Global report, 2016). To address the gaps in care and prevention of TB, the national TB research committee was established in June 2015. In 2016 The TB Operational Research meeting identified Themes which are based on priority problems related to TB control in Tanzania which will be worked on for the next five years. Objectives KNCV is soliciting expressions of interest from MUHAS postgraduate students to submit proposals that fit within the national research agenda in the framework of any of the following research areas: 1. What is the IPT uptake in the country? Any challenges and opportunities 2. What is the dynamics of treatment outcome in the risk populations (adherence, monitoring treatment outcome)? 3. Are PLHIVs properly screened for TB? 2
Scope of work Scope of work of the student will include: 1. Develop full protocol and budget 2. Ensure ethics and administrative approvals 3. Implement the research as per protocol and following ethical management of human participants. 4. Maintain a mutually agreed and accessible database. 5. Data analysis and reporting 6. Submission of scientific paper to scientific journal 7. In all of the above collaborate closely with KNCV, the NTLP and the national TB research committee. 8. Wisely manage resources allocated for the project This scope of work will be a collaborative effort between the student, KNCV, the NTLP and the TB research committee. MUHAS will be owner of the data collected and will give NTLP and KNCV access to the database for quality assurance and (support with) analyses. A list of possible publications will be prepared and authorship will be agreed upon, according to guidelines of scientific journals. Any publications and presentations on this scope of work must be submitted to the university, KNCV, the NTLP, the national TB research committee and the USAID for approval. USAID Challenge TB rules for branding apply. Geographic focus The projects need to be implemented in one or more communities where Challenge TB interventions are planned beginning in fiscal year 3 of CTB (October 2016-September 2016). These include Pwani, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Geita, Mwanza, Dar es Salaam (Ilala and Kinondoni), and Zanzibar. It also includes rural and urban settings. Application process The Proposal must be prepared in accordance with the instructions provided in below section. A student cannot submit more than one proposal. Issuance of this RFP does not in any way constitute an award or commitment on the part of the Challenge TB nor does it commit to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposal. 3
General guidelines for developing expressions of interest Applicants shall consider the following guidelines for developing the EOI: The proposal should address one of the proposed projects Proposed activities described in the proposal should be for a defined geographic area, or specified institutions or health care facilities. Eligibility criteria The applicant submitting the proposal should meet the following eligibility criteria: Be a student at the university (MUHAS) undertaking postgraduate studies in areas applicable to TB care, research, and implementation sciences including internal medicine, public health, and any other discipline. Demonstrated data management capacity, research skills, and field work experience Budget and funding period A budget should be submitted with a maximum of 5,000 USD. If the budget is not suitable and/or not within the maximum, KNCV may still decide to select another student. Funding Period: The financial support is one year, depending on the signature date. Funding commitments can only be given for after successful submission of the proposal. Questions and answers Questions can be submitted to the following email address: pamela.kisoka@kncvtbc.org Responses will be provided within 3 working days. Expressions of interest format The proposal should be prepared in English. Applicants are requested to use A4 size paper, with single space, 9 point font Verdana. The proposal should not exceed 20 pages excluding the cover page. The proposal has the following sections. 4
1. Applicant information (Name of Applicant and title, Mailing Address, Telephone (including mobile), Email address) 2. Name and position of supervisor 3. Experience of student and/or supervisor in community-based and health facility-based TB research, including a. Experience in obtaining ethics and administrative approvals to work in facilities and communities b. Experience in data management c. Research experience in the proposed site d. Experience in TB related research 4. Specific proposal with: a. Background b. Objectives c. Methods d. Which geographical site (district or part of district) is proposed (only for study 1 and study 2ii) e. How to ensure achieving the sample size & How to recruit participants (if applicable) f. Which data to be collected from where. g. Data analysis plan h. Proposed monitoring indicators (eg recruitment rate) i. Time plan, including submission of paper to a scientific journal j. Budget including number of data collectors (if needed) Evaluation criteria The TB research committee, KNCV and the NTLP will review and evaluate all proposals received before the deadline. Only proposals that meet the eligibility criteria will be considered. The following criteria will be used 1. Relevance o The content of the proposal relates to the topic and funding scheme o How can the results be operationalized into clinical or public health practice? 2. Quality of Protocol o Introduction- Is the context of the study adequately described? o Objectives o Are the objectives clearly stated? o Are the objectives SMART? o Methods -Are the methods scientifically valid and capable of answering the research questions? Or addressing the objectives? 5
o Is the approach for data collection clarified and feasible? o Analysis- Are the proposed methods of analysis appropriate for the type of study and kind of data collected? o Reporting - Do the researcher explain how the results of the research will be reported, Will the results be published as reports, conference papers, and/or in scientific journals? 3. Feasibility o Practicality, are methods feasible as proposed? o Does the proposal contain detailed timeline that corresponds to available timeline of one year o Experience of researchers on conducting own research 4. Budget and Cost o Clear budget, within limits Is the budget sufficiently detailed o Is each item in the budget adequately justified? Students who have been selected will be notified within 1 month after the closing date for submission. For more information on this RFP, please contact: Pamela Kisoka or Dr Miriam Urasa 6