Call for Proposals for EU-funded small research grants focused on Research Projects on Public Policy and Democratic processes in Armenia

Within the framework of “Participatory Democracy in Action” project funded by the European Union, Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) invites civil society organizations (CSOs), civic initiatives, individual experts, researchers and students to consider this opportunity and submit research project proposals in the areas of public policy and democratic processes.

Topics of Research/Monitoring proposals

The proposals should cover one or more of the following topics:

Public Policy

  1. Parliamentary Oversight Issues in the Context of Good Governance;
  2. Assessment Models of State Governance Efficiency;
  3. Trends and Opportunities of Civil Service System in 21st century;
  4. Issues Related to Improvement of Public Service Attractiveness;
  5. Issues of Renumeration and Material Incentives in the Public Sector;
  6. Issues Related to Employment Flexibility (including having another job, flexible working hours), as well as Horizontal and Vertical Mobility in the State Sector;
  7. Performance Assessment Models in the State Sector;
  8. Public Participation Models in Policy Development and Public Accountability Processes;
  9. Availability and Accessibility of Public Information, as well as Monitoring, Oversight and Referral Mechanisms.

Democracy

  1. Education on democracy in Higher Educational Facilities;
  2. Civil society engagement in the state foreign policy;
  3. Protection of democracy in external authoritarian environment;
  4. Public diplomacy and national security.

All research projects should include references to international experiences and best practice and include feasible and practical recommendations on to issues and challenges identified in the selected sectors.

Research grant budget: maximum EUR 8,000

Project duration: maximum 6 months

Expected start of projects: September 30, 2021

Deadline for submission of project proposals: August 20, 2021

Proposal assessment criteria

Submitted proposals will undergo an initial review to exclude application that do not meet the requirements of the call. Subsequent assessment of proposals will be done by an appointed selection committee according to the following criteria:

I. Organizational / individual experience (20 points)

  • Mission and goals of the organization;
  • Experience of the organization/individual applicant in the specified sector:
  • Experience of the proposed project staff and project team in case of individual applicant (if available).

II. Description of the proposal (40 points)

  • Presentation of the issue and justification of needs;
  • relevance of the proposed research;
  • Justification of the research methodology;
  • Feasibility of expected outcomes;
  • Feasibility of the action plan.

III. Sustainability of outcomes (20 points)

  • Potential for use of project outcomes in further improvement of public policy and democratic processes;
  • innovative aspects and uniqueness of research proposals

IV. Budget (20 points)

  • Feasibility and justification of proposed costs.

All research projects should include a gender analysis and consider inclusion and exclusion issues related to the selected research topic.

In case of non-compliance to the requirements of this call and impossibility to select project proposals as a result of assessment a new round of call for project proposals will be announced.

Project proposal submission procedures

To participate in the call, organizations and individuals should submit proposal package, including:

Project proposal according to the attached form

  • Application Form;
  • Action Plan (Annex 1);
  • Proposal budget and narratives according to the attached form (Annex 2);
  • Brief bios of the project staff/team;
  • Publications and/or links to publications on the selected sector developed by organization/individual.

Project proposals should be submitted to not later than August 20 end of the business day to [email protected] stating “Research proposals” in the subject line. In case of questions please write to the above-mentioned e-mail.

About Organization

Transparency International Anticorruption Center was established in 2000, acting as the accredited national chapter of Transparency International (TI), the global anti-corruption movement in Armenia. The organization’s mission is to promote good governance in Armenia through reducing corruption and strengthening democracy. Its goals include the support to effective anticorruption policy and transparent and accountable governance, promotion of free and fair elections and reasonable, transparent and accountable management of public resources.