Definition 

Who counts as a researcher?

Researchers provide expertise on what has been and has not been studied. They can also advise on golden standards for different research methods to answer pertinent research questions. You are affiliated with academic or non-academic research institutions, whether your engagement is full-time or part-time. For non-academic research institutions, you have in-house researchers whose time is dedicated to research projects. Your institution regularly or periodically publishes research reports which clearly delineate research methodology. You do not need to have a doctoral degree at the time of application, but your research qualifications and experience will be taken into account in the selection process. 

Who counts as a practitioner? 

Practitioners work directly with women in clean energy (i.e., women entrepreneurs, women employees, and women consumers). They include various types of entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) that directly support entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs themselves. Practitioners have programs or initiatives that they can implement their research on (e.g., the accelerator programs of an ESO, the employee support program in a workplace, and the initiative to target specific segments of women consumers of an enterprise). You can leverage the program and initiative to test your intervention or recruit study participants.

Regional focus 

Our organization is not headquartered in Latin America and the Caribbean or Sub-Saharan Africa. Am I eligible? 

Depends. If your organization has staff or office based in these regions that can receive and execute the funding and conduct and implement research activities OR partner with another organization based in the regions and place them as a lead organization, you are eligible.

We are an organization/individual based in the LAC/SSA region, but our partner organization/individual is not. Are we eligible for the grant? 

It depends. The lead practitioner and researcher organizations must be based in the LAC/SSA region. However, other collaborating organizations do not have to. The partnership does not have to be 1:1 between one practitioner and one research organization. It can be 1:multiple, multiple:1, or multiple:multiple, although the maximum budget will be capped at USD 60,000 regardless of the number of organizations involved. 

Are we eligible for the grant if we propose to conduct research in a country in LAC or SSA where we are not based? 

Yes, as long as your collaborative team has local staff or chapters based in LAC or SSA. However, your proposal needs to demonstrate whether you or your partners have the capacity to implement the proposed research. 

Collaboration

Do I need to have a researcher or practitioner partner to submit a proposal? 

Yes, the final proposal due in May should be a joint submission by practitioner(s) and researcher(s). If you do not have a practitioner or researcher partner. Proposals that are submitted by only a practitioner organization or a research organization will be considered ineligible for the grant and will not be considered.

Can I partner with another practitioner organization if I am a practitioner? Can I partner with another researcher if I am a researcher? 

You can bring in as many practitioners to the project as you want, but you also need to bring a research organization/researcher to the partnership. Without the counterpart research organization/researcher, your application will be considered ineligible. The same can be said if you’re a researcher. You can collaborate with multiple researchers, but you need to have at least one practitioner partner. One of the primary objectives of this grant is to facilitate and foster collaboration between practitioners and researchers. 

Can I collaborate with different disciplines in our institute? 

No, one of the goals of this initiative for ANDE is to encourage collaboration across different organizations, specifically practitioners and researchers. Collaboration across different disciplines in the same academic institution will be considered a researcher + researcher collaboration that lacks the practitioner partner. 

Proposal selection

Is there any specific area that will lead my proposal to win the grant? 

We are looking for solutions and interventions that will help address the challenges that women in the clean energy sector face. Please note that delving into the challenges is not likely to increase your odds of success, but focusing on the interventions and solutions will. 

Is my proposal more likely to win if we propose to address multiple research questions? 

Not necessarily. We will assess whether your proposal includes rigorous methodology to answer all the research questions mentioned in it. If the proposal includes multiple research questions but does not have a rigorous methodology to get the answer, it will not be considered a strong proposal. 

Is our proposal more likely to be selected if we propose a cross-country study, as opposed to a single-country study or a study that focuses on one region in a country? 

No, the breadth of the study region will not make your proposal stand out more or be competitive. The more important thing we’ll consider is whether the proposed methodology is the best way to answer your research question robustly. Cross-country study design might or might not be the best approach to address your research question. 

Should my research questions be limited to what is listed on the ANDE webpage? 

No. The research questions are just examples based on the challenges that ANDE identified. However, if you come across different research questions that are deemed to be very important and have great implications for women in the clean energy industry, please expand beyond the sample research questions. We welcome new ideas and creativity. 

Do we need to focus on supporting women entrepreneurs? 

No, we are looking for ways to women in the sector writ large, including entrepreneurs, employees, and consumers. Your project can focus on one of the three. 

Submission 

How do I submit my proposal, and what do I submit? 

Click on this link and scroll all the way down until you see a yellow button that says “submit your full proposal.” You can start your proposal anytime and go back and edit it before you hit submit on the last page. There are some questions you need to fill in, including the lead practitioner organization and research organization information. You can submit your full proposal as an attachment. Besides the full proposal, you also need to submit a budget and curriculum vitae of lead researchers. 

What should the research proposal include? 

The proposal should include a purpose statement (i.e., the goal of the research and research question), research contribution based on the review of existing literature and real-world implications, methodology (including information about target participants, data collection methods, etc.), data analysis plan, possible risks to research, research setting, timeline, roles of participating practitioners and researchers. 

Matchmaking workshop 

I have a partner for the grant proposal. Can I still participate in the matchmaking workshop? 

Yes, you can, but you may not be prioritized when there is limited space for a matchmaking workshop.  

Do I have a better chance of receiving the grant if I participate in your matchmaking workshop? 

No, we will review the proposal based on its substantive contents. ANDE’s matchmaking workshop is means to facilitate collaboration across practitioners and researchers who might find it difficult to find a right partner. 

Miscellaneous 

When do we receive the funding if selected? 

50% of funding will be upfront after the contracting process is finalized, with the remaining 50% to be reimbursed upon the completion of research deliverables as well as financial and narrative reports. The last tranche of disbursement shall depend on the final financial report.