June 29, 2007
Call for Expressions of Interest: Technical review of costing tools for the health MDGs
Closing date: 29 June 2007
Despite international commitment to achieving the health MDGs, health systems in many developing countries still fail to reach large proportions of the population that would benefit from these interventions. In order to determine how much funding is required to overcome these constraints and to move towards attainment of the health MDGs, a number of “costing” tools have been developed and tested over recent years. WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNFPA, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the Norwegian Government are now calling for expressions of interest to undertake a technical review of 14 health MDG costing tools.
The overall purpose of this review is to have a clear description of what questions each tool can help to answer and whether they answer these questions in a technically correct manner. The reviewers will need to have credible, senior expertise in health economics (particularly health sector costing and budgeting); demography and epidemiology/ medicine. The technical review should be completed by the end of the year.
Approximate budget is 80,000 USD.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: June 29, 2007
Please contact vogelm@who.int for more details
June 29, 2007: Call for Proposals
March 30, 2007
Call for Proposals: Health Worker Salaries and Benefits: Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the Global Health Workforce Alliance
Closing date: 30 March 2007
Low health worker salaries and benefits are an important dimension of the current global health worker crisis, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Civil service reforms have often compressed salary scales and failed to provide effective incentives to allow the retention of more senior and more capable staff. Recent initiatives in Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania have focused on increasing health worker salaries, but there is little data on health worker salaries and how these have varied over time, or information to guide government policy on what health worker salaries and benefits should be.
This call for proposals - jointly issued by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the Global Health Workforce Alliance - is aimed at generating ‘rapid research’ to feed into the next forum of the Global Health Workforce Alliance, planned for November 2007 in Sub-Saharan Africa, at which grantees would be expected to present their research findings.
The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) is an international collaboration, based in WHO Geneva, that aims to promote the generation and use of health policy and systems research as a means to improve the health systems of developing countries. For more information please visit: http://www.alliance-hpsr.org/
The Global Health Workforce Alliance is a partnership dedicated to identifying and implementing solutions to the health workforce crisis. It brings together a variety of actors including national governments, civil society, finance institutions, workers, international agencies, academic institutions and professional associations. For more information please visit: http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/en/
Proposals are invited across three interlinked areas of research:
- patterns and trends of health worker ‘salaries and benefits’;
- determinants of health worker ‘salaries and benefits’; and
- the impact of health worker ‘salaries and benefits’ on the provision of care.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 30th March 2007.
Application form and Information
March 30, 2007: Call for Proposals
September 30, 2006
Alan Williams Health Economics Fellowships: University of York, Centre for Health Economics
Location: York, England, UK
Closing date: 30 September 2006
Applications for an Alan Williams fellowship are invited from researchers currently working in university departments or research institutes outside the United Kingdom wishing to visit the Centre for Health Economics. The value of the fellowship is £5,000, intended as a contribution towards living and travel expenses associated with the visit.
Professor Alan Williams, the internationally renowned health economist, passed away in June 2005. Over a long and distinguished career, Alan made important methodological and policy contributions in the fields of public finance, the economic theory of local government, water resource economics and economic evaluation in general. He is, perhaps, best known for having pioneered a wide range of approaches to problem-solving in the field of health economics, especially in the analysis of health care systems, health technology assessment, health state preference measurement and equity in health care and health. He was a leading member of the group that developed the Euroqol EQ-5D measurement instrument, which has become one of the most widely used in the world.
Criteria
- Applicants should be early stage career researchers currently employed in a university or research institute outside the UK. They will probably have
completed a PhD in health economics or related topic within the last three years, or have equivalent experience.
Through his research, writing and teaching, Alan made outstanding contributions to the field of health economics, probably trained more health economists than any other single economist and greatly promoted health economics worldwide through his assiduous attendance at conferences, especially the pioneering Health Economists’ Study Group in the United Kingdom. - Applicants should have a clear research plan associated with the application in any area of health economics, broadly defined within the current research interests of the Centre for Health Economics.
- The proposals should be for a visit to the Centre for Health Economics of between two and six months duration.
The University of York is keen to recognise these achievements in a lasting tribute to Alan and his work, and has established the Alan Williams Health Economics Fellowship Fund.
The University of York is the major donor, supplemented by donations from his friends and associates, individuals and institutions. The purpose of the fund is to award Fellowships to enable economic researchers from anywhere in the world to spend time in York working with health economists and for health economists at York to spend time working elsewhere. The fellowship award will support fellows by contributing to travel and living expenses. Alan’s reasoning was that, at a critical time in his own career, he had benefited greatly from funds that were made available for him to travel to Sweden to interact with researchers there. In his view, the establishment of a Fellowship Fund at York would give others the same opportunity that he had.
- Applicants should have secured agreement from a member of the Centre for Health Economics to act as host for the term of the visit.
- The normal expectation is that fellows should produce a discrete piece of research during the visit, suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed academic journal.
- Fellows will be expected to present their research to a CHE Seminar.
Applicants should send the following information to:
Trish Smith,
Centre for Health Economics,
University of York,
Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
or email: pfs1@york.ac.uk
BY 30th SEPTEMBER 2006:
- A two page description of the proposed research plan, including:
- An outline of the proposed research
- The proposed visit dates
- Dissemination plans
- A CV
- A letter of support from their supervisor at their home institution.
September 30, 2006: Call for Proposals , Fellowship/Studentship
April 30, 2006
Request for Proposal - Modeling Long Term Medical Trends for Valuation: The Society of Actuaries
Closing date: 30 April 2006 (please notify of intent to submit by 15 April 2006)
Background: Rising healthcare expenses continue to consume a significant portion of many North American employers’ overall compensation costs. At the same time, the previously assumed limit on the proportion of the GNP represented by national healthcare costs has been exceeded annually. To the extent that private sector employers provide healthcare coverage to their retirees, the cost of these benefits needs to be recognized in the U.S. as a long-term liability under FAS 106. In addition, the U.S. Government Accounting standards board (GASB) recently mandated similar accounting for governmental employers.
To value these benefits, the prevalent practice has been to assume a first year trend at or near current levels (in the range of 9 to 12 percent) decreasing one or more percent per year to an ultimate underlying trend of approximately 5 percent. The rationale for this trend pattern assumption is that employers and society at large cannot indefinitely sustain medical cost increases of 9-12 percent per annum. This trend pattern assumption has consistently proven to be overly optimistic with many employers revising it annually and deferring the year that the ultimate medical trend will be attained.
In light of this history of increasing healthcare costs and the seemingly ever-shifting ceiling of the percentage of GNP represented by healthcare, what are appropriate assumptions for valuation? Furthermore, recent efforts by the SEC could result in increased scrutiny and challenge of the validity of these long-term assumptions with an expectation of reliance on credible sources.
Research Objective: The Society of Actuaries is interested in a three-phase long-term medical trend research project with the development of a working model as the ultimate objective.
The three phases are:
- Phase 1: Identify the parameters and cost drivers (e.g., medical technology) that impact health care spending and their value ranges.
- Phase 2: Identify publicly available sources of information that can be used to quantify the parameters and their ranges of value. The sources should be routinely updated to reflect changes in economic conditions.
- Phase 3: Prepare a working model that can be used by practicing actuaries to develop long-term medical trend patterns with explicit identification and documentation of the underlying economic assumptions. To the extent that data is not available for some parameters, reasonable assumptions for these parameters should be modeled.
The SOA strongly desires to have a working model produced within 18 months. Consequently, researchers may need to limit the scope and focus of the project to only the primary drivers of health care inflation in order to meet this time frame.
The primary objectives of the model are:
- Credibility: based on accepted economic principles and methods.
- Current: based on recent publicly available data with regards to medical spending, demographic information, and the overall economy.
- Flexibility: inputting varying economic assumptions (e.g. economic growth) within reasonable ranges should result in differing long-term medical trends.
- Usable: the accompanying user manual and documentation should be thorough and user-friendly.
- Transparent: the underlying economic assumptions should easily be summarized to an interested third party such as a plan sponsor, rating agency or a government entity.
Although the primary purpose of the research is to help the actuary in the selection of long-term trend assumption, rather than produce a standard of practice, it is expected that the model would be useful for future discussions on a standard.
Proposal: To facilitate the evaluation of proposals, the following information should be submitted:
- Resumes of the researcher(s), including any graduate student(s) expected to participate, indicating how their background, education, and experience bear on their qualifications to undertake the research. If more than one researcher is involved, a single individual should be designated as the lead researcher and primary contact. The person submitting the proposal must be authorized to speak on behalf of all the researchers as well as for the firm or institution on whose behalf the proposal is submitted.
- An outline of the approach to be used, emphasizing issues that require special consideration. Details should be given regarding the techniques to be used, collateral material to be consulted, and possible limitations of the analysis.
- Cost estimates for the research, including computer time, salaries, report preparation, research costs, etc. Such estimates can be in the form of hourly rates, but in such cases, time estimates should also be included. Any guarantees as to total cost should be given and will be considered in the evaluation of the proposal. While cost will be a factor in the evaluation of the proposal, it will not necessarily be the decisive factor.
- A schedule for completion of the research, identifying key dates or time frames for research completion and report submissions.
- Ideas regarding the form and distribution of the final report, both for immediate release and for permanent reference (e.g., submission to North American Actuarial Journal or other refereed publication, SOA Monograph Series, CD ROM).
- Other related factors that give evidence of a proposer’s capabilities to perform in a superior fashion should be detailed.
Selection Process: The Pension Section Research Team is responsible for the selection of the proposal to be funded. Input from other knowledgeable individuals also may be sought, but the committee will make the final decision. The SOA’s Research Actuary will provide staff actuarial support. A Project Oversight Group (POG) will be appointed to oversee the project upon selection of the proposal.
Questions: Any questions regarding this RFP should be directed by e-mail to: Steven Siegel, SOA Research Actuary, ssiegel@soa.org
Notification of Intention to Submit Proposal: If you intend to submit a proposal, please send written notification by April 15th, 2006 to Jeanne Nallon, SOA Research Assistant, jnallon@soa.org
Submission of Proposal: Please e-mail a copy of the proposal to Jeanne Nallon at janllon@soa.org
Proposals must be received no later than April 30th, 2006. It is anticipated that all researchers who have submitted proposals will be informed of the status of their proposal no later than May 30th, 2006.
Note: Proposals are considered confidential and proprietary.
Conditions: The Society of Actuaries reserves the right to not award a contract for this research. Reasons for not awarding a contract could include, but are not limited to, a lack of acceptable proposals or a finding that insufficient funds are available to proceed. The Society of Actuaries also reserves the right to redirect the project as is deemed advisable.
The Society of Actuaries intends to copyright and publish the results of this research. The research will be considered work-for-hire and all rights thereto belong to the Society of Actuaries. However, appropriate credit will be given to the researcher(s).
April 30, 2006: Call for Proposals
March 24, 2006
Call for Proposals: The impact of demographic change on demand for and delivery of health services: Health Research Board (Ireland)
Closing date: 24 March 2006
The Health Research Board, in association with the Health Service Executive, invites proposals for a research project on the impact of demographic change on the demand for and delivery of health services in Ireland.
Background: Research on the impact of population trends on the demand for and delivery of health services in Ireland is necessary for two main reasons. The first is that demographic change is a major influence on demand for health services and the manner in which they are delivered.
Patterns of population reproduction, population ageing, migration and the spatial distribution of population are among the fundamental drivers of future development of health services in Ireland, as in the developed world generally. It is therefore important that we know as much as possible about these aspects of Irish population trends.
The second reason is that demographic patterns in Ireland, which have always tended to be different to those of other countries, continue to evolve in exceptional ways. Patterns of demographic change in other countries may not be replicated in Ireland. For this reason, Ireland cannot simply import results, findings and trends based on research from elsewhere.
Unlike other EU member states, the total population in Ireland is growing strongly, driven by both rising natural increase and inward migration. The scale of the increase in the population and the reasons for this increase make it all the more important to identify its impact on the demand for and delivery of health services.
The research proposal should:
- Identify the extent to which demographic change in Ireland in the past five years is impacting on demand for health services
- Identify the likely impact of expected demographic change to 2020 on demand for health services, with particular attention to patterns of fertility, migration and ageing
- Identify the implications of the likely spatial impact of demographic change for the delivery and organisation of health services.
The key deliverables of the project are:
- An overview report on the impact of demographic change in Ireland in the past five years on demand for and delivery of health services
- An overview report on the likely impact of expected demographic changes to 2020 on demand for and delivery of health services
- Detailed reports on the impact of likely changes to 2020 in
- fertility patterns,
- migration and
- ageing over the next ten years on demand for and delivery of health services.
Payments will be linked to the satisfactory receipt of deliverables.
Funding available: As an indicative figure, an amount of up to €100,000 (inclusive of any VAT chargeable) is available each year over two years to support a research proposal.
Selection criteria: Applications will be peer reviewed by national and international experts. Selection of the successful proposal will be based on the following criteria:
- The track record of the principal applicant/s in demographic, health policy and health systems research
- The quality of the proposal to research the impact of demographic change on demand for and delivery of health services
- The capacity of the applicant/s to undertake a programme of research of this nature
- The timescale for producing the deliverables of the research project
- The cost of the proposal and the value for money that it represents.
Proposals should include the following information:
- The name of the principal applicant and details of his/her track record, including publications and relevant experience
- The qualifications and competencies of the members of the team that will work on the project
- A proposal as to how a programme of research on demographic change and its impact on health services will be developed
- An estimate of the costs involved in the project
- An estimate of the timescale for producing the deliverables of the project.
All applications for funding must be signed by the lead applicant. The CEO/Director of the lead agency must also sign the application. If not submitted with the original application, the completed signature pages must reach the HRB by 12:00 on Friday 31 March 2006 (i.e., within five working days of the closing date for receipt of applications) in order for the application to be considered.
Terms and conditions: Proposals should contain any other information deemed by the applicant/s to be relevant to the submission. The HRB is not bound to accept the lowest priced or any proposal.
Acceptance by the HRB of a proposal will be subject to the negotiation of a contract. The HRB reserves the right of approval for the appointment of replacement project staff or sub-contractors by the contractor, once the contract has commenced. The contract will be awarded based on a fixed price. All travel, subsistence and other expenses related to the project are deemed to be part of the fixed price. Invoices are to be issued at the satisfactory completion of each stage of the contract. Payment will be on foot of appropriate documentation and invoices, and will be in accordance with the terms of the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions Regulations), 2002.
Responsibility for publication of reports specified as key deliverables and any other publications will be a matter for agreement in the negotiation of the contract.
The successful applicant/s will report progress on the study at regular intervals to a project group consisting of representatives of the HRB, the HSE and other interested parties.
Closing date: The closing date for receipt of proposals is 17:00 on Friday 24 March 2006. Applications should be made on sent electronically to HRB@HRB.ie
All enquiries and correspondence relating to this call for proposals should be addressed to:
Office of the Chief Executive
Health Research Board
73 Lower Baggot Street
Dublin 2, Ireland
t +353 1 6761176 ext 130
f +353 1 6612335
e mcotter@hrb.ie
w http://www.hrb.ie
March 24, 2006: Call for Proposals
February 03, 2006
Demographic surveillance population monitoring system: feasibility and design study for the Nigerian Evidence-based Health Systems Initiative (NEHSI) - Call for full proposals: IDRC, CIDA, and NEHSI
Submission deadline: 3 February 2006
Summary: The International Development Research Centre invites proposals from teams interested in designing a demographic surveillance population monitoring system in two states in Nigeria: Bauchi and Cross River. This call for proposals is part of the planning phase for a proposed multi-year CA $15 million IDRC-CIDA collaborative initiative to support an evidence-based primary health system in Nigeria, the Nigerian Evidence-based Health Systems Initiative (NEHSI). This planning phase consists of a number of initiatives to provide baseline evidence, build local ownership and collaborative relationships among Nigerian stakeholders, and begin to strengthen capacity for the implementation phase.
This one time grant is to establish appropriate institutional partnerships in order to examine the feasibility, design, locations, partnerships, costs and timeframe to establish two new demographic surveillance systems to operate within the Nigerian States of Bauchi and Cross River. These sites will be responsible for accurate “gold standard” longitudinal monitoring of births, deaths, in-migrations and out-migrations within defined households. The system will also undertake full analysis of the data to translate it into an easily understood, robust evidence-base that can be used as a key input into the health planning processes of the community level upwards through local government area (LGA), state and ultimately to the federal level. The work must be initiated in March, 2006 and completed by May 2006. Successful applicants, after a review process of their implementation proposal may be invited to continue with the implementation for a five-year period.
Deadline for applications is 3 February 2006.
For general questions about the initiative, please visit: http://www.idrc.ca/
February 03, 2006: Call for Proposals
Development of a multi-stakeholder information and monitoring system for the Nigerian Evidence-based Health Systems Initiative (NEHSI) - Call for full proposals: IDRC, CIDA, and NEHSI
Submission deadline: 3 February 2006
Summary: The International Development Research Centre invites proposals from teams interested in developing and establishing a multi-stakeholder information and monitoring system in two states in Nigeria: Bauchi and Cross River. This call for proposals is part of the planning phase for a proposed multi-year CA $15 million IDRC-CIDA collaborative initiative to support an evidence-based primary health system in Nigeria, the Nigerian Evidence-based Health Systems Initiative (NEHSI). This planning phase consists of a number of initiatives to provide baseline evidence, build local ownership and collaborative relationships among Nigerian stakeholders, and begin to strengthen capacity for the implementation phase.
This one time grant is for a maximum of CA$210,000 to establish a state-level baseline of key indicators and develop a proposal for the implementation of a multi-stakeholder information and monitoring system in Bauchi and Cross River, Nigeria. The work must be initiated in March 2006 and completed by September 2006. Successful applicants, after a review process of their implementation proposal for a multi-stakeholder information and monitoring system, may be invited to continue with the implementation for a five-year period.
The NEHSI envisions that all key stakeholders (individuals and institutions) at federal, state and local levels progressively, understand, contribute to, and use a health information system that provides a neutral, transparent and reliable resource and platform for diverse stakeholders to participate in evidence-based planning, implementation and monitoring towards a more a fair, effective and efficient primary health care system.
Deadline for applications is 3 February 2006.
For general questions about the initiative, please visit: http://www.idrc.ca/