Call for Letters of Interest: MAINSTREAM Initiative (Cameroon)

The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research is seeking three country-based mentor institutes for its joint initiative between the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance on Institutionalizing learning by mainstreaming embedded implementation research in country immunization programmes (MAINSTREAM). One mentor institute will be based in Cameroon. The mentor institute will provide technical mentorship in implementation research to local research teams, and local organizational facilitation, convening of in-country stakeholders, and administration of all aspects of the initiative. This is not a call for research proposals or projects.

A consortium consisting of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (the Alliance)/WHO Science Division in a coordinating role, together with the WHO Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals (IVB) Department, WHO regional and country offices, and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance is launching the MAINSTREAM initiative with the following objectives:

• Assess knowledge gaps and priorities regarding immunization coverage and equity based on policy-maker/implementer priorities, aligned with country research agenda development and implementation (needs assessment objective);
• Enable the integration of learning through embedded implementation research into national immunization programmes (Implementation research integration objective);
• Scale up learning through embedded implementation research on implementers’ priorities as part of regular country support (scale objective); and
• Improve the use of evidence to guide policy development and implementation of programmes toward improving immunization coverage and equity (policy and practice objective).

To help execute this initiative, the Alliance will identify, engage and strengthen an in-country academic/research institution as a mentor institute in collaboration with government and other in-country stakeholders. The mentor institute will:

• support the government by organizing country-level stakeholder meetings to define the scope and priorities for embedded implementation research;
• select multiple decision-maker-led country research teams;
• facilitate and mentor research teams; and
• organize protocol development and country dissemination workshops.

Funding Information

• The maximum amount of funding available from the Alliance will be US$ 204 000 over the period 1 June 2024 – 30 August 2025.
• No further funding will be provided by the Alliance within and beyond the project period.

Specific tasks of the mentor institute

• In collaboration with the Alliance, the government and in consultation with Gavi Senior Country Managers (SCMs) as appropriate, convene a priority-setting workshop with in-country stakeholders at the national and/or sub-national level to identify and prioritize key implementation barriers for the immunization programme and draw on these challenges to develop priority research questions for research grants. This includes arranging logistics and local travel, invitations, developing the agenda and facilitation, recording minutes and preparing reports of the workshop.
• Develop and issue a call for implementation research proposals from in-country stakeholders, based on the priorities identified, for teams led by in-country health system decision-makers. Arrange transparent review and selection of proposals for funding support.
• Make subgrants to the selected research teams for undertaking the research.
• In collaboration with government, convene a protocol development workshop to assist selected research teams in developing sound implementation research protocols. This includes arranging logistics and local travel, sending invitations, developing the agenda and facilitation, recording minutes and preparing reports of the workshop.
• Facilitate submission of research plans to local Institutional Review Boards and government ethics review committees, as needed, for ethical clearance

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to be considered as a mentor institute, the following criteria apply:
  • Geographically located In Cameroon.
  • Compliance with letter of Interest specifications.
  • Commit to complying with the requirement that 50% of the team members be women.

For more information, visit Alliance.