Why has IHI decided to launch an ‘applicant-driven’ call for proposals?
So far in IHI, we’ve developed our calls for proposals with a top-down approach – we’ve set out quite specific topics and asked the community to respond to them. But there are good ideas for health innovation everywhere and so we wanted to move away from this top-down approach to find new opportunities for IHI projects in the IHI Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). So for IHI call 9, we decided to do something different. This time, we’re not telling applicants what to work on – instead, we’re asking them to think about the opportunities to build large collaborations that are aligned with our SRIA and that could transform European health research.
What do you hope to achieve through this call?
We hope that this applicant-led approach will help us to bring in new ideas and allow us to launch projects exploring areas of health research that we haven’t looked at so far. We would also love to bring on board organisations that are not yet part of the IHI community. This is a pilot, but based on the high levels of interest I have seen from the community since we announced the call, I am looking forward to seeing some really exciting, impactful proposals.
You have said projects have to align with the philosophy of IHI. What do you mean by that?
You have to remember that IHI is a large, ambitious, cross-sectoral, public-private partnership. I think of IHI as a DNA double helix: on one strand we have industry, and on the complementary strand, we have academia, healthcare, research, regulators, civil society, and patient organisations. A good IHI project is a true public-private partnership that brings these two strands together – creating a ladder to impact if you will.You also have to pay attention to IHI’s objectives, supporting innovations for unmet public health needs, and make sure that your proposal has clearly described impacts on society, on research, or on health care.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of applying to the call?
I know from experience that putting together a good proposal takes time and effort. The call topics are aligned with the specific objectives of the IHI SRIA, so take the time to read and understand the SRIA and the call text. I would also strongly encourage applicants to make good use of the other resources the IHI team has prepared to help applicants, including the info sessions on the call and documents like the Guide for Applicants and FAQs.
How can applicants find partners for their proposal?
Your first stop should be our brokerage platform! We set it up specifically for this call and over 1000 people have set up a profile there and there are 170 ideas for project proposals. It’s easy to set up a profile, share your expertise, and find and message people who could be relevant for your consortium. However, you should also use other avenues, including your own networks, as well as other partner search tools. Finding the right partners is a time-consuming exercise, so the earlier you start, the better.