Assignment to Evaluate Grant Programs Implemented by the Science Fund and the Innovation Fund in Serbia, and Assist with Capacity Building of Both Institutions

• Country: Serbia
• Summary: Assignment to Evaluate Grant Programs Implemented by the Science Fund and the Innovation Fund in Serbia, and Assist with Capacity Building of Both Institutions
• RST Ref No: 60926779
• Deadline: 13 Jan 2022
• Financier: World Bank (WB)
• Purchaser Ownership: Government
• Tender Value: Refer Document
• Notice Type: Tender
• Document Ref. No.: 1278033
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• Description:
• Expression of Interest are invited for Objective of this Assignment is to Evaluate Grant Programs Implemented by the Science Fund and the Innovation Fund in Serbia, and Assist with Capacity Building of Both Institutions Objective The objective is to evaluate grant programs of the Innovation Fund (IF) and the Science Fund (SF) in Serbia, as part of the overall support to build their institutional capacity. The SF programs to be included are: IDEAS, for the best overall projects in all scientific disciplines, PROMIS for young researchers, AI for projects in artificial intelligence, DIASPORA, for Diaspora Knowledge Exchange, and the Special Research Program on COVID-19. The IF program to be included is Katapult, an enterprise acceleration program. SF programs tend to be significantly larger than those of the IF in terms of overall number of grantees, and thus, significantly more effort is expected to be required for evaluating SF programs. Further, the SF is a younger institution and does not yet have fully a developed M&E system, while the IF does have a functional M&E system and has had a number of other programs evaluated in the past (about which information is available). The evaluations shall cover both the program design and implementation processes/ procedures and delivery mechanism in addition to the overall success of the program in achieving its targeted/intended outcomes and impact (where available, depending on when in the specific programs cycle the evaluation is performed). Based on the evaluations of the implementation and delivery mechanism, the evaluations are expected to provide specific recommendations for enhancing the programs, including areas such as outreach, application, selection and monitoring process, and future monitoring and evaluations. 3. Scope of Work The consulting firm will be responsible for performing the following activities: Review and evaluate the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact (where possible) of the following programs, including their design, promotional activities, application process, award selection process, disbursements, and results monitoring forms and tools. o SF programs: IDEAS, for the best overall projects in all scientific disciplines, PROMIS for young researchers, AI for projects in artificial intelligence, DIASPORA, for Diaspora Knowledge Exchange, and the Special Research Program on COVID-19, and o IF program: Katapult, an enterprise acceleration program. Based on above evaluation, provide detailed and actionable recommendations for the improvement of every program stage evaluated. Produce M&E reports for all support programs evaluated (specifying the M&E methodology used and results of the evaluation process). Train (in a minimum of two workshops) SF and IF staff such as program managers and M&E focal points on the M&E methodology used and make recommendations on better monitoring and evaluating their existing and future support programs, including through recommended procedures, data collection systems, and analytical tools. Provide recommendations and training on current procedures and data collection system and analytical tools for long term independent evaluation for all support programs. The Consultant shall propose the methodology for the assignment, to include field work and direct interviews with stakeholders, as and if local COVID-19 protocols allow. The Consultant may form a consortium, to include a partner with local research (survey and interviews) capacity, in order to fulfil this requirement
• Documents:

 Tender Notice