The UBS Optimus Foundation invites pre-proposals for Optimus Study on protecting children: Africa 2011–2015

Optimus Study on protecting children is the project started by the UBS Optimus Foundation with the aim to encourage research on child sexual abuse prevalence and service provision. This project will last from October 2011 through 2015 and try to implement the best social science research methods in order to generate an evidence-base for intervention and prevention strategies. Now the UBS Optimus Foundation seeks to create a research team that would replicate an already created model for the study in one country in Africa.

Call for pre-proposal: expertise and feasibility

The Optimus Foundation wishes to expand study activities to Latin America between 2011– 2015 and wishes to commission research to replicate and adapt the methodology in one country in Latin America. The current competitive call is for pre-proposals that will enable the Foundation to assess the capacity of proposed research teams as well as to assess the feasibility and the potential benefit of the team’s proposal in one Latin American country.

The selection and implementation process will follow a four-phase procedure:

• Phase 1: Expertise and feasibility pre-proposal (current call)
• Phase 2: Full proposal
• Phase 3: Pilot study
• Phase 4: Full study and dissemination

Requirements for submission of an expertise and feasibility pre-proposal

• One country in the continent of Africa must be chosen as a focus.
• Collaborations between international research centers are welcome, however, local capacity must be demonstrated in the plan. Proposals should feature clearly identified expertise and leadership for each of the components (Population Survey, Agency Survey, and Knowledge Translation) – and demonstrate mechanisms for coordination between the components. Proposals may include separate teams for the different components.
• The funding cap for the overall project is around 1’000’000 Swiss Francs.
• The pre-proposal must include the following elements in max 1500 – 2000 words:
• Selection of one country in the continent of Africa.
• Description of prior studies on child abuse and maltreatment done in this country
• A brief overview of existing policies and practices
• Description of a preliminary operational plan for conducting each of the three components of the Optimus Study (Population Survey, Agency Survey, Knowledge Translation) as well as their local feasibility
• Justification as to why this study would bring added value to this country considering prior scientific work and existing policies and practices

Description of prior social and health scientific studies that would confirm in this country context and feasibility or research and knowledge mobilization of the types contemplated in the Optimus Study

Last date for submitting the pre-proposals is 31 August 2011,

For more information and details, you can visit this link.