Call for expressions of interest: 2023 GEM Report

Call for expressions of interest to contribute background research  to the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report on technology

I. Summary

The 2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report will focus on technology. As described in the concept note, it will examine 9 thematic areas, organized under 2 main questions, across all levels of education, from early childhood to adulthood:

While the emphasis will be on information and communication technology, the report will also cover energy, construction and transport technology applications in education.

GEM Report preparation process

The GEM Report preparation cycle lasts about 18 months and consists of the following stages:

• - A concept note sets out the scope of the report, usually supported by a think piece, and is used as a basis for consultation (months 1-2).
• - The team develops a chapter outline and identifies the main research gaps (months 3-5).
• - About 30 background papers are externally commissioned to fill some of these gaps and to advance the research and policy discussion in the field (months 5-10). This call for expressions of interest is related to this commissioning process.
• - The team develops drafts of the chapters based on its own research and with inputs from the background papers as they are finalized. In the middle of this period, an expert group reviews an advanced draft and provides feedback to the team (months 5-14).
• - The report is edited, fact-checked and copy-edited (months 13-16).
• - The report is designed and printed (months 16-18).

The background papers represent a key contribution to this process. Their time frame, from contracting to finalizing, ranges between 6 and 9 months. Over the years, they have spanned a wide range of topics, contributing to the understanding of the report themes. The papers are released, if deemed satisfactory, when the Report is launched each year, e.g. the background papers of the 2021/2 report can be found on this page.

II. Requirements

The GEM Report team hereby invites interested individuals and organizations to contribute to the preparation of background papers to inform the research. The call consists of two parts:

1. A background paper in one of the following targeted areas identified by the GEM Report team

Please express your interest to produce a background paper in one or more of the following 16 areas, as listed in the table below:

2. A background paper in an area of your choice

Please express your interest to produce a background paper in any other area covered in the concept note but not included in the 16 thematic areas listed above. With reference to the concept note, please propose a relevant topic that, in your view, should be reflected in the 2023 GEM Report and backed by new research. The paper should preferably have a comparative regional or global geographical scope and could refer to any level of education, from early childhood to adulthood.

III. Submission of expression of interest

An expression of interest should include:

• - A maximum 3-page technical proposal aligned with either one of the above themes or a theme under the open category, including:
  
  •  - proposed methodology (and data, if relevant);
  •  - brief description of past research experience in this field;
  •  - a financial proposal (background papers tend to be about 8,000 words long);
  •  - geographical scope and
  •  - a suggested timeline and workplan.
• - full CVs of experts involved in the project, including academic record and list of publications, research grants and projects;
• - only for legal entities: proof of registration as a non-governmental/private organisation including copies of registration certificate(s); please place the proposal on the organisation’s letterhead.

The following are the selection criteria:

• - Proven research record in the proposed area
• - Consistency of the approach outlined in the concept note and alignment of the expression of interest with one or more of the above themes
• - Capacity of the organisation or individual expert to implement the project based on the track record and past experiences
• - Comprehensiveness of the project proposal, including the workplan and budget
• - Capacity to draft to a high standard in English or French

The proposed timeline for reviewing and providing feedback to the submitted contributions is:

• - 17 December 2021: Publication of call for expressions of interest
• - 14 January 2022: Deadline for any requests for additional information/clarifications
• - 31 January 2022: Deadline to submit expressions of interest
• - 14 February 2022: Finalization of review of submissions
• - 21 February 2022: Notification of outcome and beginning of negotiation for contracting

Successful contributions may result in commissioned background papers. Commissioning will take place in March 2022 and papers commissioned are expected to be completed by October 2022.

Please send your expression of interest in English or French by 31 January 2022 (midnight Central European time) along with the attachments in one PDF file to gemrpost@unesco.org, using the subject line EOI 2023 GEM Report + theme(s). Please also specify in your proposal if you are applying as an individual or an entity.

Any requests for additional information should be addressed in writing by 14 January 2022 at the latest to gemrpost@unesco.org. All responses to any queries or clarification requests will be made available to all applicants on the GEM Report website via this link.

Participation to this expression of interest does not guarantee that the organisation or individual expert will be ultimately selected.