Applicant guidance
Before starting your application, please ensure you read the guidance notes. These can be found in the sidebar on this page. There are both English and Spanish versions.
Information on this page includes:
- Eligibility criteria and application requirements
- Review process
- Review criteria
- Overview of the selection process
- Q&A webinar
Eligibility criteria and application requirements
Applications may be submitted by:
- An Individual organisation
- As a consortium of up to three organisations.
Eligible organisations include, but are not limited to:
- Universities or research centres (public or private).
- Non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
- Private companies or social enterprises.
- Intermediary organisations (e.g. chambers of commerce, innovation hubs).
- Multi-sector platforms or consortia of research and innovation entities
If applying individually, the organisation must be legally registered in Colombia. For a consortium, the majority (2 out of 3) must be registered in Colombia. Full details of the eligibility criteria are outlined in the applicant guidance notes in the sidebar.
Organisations can submit a maximum of two applications. As a lead organisation or as part of a consortium of organisations. Proposals must align with the Systems Hub’s timeline to run from November 2025 and complete them by November 2028.
Note: While the project will be delivered in Spanish, the proposal must be submitted in English for the Academy’s internal records and due diligence processes. Please reach out if you have any concerns regarding this.
Review process
- Submission - applications are submitted on the Academy’s online Grant Management System (GMS). Only applicants who have filled out all mandatory answers and submitted all necessary documentation will be able to submit.
- Eligibility check - this includes checking that the application fits the scheme themes and objectives, that all questions have been answered in full, that all necessary supporting documents are correct, that all costs and activities are eligible, and that declarations have been included.
- Expert review - each application is reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers. Reviews are conducted on the Academy’s GMS.
Review criteria
Reviewers will use a scorecard to guide this process and ensure fairness across all applications. Reviewers will evaluate the strength and potential of your proposal using a set of reviewing criteria, to assess your vision, strategy, capabilities, and potential for systemic impact. These criteria are:
- Management team structure and delivery capacity
- Collaboration experience and facilitation capacity
- Strategic vision alignment and systems-thinking mindset
- Network legitimacy and convening power
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Overview of the Selection process
The selection of Management Team will follow a two-stage process designed to assess strategic alignment, organisational capability, and systems convening potential.
SCS programme board members and expert peer reviewers selected by the Academy and international partners for Colombia will sift through the highest scoring applications from the peer review and make the final selection of applications.
Stage 1: Expression of Interest (by 7 - 29 July 2025 4pm BST): Assessing alignment and sharing initial vision
The first stage focuses on identifying organisations or consortia aligned with the Systems Hub vision.
Stage 2: Full proposal submission (13 August - 2 September 2025 4pm BST) and interviews (4 - 12 September 2025, indicative timeline)
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, as well as further evidence of their operational and strategic capabilities (by 13 August).
This will be further tested in an interview, held in English and Spanish, where applicants will be asked to present on their proposal in detail.
Please download and read the applicant guidance document to find out about the requirements for your proposal.
All researchers and organisations we fund must comply with our grant funding policies and positions, which, with our Conditions of Award and Letter of Offer, form the Grant Agreement.
You can find all the policies on the Academy website. Please read all relevant policies for your application, which include:
- National Security
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- Subsidy Control
- Use of generative AI tools in funding applications and assessment
- Grant agreement
Please find all of the Academy policies here - Grant policies.
Q&A webinar
Applicants are invited to attend a Q/A webinar for this grant call. These will be running on Thursdays 10, 17 and 24 July at 3pm BST/ 9am COT.