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Pacific statistical research and ‘innovative experiments’ proposals sought by 26 April in SPC–World Bank initiative

Stakeholders in Pacific statistics and development are invited to put forward proposals for statistical innovation and research that seeks to improve welfare data collection and accessibility in the region, with financing for a range of projects available.

The Pacific Community (SPC) is inviting proposals from national statistics offices and development partners in the region for short- to medium-term research projects and ‘innovative experiments’ concerning welfare statistics.

Projects sought should seek to improve the quality of welfare data collection and accessibility to comparable welfare data in the Pacific. An initiative of SPC, potential financing varies by project size and nature, funded by the World Bank as part of the PACSTAT project—fostering statistical innovation and capacity-building in the Pacific Islands.

Proposals that will support the use of administrative data and integrated data for statistics are especially welcomed.

There are two opportunities to make a proposal: short-term statistical research, such as desk-based literature or methodological reviews, and medium-term ‘innovative experiments’ that test alternative data collection methods, reflecting the uniquely Pacific context.

The statistical research category will fund short-term projects that aim to support national statistics agencies and the Pacific Statistics Methods Board to make decisions and recommendations on certain statistical issues.

Statistical research will be implemented over a period of around six months and can attract financing of up to $25,000 (USD) per project.

In contrast, a successful ‘innovative experiment’ proposal will be implemented over a period of one to two years with financing to a maximum of $250,000 (USD).

An innovative experiment might, for example, aim to reduce the costs and complexity of collecting socioeconomic data in Pacific Island countries, particularly by addressing the geographic and population constraints to traditional data collection. Or they may aim to identify new methods or data that are complementary to measurement and mapping of consumption and poverty.

“We encourage applicants to be innovative and strategic,” said Evelyn Wareham, Manager of Statistics Leadership, Governance and Use with SPC’s Statistics for Development Division. “We sincerely hope that statisticians and stakeholders working in the Pacific will take this opportunity to make proposals to advance statistical systems in the region.”

With applications closing 26 April 2024, more information on the statistical innovation and research initiative, and the procedure for making proposals, can be found as downloads below.

Should a submission not be successful, SPC will consider it in collaboration with the applicant for future development of research activities.

Downloads

• Requests for proposals for statistical innovation and research (PDF)
• Application form (Word document)