Center for Health Market Innovation’s Learning Exchange Overview, Application, and Guidelines

Launching CHMI’s Learning Exchange The Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI) is thrilled to announce its second Call for Applications for the CHMI Learning Exchange! Recognizing that there is excellence and innovation within our global network, the CHMI Learning Exchange aims to facilitate structured learning partnerships between organizations that are profiled on CHMI, helping programs to improve business practices, adopt innovations, scale-up or replicate an aspect of their model to a new market. The CHMI Learning Exchange will provide funding of up to US $8,000 to successful applicants to facilitate learning partnerships.

In November 2014, CHMI awarded its first round of learning exchange grants to five winning applications. Representing twelve organizations and eight countries, these new partnerships will allow program managers to improve and scale-up their models; current grantee activities range from replicating drug supply models, improving management and operational processes, building financial sustainability, and adapting new monitoring systems to ensure client safety.

What is a Learning Exchange?A Learning Exchange is an engagement between two or more organizations that decide to share knowledge around a particular need or business practice. Partners may be based in the same geography or in different countries. Because peer-to-peer exchanges are customized to address an organization’s particular and current need, they can be limited in scope to what is necessary to catalyze institutional change.

How the Process Works Learning Exchanges will involve one or more healthcare organizations acting as lead partners and knowledge partners.

Lead partner: A “lead partner” is a healthcare organization profiled by CHMI that will develop the application for CHMI’s Learning Exchange and be responsible for disbursing funds to other partnering organizations. The “lead” partner can be the “learner” in a traditional “mentor-mentee” relationship; or, the lead partner and knowledge partners can represent similar organizations that may offer complementary skills, expertise, and ability to learn from one another. Lead partners should contact potential knowledge partners through CHMI or through other channels to solicit their agreement to apply for CHMI’s Learning Exchange. Please contact chmi@r4d.org if you require assistance in contacting programs through our website.

Knowledge partner: One or more healthcare organization(s) that work with a lead partner to exchange knowledge through activities specified in this application. Knowledge partner(s) should agree to participate with a lead partner prior to being named in an application for CHMI’s Learning Exchange.

Both partners will discuss the scope of the learning agenda, the way in which learning will take place, and its intended impact.

The lead partner will submit an application and budget to CHMI’s Learning Exchange. The lead partner will assume responsibility for meeting outcomes, submitting reports, and determining whether and how funds are shared between partners.

A cohort of organizations will carry out their unique Learning Exchanges over a four-month period from April 15 to August 15, 2015.

At the conclusion of the Learning Exchange, partners will reflect on what worked and what didn’t work, and share their experiences to benefit the broader CHMI community.

Types of learning activities:

Examples of Learning Exchanges1. Peer Learning Exchange

Programs dealing with similar challenges in a specific area may choose to apply for the grant as a consortium of programs to collectively brainstorm potential solutions. For example, neonatal care institutions in India worked together to improve management of their intensive care units. Over the period of the learning exchange, programs within this cohort were able to mutually benefit as they shared data and knowledge in order to institute improvements in their practice. This work occurred under the leadership of Access International.

Another example could include three primary care clinics in different regions of South Africa visiting each other’s organizations or collaborating in order to share best practices and challenges in operational efficiency among the differing locations. The program managers would apply these best practices to streamline operations in their respective organizations, bring down costs, and expand access to quality care.

2. Visit to established field leader Several (e.g. 3-5) programs may apply for funding to visit an established field leader defined as a program/ organization that has achieved health outputs, outcomes, and/or sustainability. For example, three family planning clinics in rural Nigeria may choose to visit a well-established family planning organization in Ibadan to learn about successful practices they can adopt. The well-established organization would obtain further exposure for its model, gain visibility through the CHMI network, and could have the opportunity to adapt innovations from these learning organizations, for instance, an informational communication technology system.

3. One-on-one learning A program may apply to partner with one other organization to learn a particular aspect of the knowledge partner’s model. For example, a pharmacy chain in Malaysia that is exploring the use of pre-packaged treatment kits might apply to visit a pharmacy chain in the Philippines that successfully added pre-packaged treatment kits to its patient offerings several years ago. The Malaysian chain would need to have a clear, long-term objective in mind for this visit; for example, learning how to recruit new staff and launch a marketing campaign to attract customers for its treatment kits, thereby expanding access to this treatment. For the Filipino program, this visit might improve their

knowledge about and connections to the Malaysian market, which they could later enter.

4. Iterative Study Tour One organization may apply to visit 2-3 other organizations with a specific research question in mind. The goal of this iterative study tour is to observe and gather different perspectives and models to inform a specific component or aspect of an organization. For example, a mobile health application in Malawi might be struggling with weak consumer demand in a nascent market. It may apply to visit three technology organizations in Kenya, a well-established technology market, in order to learn how to effectively market and expand their business.

5. Other Propose something you think would be interesting! At a basic level, it needs to be a joint effort between at least 2 programs.

L

Learning Exchange

Practical knowledge is shared and sustained

Lead Partner (LP)

• Defines internal need • Identifies knowledge

partner and approach • Submits application and

takes final responsibility for meeting outcomes

Knowledge Partner (KP)

• Serves as a mentor • Jointly participates in

defining how the exchange takes place

Customized transfer of knowledge and skills

Clear need expressed

LP improves or expands its

business and sets learning priorities

KP receives increased regional and international

visibility

Potential Benefits

Both lead and knowledge partners are presented with a unique opportunity to benefit from the learning exchange. Some of the benefits include:

CHMI and ACCESS Health International will provide knowledge partner with platforms to increase their visibility. Blogs, photography, and other documentation on CHMI’s web

platform would be visible to more than 20,000 unique visitors each month, including healthcare managers, donors, investors, and researchers.

Knowledge partners will be able to benefit from developing mentoring skills and could expand their scope to offer training.

Lead partners are given the opportunity to interact and learn from knowledge partners about successful practices and adopt the practices to suit their programs under the guidance of the knowledge partners.

Both knowledge and lead partners will be able to mutually learn new practices to adapt to their own organizations.

Eligibility Criteria Proposals must involve at least two organizations, one of which should be profiled on

the CHMI website, with a complete and up to date profile at the time of submission. Programs within CHMI’s scope engage the private health sector (either non-profit or for-

profit), work in a low- and middle-income country (as determined by the World Bank classification) and serves the poor.

Applicants should submit a complete application and budget to chmiexchange@accessh.org. All selected organizations must be willing to share detailed feedback about their experience during and after the conclusion of the learning activity.

Evaluation Criteria Successful proposals should, at a minimum:

Articulate realistic plans that address a clear need and can be carried out cost-effectively in the defined timeframe,

Demonstrate that the chosen knowledge partner is well suited to meet the organization’s needs,

Present a clear plan to ensure institutional sustainability of the knowledge gained, and Define realistic learning outcomes and a plan for achieving longer-term impact to

improve, scale-up, or replicate a component of its organization.

Selection Process1. Applications that meet the eligibility criteria, are complete with a budget and work plan,

and are submitted to chmiexchange@accessh.org by March 15th will be reviewed by a Steering Committee of experts and practitioners.

2. Applications will be evaluated against the criteria listed above, with a focus on their cost-effectiveness and likelihood that business improvements, scale-up, or replication (of some aspect of their model) will take place. The Steering Committee will also take into account the number of low-income people that could benefit from the Learning Exchange.

3. The selection and funding process will take approximately one month from the submission of applications. Short-listed applicants will be contacted for a phone interview within two weeks after submission of the application.

How to Apply? Download and complete the Word-based Application and submit it to

chmiexchange@accessh.org by March 15th.1. Workplan: Describe the key activities, members involved from each

organization, and schedule for implementation over the four-month learning exchange (April-July 2015). All activities must be completed by August 15, 2015.

o Budget: Submit a detailed budget, including a breakdown by activity and partner.

Deadline for submission is March 15th.

Application Guidelines and Conditions

1. Applications must be submitted via e-mail to chmiexchange@accessh.org.. Ensure that applications are clear, concise and complete with a certificate of incorporation, the latest annual report and last audited financial statement of the lead partner.

2. Applications received by email or after the posted deadline will not be processed. CHMI’s Learning Exchange Managers will contact you if any clarification if needed.

3. If you have problems accessing the online grant application form or other information please contact CHMI’s Learning Exchange Managers at chmiexchange@accessh.org .

4. Once the application, work plan, budget and supporting documentation have all been submitted, the email address submitted by the lead partner will receive a confirmation message. If you do not receive a confirmation message please review your spam filters, and contact CHMI’s Learning Exchange Managers at chmiexchange@accessh.org before attempting to resubmit your application.

5. All complete applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a Steering Committee. Applicants acknowledge that funding decisions are at the discretion of the Steering Committee.

6. CHMI’s Learning Exchange Fund Managers can request applicants to provide more details or modify any part of the application (including the requested budget) at any time during the review process.

7. Programs involved must be prepared to commit to completing and updating their profile on the CHMI website prior to the final payment of the grant, provided the programs fit within CHMI’s scope.

8. Programs involved must reflect on what worked and what didn’t work, and share their experiences to benefit the broader CHMI community. This will occur through monthly phone interviews, blogs, and other possible reporting mechanisms.

9. Availability of co-funding by other agencies or organizations is not a requirement for grant proposals. Any complementary funding must be declared in the budget section of the grant application form.

10. CHMI’s Learning Exchange has defined the terms and conditions for the release of grant funds. Copies of the official grant agreement will be available for review to successful applicants.

11. Successful applicants will provide bank details and confirm their contact details prior to the disbursement of funds.

12. The grant agreement and bank information form have to be signed by the legal representative and the financial officer from the lead partner. A scanned copy of the signed document must be emailed to CHMI’s Learning Exchange Managers.

13. ACCESS Health International is managing the disbursement of funds. The Managing Director of ACCESS Health will countersign the grant agreement. The contract is not valid without valid signatures.