New IDS-coordinated research programme, launched yesterday, will disburse research grants from a fund of £1 million (BDT 12 crores) to support evidence-informed Covid-19 response and recovery and improve preparedness to tackle future crises in Bangladesh.
Over 80 representatives from across academia, civil society and NGOs attended yesterday’s online launch of the Covid-19 Learning, Evidence and Research Programme for Bangladesh (CLEAR).
CLEAR is coordinated by IDS in collaboration with the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), and is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Supporting response and recovery from Covid-19 in Bangladesh
Opened with remarks from Judith Herbertson, Head of Development at FCDO Bangladesh, the event described the core aims of the CLEAR programme and outlined details of a forthcoming call for proposals, drawing on a £1 million fund (BDT 12 crore).
BIGD Executive Director, Imran Matin, who presented on the scoping work is already underway, described CLEAR as an opportunity to “build forward better”.
IDS Fellow, Dr Sohela Nazneen, who leads CLEAR, said “How we respond to the [pandemic] crisis now will shape where we are in the next decade. The focus of CLEAR is around generating relevant evidence that will help us shape policies and programmatic responses, but also generate debate on what we know about what works, and how we can engage and use that knowledge.”
She added “it’s not just research for research sake – engagement and learning are a big part of the programme.”
Sign up to our mailing list to receive updates from CLEAR.
Watch the CLEAR launch event online
Access the event presentations
- Dr Nazneen presentation entitled CLEAR Program Overview
- Dr Matin presentation on evidence emerging from CLEAR scoping papers
Key contacts
