Under Notice E0, Digital Square is accepting applications from existing open source digital health software tools as well as any existing approved Digital Square global goods, to improve their commoditization as stand-alone, interoperable, open-source software products and become “shelf ready” (see Appendix A: Shelf Readiness).
Technologies and software being proposed in the applications must meet the following minimum requirements to be seen as a global good:
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Be an existing software that has been deployed in three or more low-resource contexts.
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Be a global public good. Software tools will be considered a global public good if either:
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The source code is made available under an Open Source Initiative–approved software license; or
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The software is freely accessible and adheres to the Open Definition for access to data.
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Software has been applied to a health domain to manage, analyze, or transmit health-related data.
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Content may be considered a global good if it is a resource, toolkit, or data standard that is available under an open license and that is used to improve or analyze health data management processes.
Applications must align their solutions to be part of the Instant OpenHIE project and initiative to ensure harmonization and leveraging of work undertaken in that project.
Applicants are required to segment the applications into work packages modelled around the identified aspects of “Shelf Readiness.” Care must be given to clearly indicate the gaps, activities and expected outputs/deliverables that the requested funding will go towards and how these would advance the software towards shelf readiness. Applicants should ensure that the work packages are self-contained and not overly reliant on another. If there is a reliance this must be clearly called out and justified.
Examples of investments that will be made available through this call for applications include (but are not limited to):
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Aligning a solution to leverage key metadata / registry interoperability workflows.
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Aligning technologies to the DevOps guidelines and containerization deployment that is illustrated through use within the Instant OpenHIE project.
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Improvement for quality assurance and testing to improve data captured in the software tool.
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Development of quality assurance and testing frameworks and strategies for interoperability workflows and contribution to the OpenHIE Testing Framework.
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Enhancements of installation functionality to better support implementers as well as focused sets of key documentation updates and deployment and implementation strategies.
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Aligning of technologies to be better framed within the OpenHIE architecture and supporting the required workflows as per the OpenHIE architectural specification (as well as the associated test cases).
The following will be considered out-of-scope, and therefore make the concept note ineligible for funding:
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Investments in country implementations or adaptations intended for country-specific deployments.
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Investments that are not applicable outside of a single health program area.
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Investments in new functionality that are not justified in making the tool a shelf-ready solution.
Click here to access RFA #2020-018: Notice E0 "Phase 1 Shelf Readiness"
Watch this Notice D video tutorial on how to create an account and upload a concept note
- April 20 - May 8: Concept note development
Digital Square issues a call for applications, and applicants upload concept notes to Digital Square's public-facing open application platform. In the first few weeks, as outlined by the solicitation, applicants will submit concept notes.
Applicants must use the concept note template.
- May 11 - May 22 2020: Concept note review
In the few weeks following the concept note submission deadline, other applicants and/or other stakeholders in the community may provide feedback, comments, and suggestions, as well as identify potential areas for collaboration.
- May 25 - June 5 2020: Digital Square review of concept notes
Following the concept note review, Digital Square assesses concept notes to ensure alignment with the initiative vision and funding objectives identified in the Notice. Digital Square eliminates concept notes that are not strategically aligned with the above.
Digital Square identifies a set of short-listed concept notes based on the Notice criteria and emails applicants who are eligible to advance to the application phase.
- June 8 - June 19 2020: Preliminary technical application co-creation
Using feedback received in the Concept Note Phase, applicants will begin preliminary application development.
Applicants must use the technical application template and post an application iteration on the open application platform in the first 2 weeks.
At the conclusion of this step, Digital Square will close the ability to upload new content to open application platform.
- June 22 - July 3: Preliminary technical application comment period
During this time, other applicants and other stakeholders in the community should provide feedback, comments, and suggestions.
- July 6-July 24: Application finalization
Using feedback during the preliminary technical application comment period, applicants revise the technical application, develop a budget and budget narrative, and submit these to the Digital Square open application platform. Applicants must use the provided technical application, budget, and budget narrative templates.
The budget and budget narrative are not shared publicly on the platform. Commenters see only the high-level summary budget provided in the technical application.
- July 27-August 14: Peer Review Committee (PRC) review
Digital Square groups applications for PRC scoring and technical feedback. Three PRC members will review each application.
The PRC reviews applications according to the Prioritization Framework, notice scope of work technical requirements and evaluates applications as green-, amber-, or red-lit per the PRC Membership Policy. Green-lit applications are recommended for funding immediately; amber-lit applications are recommended for future funding or further exploration; red-lit applications do not fully meet the selection standards/criteria.
The PRC sees only the high-level summary budget. Proprietary information including salaries, indirect rates, or other factors are not shared with anyone outside of the funder and Digital Square.
- August 17-28: Digital Square recommendation
Digital Square compiles the evaluation provided by the PRC by clustering the applications according to the Prioritization Framework for Governing Board Investment Review Committee (IRC) review.
Digital Square creates an investment package recommendation of the highly scored applications for the Governing Board Investment Review Committee based on the funding-round objectives, donor priorities, and Digital Square vision.
- Investment Review Committee (IRC) review (Per schedule)
Digital Square presents the applications, high-level budget summary, PRC feedback within the Prioritization Framework, and Digital Square recommendation to the IRC.
The IRC evaluates whether to approve the investment packages and reserves the right to modify the recommendation at their discretion.
- November 2020: Award Phase
Digital Square shares the investment decisions approved by the IRC with applicants. Upon applicant request, PRC feedback shall be shared with applicant.
Digital Square notifies the Governing Board of the IRC evaluation and investment decision. This step will occur during routine Governing Board communications.
Investment decisions are contingent on funder approval.
