Title: Evaluating the Effectiveness of RFP 1 Grants Under the SIOP PARC Programme: A Qualitative Study

Background:

Under the inaugural round of the SIOP PARC Programme (RFP 1), four grants of 75,000 EUR were awarded to pediatric oncology research cooperative groups across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These grants were designed to strengthen local research infrastructure and foster collaborative, sustainable research environments tailored to regional needs and priorities.

In Africa, the CANCARE Africa initiative set out to build clinical research capacity across pediatric oncology centers. The grant supported efforts to harmonize research protocols, train multidisciplinary teams, and enhance institutional readiness for high-quality data collection and collaborative studies. By promoting cross-country learning and infrastructure development, CANCARE aimed to lay the foundation for ongoing research that is both locally driven and globally informed. This project has been completed and reports are available.

In Latin America, the GALOP (Grupo de América Latina de Oncología Pediátrica) project used the grant to formalize itself as a legal research entity—an essential step toward scaling clinical research across the region. With support from PARC, GALOP focused on building a strong legal and governance framework, training staff, and developing a secure, centralized data platform. The initiative also set in motion two pilot prospective studies—one on renal tumors and another on Langerhans cell histiocytosis—marking a major step forward in generating regionally relevant evidence for pediatric cancer care. This project has been completed and reports are available.

In India, CanKids KidsCan, in partnership with the INPHOG (Indian Pediatric Hematology Oncology Group), used the PARC grant to build research capacity across 50 hospitals. Their goal was to launch six prospective clinical studies targeting WHO prioritized pediatric cancers by early 2025. The project included developing standardized data systems, training research staff, and establishing a patient-and-caregiver advisory group to ensure research aligns with patient needs and experiences. This initiative is notable for integrating patient voices directly into research design and policy translation. This project has been completed and reports are available.

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, the Pediatric Oncology East & Mediterranean Group (POEM) received a grant to bolster regional research capacity. The grant is being used to support infrastructure development, staff training, and collaborative research efforts across countries in the region. This project closes in Dec 2025 but mid-year report is available.

Together, these four projects mark a strategic investment in research capacity-building to ensure children with cancer in LMICs benefit from contextually relevant, high-quality research.

We are conducting this qualitative analysis to understand the overall impact of this funding mechanisms. We aim to determine not just whether the four SIOP PARC RFP 1 grants met their goals, but also how and why those outcomes were—or weren’t—achieved. While quantitative data offers broad indicators, it often misses the complex, on-the-ground realities of implementing research capacity-building in low- and middle-income countries.

Research Aim:
To explore whether, how and why the four grants awarded under the SIOP PARC Programme (RFP 1) achieved their stated goals. To understand what are the essential components of a well functioning cooperative research network working on childhood cancer research.

Through semi-structured interviews with those directly involved—investigators, clinical research staff— and document analysis, we aim to capture the contextual factors, successes, and challenges that shaped each project. These insights will highlight what worked, identify transferable practices, and guide future funding rounds, ensuring that local voices and lived experience remain central to SIOP’s approach to equity, learning, and sustainable impact. This study will inform future work and possible future RFPs for the PARC Programme.

Research Questions:
1. What successes and challenges did each research group experience? What factors facilitated or hindered the implementation of the project goals? Did the projects
achieve their stated goals
2. Was the budget used as anticipated?
3. What are the perceived outcomes and impact of each grant at the local and
institutional level?
4. What are the essential components of a well-functioning childhood cancer
cooperative research group?

Methodology: Qualitative Interpretive Case Study
Each grant will be treated as a case. A cross-case analysis will help identify patterns and differences, especially on the question of what factors are essential for a well functioning cooperative research group.

Data Collection Methods:
1. Semi-Structured Interviews
o Participants:
§ Principal investigators (PIs)
§ Project team members
§ SIOP Secretariat and PARC Committee members (Chair etc)
o Sample:
§ 4 grants from RFP 1
o Interview guide to include:
§ Clarity and feasibility of goals
§ Implementation experiences
§ Challenges and successes
§ Planned budgetary spend versus actual spend
§ Lessons learned
§ Overall impact of the grant and experience on the organization and
patients.
2. Document Review
o PARC Call for Proposals doc
o Grant proposals
o Progress and final reports
o PBC short paper on the reasoning for the establishment of the PARC Programme
3. Interviewes with the Collaborative Research Groups and Presentations/Recordings from the SIOP2025 Presidential Lecture (Zoom meeting of all 4 groups on common challenges and accomplishments)
Analysis:
The researcher is given freedom on the method of analysis.
Deliverables:
• Case reports for each grant
• Cross-case summary report
• Presentation of findings to SIOP PARC and stakeholders
• Recommendations for future funding rounds
Qualitative Study Period:
20 research days spread over 6 months (Sept 2025- Feb 2026)

Application Process for this Consultancy:
To apply, please email your CV, your project fee for the total project as specified above, and a list of the qualitative evaluation projects that you have lead yourself in the past 5 years: programs@siop-online.org . Applications without an explicit mention of the project fee will not be considered.
The deadline is COB: July 31, 2025
Due to consideration to other candidates, the deadline will not be extended