Call for bids: UK-India Economic Policy Collaboration Program 2021/22

News Desk: British High Commission in India is pleased to announce a call for bids for planning and executing the UK-India Economic Policy Collaboration Program for 2021/22.

India’s economic growth is critical to strengthening the UK-India bilateral partnership. The UK-India 2030 roadmap highlights the importance of collaboration on new priority economic reform areas.

UK and India conceived the Economic Policy and Prosperity Partnership (EPPP) program in 2016 for a period of five years, with the idea of deepening economic policy cooperation between the two countries. As envisaged during its inception, the partnership has been a comprehensive, demand driven, multi-year relationship whose priorities and outputs have spanned the range of economic policymaking with the objective of a long-term positive impact on India’s growth prospects.

For 2021/22, the UK intends to deliver a program in India that will examine shared economic challenges and provide evidence-based policy inputs on India’s key economic reform areas, to ultimately strengthen UK-India economic cooperation. The programme will focus on economic issues that directly impact UK interests in India. Given new policy priorities that have emerged in the wake of Covid-19, the emphasis will be on evidence based policy advice and engagement with Indian government and key stakeholders in India and the UK.

Scope of work

Set against this background, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in India, invites proposals from think tanks/not for profits to undertake a programme of activities through an accountable grant. The program’s scope of work will involve planning and executing the Economic Policy Collaboration Program between the UK and India. While specific policy areas will be decided at the inception stage with a scope for future changes, indicative areas include, a) Privatization, b) Digital technologies for social and business goods, c) Private Sector Investments, d) New age manufacturing, e) Emerging Technologies.

The delivery will be through policy papers, policy memos, and engagement with various stakeholders to inform and contribute to India’s economic policymaking processes. The Chief Economic Adviser’s office in the Ministry of Finance will be the nodal point for engagement with Government of India. However, involving other economic agents such as Niti Aayog, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and subject-specific ministries will be essential. In the broad realm of policy support through evidence, innovative ideas that drive engagement and collaboration with Government of India will determine the success of this program. The following objectives will be essential to achieve:

Informing policymakers of global best practices

Deliver a minimum of /3 to 5 policy dialogues engaging Indian policymakers, UK experts, and globally renowned academics to identify and share best practices on pre-identified economic policy themes. The method of delivery needs to be flexible, in consultation with stakeholders involved and through ways that deliver maximum impact.

Delivering impact through research and training support

Development and publication of 4-8 novel research reports/ policy memos and briefs. The themes of the policy products along with the timetable for publishing them will be identified at the inception phase. The research products will identify and analyse specific policy issues and ideas in the Indian context. This will also include formulating ways of disseminating research and driving impact through continuous engagement with the Indian establishment.

Advancing UK-India Economic Policy Engagement

Contribute to deepening the UK-India economic policy cooperation through a minimum of 4 closed door roundtables/ seminars/ conferences that bring together UK and Indian policymakers, academics and experts. These platforms should be used to present evidence that can shape the economic reforms agenda in India that discuss common shared UK-India economic challenges further deepen economic cooperation between the two countries.