Commissioning of five (5) evidence and gap maps aligned with the Hub’s 10-fold solutions taxonomy and scaling approaches

1. Background

The Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub for LMICs (the Hub), led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), aims to transition low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) toward sustainable, climate-smart and low-emission livestock systems. The Hub is designed to deliver ‘triple wins’: improved livelihoods and nutrition, greater climate resilience, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity and/or absolute emissions through integrated solutions spanning animal health, genetics, nutrition, environment, and enabling policy and finance.

A core Hub function is to synthesize and translate science into actionable knowledge products that can inform investments, programming, and policy processes (including support to national climate commitments). As part of this synthesis workstream, ILRI will commission Evidence and Gap Maps (EGMs), also referred to as evidence maps or scoping reviews, to systematically identify, catalogue, and visualize the distribution of evidence across the Hub’s solutions taxonomy. These EGMs will highlight what is known, where evidence is clustered, and where critical gaps remain to guide future research, innovation, and scaling efforts.

2. Purpose of this call

ILRI invites proposals from individual consultants or teams affiliated with an institution to produce Evidence and Gap Maps (EGMs) for priority solution areas under the Hub’s 10-fold solutions taxonomy. A total of five (5) EGMs will be funded under this call.

This call is only for Evidence and Gap Maps (scoping reviews / systematic maps). It does not commission new systematic reviews or meta-analyses in this round.

3. Geographic scope

Given ILRI’s and CGIAR’s mandates, the geographic scope should focus on LMIC contexts, with emphasis on the Global South (Africa, Asia, and Latin America), unless there is a clear rationale for including evidence from high-income settings for transferability.

4. Topics (L&CS Hub 10-fold solutions taxonomy and scaling approaches)

Proposals are invited on any ONE of the following ten solution areas, and scaling approaches. Applicants should clearly specify which topic their EGM will cover and define the sub-scope (e.g., species, production systems, regions, intervention types) in a way that is feasible within six months. The EGMs should have a broad scope and aim to cover at least one topic in its entirety.

1. Topic 1: Improved genetics (animals and feeds), including, low-methane genetics and selection for feed efficiency; heat-tolerant and climate-resilient breeds (including indigenous breeds); forage improvement and legume integration (including drought-tolerant species) and selecting cereal crops for feed properties, and anti-methanogenic forages and shrubs (tannin-rich legumes, etc.) among others.
2. Topic 2: Better animal health including, comprehensive animal health (vaccination, parasite control, basic health services), improved reproductive management (shorter calving intervals, lower replacement rate), enhanced biosecurity and disease surveillance at herd and regional level, improved housing, cooling, welfare, and microclimate control, strengthened extension and veterinary systems with climate mandate among others.
3. Topic 3: Feeding and enteric methane solutions, including improved feed quality and ration balancing for reduced emissions and better nutrition, methane-inhibiting feed additives (e.g., 3-NOP, seaweed, nitrates, oils, tannins, etc.), precision feeding and digital nutrition management among others.
4. Topic 4: Manure and waste management solutions, including improved manure collection, storage and handling, anaerobic digestion and biogas use; manure composting, solid–liquid separation, biochar and precision manure application among others.
5. Topic 5: Rangeland, grazing, land use and ecosystem-based solutions, including managed/rotational grazing and stocking-rate optimization, rangeland restoration and avoided conversion, silvopastoral systems and agroforestry with livestock, integrated crop–livestock systems and protection of high-carbon ecosystems used for grazing (peatlands, wetlands, forests) among others.
6. Topic 6: Climate risk reduction and resilience solutions (including water), such as early warning systems, climate information services, and index insurance, shock-responsive social protection and safety nets, water harvesting, storage, and efficient use on livestock farms among others.
7. Topic 7: Value chain and systems-level solutions, such as reducing food loss and waste in livestock value chains, diversifying species and systems (e.g., mix of cattle, small ruminants, poultry) energy efficiency and renewable energy in livestock operations among others
8. Topic 8: Demand- and diet-related solutions, including shifts within animal-source foods (e.g., from high-emission beef to lower-emission poultry/eggs, or higher-value dairy), dietary shifts and diversification (more plant-based foods, better use of by-products) among others.
9. Topic 9: Finance-related solutions, including results-based climate finance for low-emission livestock; livestock methane carbon credits (voluntary/emerging compliance), including aggregated smallholder programs via value chains, concessional/blended finance for climate-smart livestock investments, livestock-relevant sustainable finance taxonomies (e.g., green/sustainability bonds, sustainability-linked loans & guarantees), Advance Market Commitments (AMCs) for livestock methane solutions among others.
10. Topic 10: Policy solutions, such as upgraded livestock GHG MRV (Tier 2/3 inventories), livestock-specific NDC targets and pathways, climate-smart livestock master plans and gender-responsive livestock policies, land-use regulation to prevent conversion of high-carbon ecosystems and rangeland & pastoralism strategies (mobility, rights, corridors), reform of perverse subsidies toward climate-smart support (e.g., climate-smart input subsidies/vouchers) among others.
11. Topic 11: Scaling and delivery approaches for proven technologies, including evidence on what enables successful adoption, sustained use, and impact at scale in LMIC livestock systems. This may include implementation and scaling strategies (e.g., phased rollout, adaptive management, learning agendas), institutional and governance arrangements, extension and advisory models (public, private, and hybrid), market and service delivery models (input/output supply chains, last-mile distribution, bundling with finance or insurance), demand creation and behavior change, partnerships and coalition building, capacity development, inclusion (gender, youth, and marginalized groups), and monitoring, evaluation, and MRV approaches that support course-correction while scaling.

5. Scope of work

The commissioned teams will produce a rigorous Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) aligned to international good practice for evidence mapping in environmental and development contexts. The EGM should systematically identify and characterize relevant evidence (peer-reviewed and grey literature) and present findings through an interactive and/or clearly structured map, database, and accompanying narrative report.

6. Methodological requirements (Evidence and Gap Map / Scoping Review)

• Develop an EGM protocol with clear scope, objectives, and research questions, including definitions of the population(s), intervention(s) / solution type(s), comparator(s) (as applicable), outcomes, study designs, and contextual boundaries.
• Define explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria and a transparent screening approach; document screening decisions and reasons for exclusion at full-text stage.
• Develop and implement comprehensive search strategies for academic databases and relevant grey literature sources; document all searches (dates, strings, platforms) and provide reproducible search records.
• Undertake deduplication, title/abstract screening, and full-text screening using appropriate review management software (e.g., Covidence, EPPI-Reviewer, Rayyan, or equivalent).
• Extract and code included studies using an agreed codebook aligned with the Hub taxonomy (e.g., solution sub-categories, livestock systems, geographies, outcomes and co-benefits, implementation characteristics).
• Create an evidence map that visually and systematically presents the distribution of evidence across the agreed framework (e.g., interventions/solution types × outcomes; or solutions × systems × regions).
• Identify evidence clusters and evidence gaps, and provide a concise narrative synthesis describing patterns and priority areas for future synthesis or primary research.
• Engage key stakeholders (as appropriate) during scoping and finalization to improve relevance and usability of the map for Hub products.

Note: In this round, grantees are not expected to conduct a full systematic review/meta-analysis. Critical appraisal may be included at a light-touch level (e.g., labeling study designs and basic quality indicators) but should not expand into a full systematic review.

7. Timeline and deliverables (6 months)

Each commissioned EGM is expected to be completed within six (6) months of contract signing. The indicative milestones below may be adapted by the team, provided the final deliverables are met within six months.

Month 1: Inception report and workplan

• Refined scope and research questions; stakeholder engagement plan
• Draft EGM framework (map dimensions) aligned to the 10-fold taxonomy
• Draft search strategy (databases + grey sources) and proposed screening workflow

Month 2: Draft protocol

• Draft protocol including eligibility criteria, search strategy, screening/extraction plan, codebook outline, and planned map outputs

Month 3: Final protocol (publicly archived)

• Final protocol posted on CGSpace or another publicly accessible repository (as agreed with ILRI)
• Finalized codebook and screening decision rules

Month 4–5: Evidence and Gap Map (draft) + dataset

• Draft evidence maps and accompanying dataset (bibliographic database + coded fields)
• Draft narrative report describing evidence distribution, clusters, gaps, and implications

Month 6: Final Evidence and Gap Map package + presentation

• Final EGM report (submission-ready for public posting and/or journal submission, as agreed)
• Final coded dataset and search documentation (all strings, dates, yields)
• PowerPoint presentation summarizing scope, methods, key clusters/gaps, and key takeaways for a non-technical audience
• Online searchable database

8. Essential skills and qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in a relevant field (e.g., climate change, livestock systems, public health/One Health, environmental science, economics, policy).
• Demonstrated expertise in evidence synthesis methods, specifically scoping reviews, systematic maps, or evidence and gap maps; prior publication record in evidence synthesis is strongly preferred.
• Strong applied understanding of livestock–climate mitigation and adaptation solutions relevant to LMIC contexts (or a team composition that collectively provides this expertise).
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders; ability to deliver policy-relevant products.
• Capacity to manage transparent workflows, data management, and reproducible reporting.

9. Reporting and coordination

Teams will work remotely and coordinate with the Hub evidence synthesis team at ILRI led the Hub Lead and Principal Scientists at ILRI. The team will provide brief progress updates twice a month (bi-weekly) via online meetings and submit deliverables per the schedule above.

10. Budget and payment schedule

Lumpsum payment of USD 20,000 per review is to be paid in 3 installments in the following sequence:

• USD 5,000 in Month 1, after submission of workplan and Inception Report
• USD 7,500 in Month 3 after delivery of Final (publicly archived) Protocol
• USD 7,500 in Month 6 after delivery of Final Evidence and Gap Map, data sets, online searchable database and PowerPoint presentation

11. How to apply

Applications should not exceed 8 pages (excluding title page, references, and annexes). Proposals must follow the structure below and adhere to word limits. Proposals that do not adhere to these instructions, including providing all information requested in the Annex, will not be considered. The full proposal, with title page, summary, main proposal sections and Annex must be combined into one PDF document and submitted.

Title page (1 page; not counted toward word limits):

• Title of the proposed Evidence and Gap Map (EGM)
• Identify which of the 10 Hub solution topics this proposal addresses
• Names, affiliations, and roles of team members (encouraging disciplinary, gender, and Global South representation)

Summary (2 pages; max 1,000 words)*:

• Problem definition, justification, and objectives
• EGM research questions and framing (e.g., population, solutions/interventions, outcomes, contexts)
• Proposed methodology (search strategy, expected volume, screening approach, coding plan, software)
• Planned mapping framework and outputs (what the map will look like and how it will be used)
• Stakeholder groups and dissemination plan

* In case of large number of applications, the 2 page summary statement will be used for first round of screening, so make sure it is comprehensive and correctly describes your proposal.

Main proposal sections:

• Section 1 (1 page; 500 words): Background and justification
• Section 2 (½ page; 250 words): Objectives and research questions
• Section 3 (3.5 pages; 1750 words): EGM method (protocol, searches, eligibility, screening, coding, mapping, synthesis of gaps/clusters)
• Section 4 (½ page; 250 words): Stakeholder involvement
• Section 5 (½ page; 250 words): Publication and dissemination strategy

• References (10–15 references; not counted toward word limit)
• Annex (not counted toward word limit, please ensure all your annexes are attached to your proposal, proposals with missing annex will not be considered):
• Evidence of previous evidence-mapping/scoping work (≤1 page);
• CVs (2 pages per team member);
• Gantt chart for 6-month plan;
• Names and contact details of three referees familiar with your work

Please add a proposal format compliance checklist at the front of your consolidated PDF proposal and tick all applicable boxes. This will help us ascertain the completeness of your proposal. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

☐ Cover letter included

☐ Proposal title (add here):
☐ Topic addressed (1–11, tick only one option): ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 ☐7 ☐8 ☐9 ☐10☐ 11
☐ Lead institution / affiliation of lead PI (add here):

☐ Names of all team members included
☐ Affiliations for all team members included
☐ Roles for all team members included
☐ Team composition notes representation (disciplinary / gender / Global South) included

Main proposal content

☐ Summary included (which is 2 pages or less, 1000 words or less)

☐ Section 1 included (which is 1 pages or less, 500 words or less)

☐ Section 2 included (which is ½ pages or less, 250 words or less)

☐ Section 3 included (which is 3½ pages or less, 1750 words or less)

☐ Section 4 included (which is ½ pages or less, 250 words or less)

☐ Section 5 included (which is ½ pages or less, 250 words or less)
☐ References section included (not more than 15 references)

Annex section included and attached, containing the following:
☐ Evidence of previous evidence-mapping/scoping work included (≤ 1 page)
☐ CVs attached (≤ 2 pages per team member, with their roles)
☐ Gantt chart included for 6-month plan
☐ Names and contact details of three referees included

☐ All documents submitted as single PDF (including cover letter, main proposal not exceeding 8 pages, annex with all documents).

12. Selection criteria

• Proven team expertise in evidence synthesis (EGMs/scoping/systematic mapping) and subject-matter knowledge; strength of publication/track record.
• Methodological rigor and feasibility of producing a high-quality EGM within six months.
• Alignment with one of the 10 Hub solutions topics and relevance to LMIC contexts.
• Team composition, including representation from the Global South and women; inclusion of relevant local expertise where appropriate.
• Clear plan for stakeholder engagement and dissemination aligned to Hub needs.

Applicants should send a cover letter and full proposal (maximum 8 pages for main proposal, supported by Annex, all (including cover letter, combined into a single PDF document) expressing their interest in the consultancy assignment to the Head of People and Culture by clicking "Apply Now'' on or before 13th April, 2026. The position title and reference number LCE/2156/03/26 should be marked on the subject line of the cover letter.

If selected, we will offer trainings on evidence synthesis to the successful PI and her/his team. This training is compulsory.

We thank all applicants, whether individuals or teams, for their interest in working at ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, including application, interview, processing, or training. ILRI also does not require information on applicants' bank accounts at the time of application.

To find out more about ILRI, visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org/