CALL FOR PROPOSALS: RESEARCH CONSULTANT – MEASURING AND ATTRIBUTING DIGITALLY ENABLED BEHAVIOUR CHANGE AT THE CLIMATE-HEALTH NEXUS
Organisation: GSMA Mobile for Development
Contract Period: December 2026 – Early March 2027
Proposal Deadline: Friday, 20 November 2026, at 23:59 GMT
Clarification Questions Deadline: Thursday, 5 November 2026
ABOUT GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation that supports positive business environments and societal change. Its vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society can thrive.
The GSMA Mobile for Development team operates at the intersection of the mobile ecosystem and the development sector. It aims to stimulate digital innovation and deliver sustainable business and large-scale socioeconomic impact, particularly for underserved populations.
BACKGROUND
Climate change increasingly affects human health by changing the transmission, geographic distribution and seasonality of infectious diseases, increasing heat-related illness, and disrupting healthcare services during extreme weather. These impacts are particularly significant in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where climate vulnerability intersects with infectious disease burdens, constrained health systems and inequalities in healthcare access.
Mobile and digital technologies are increasingly being deployed to support disease prevention, improve healthcare access and strengthen continuity of health services. These include digital health advice, telemedicine, frontline healthcare delivery technologies and systems for managing essential medical supplies.
Despite growing investment in these technologies, questions remain about the evidence supporting claims of behaviour change. Evaluations often focus on messages delivered, users registered, platform engagement or service utilisation rather than independently verified behavioural outcomes. It can also be difficult to separate the contribution of digital technology from wider programme activities and health system conditions.
GSMA Mobile for Development is undertaking evaluative research to examine how behaviour change is defined, measured and attributed in mobile and digital service delivery models addressing climate-related health risks and strengthening healthcare systems.
ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT
GSMA seeks an experienced individual research consultant or research partner with expertise in public health, climate and health, digital health, behavioural research and/or evaluation to collaborate on a policy-facing research study.
The assignment will involve joint methodological development, evidence gathering, analysis and co-writing of the final publication.
The research will combine a review of academic and grey literature with expert interviews. Where feasible and valuable, it may also include focused examinations of specific digital interventions.
The main output will be a GSMA research report of approximately 20–25 pages, excluding annexes, providing a critical assessment of existing evidence and practical recommendations for funders, implementers, mobile network operators (MNOs) and evaluators.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND QUESTIONS
The overarching objective is to critically assess how changes in patient behaviour and healthcare provider practices are defined, measured and attributed to mobile and digital service delivery models addressing climate-related health risks in LMICs, and to assess the credibility of the evidence supporting these claims.
The study will address five key questions:
- How is behaviour change defined across digitally enabled services addressing climate-related health risks, including changes in patient behaviour and healthcare provider practices? How are knowledge, intentions, engagement, service utilisation, behavioural practices and health outcomes distinguished?
- What indicators, frameworks, tools and data sources are used to measure behaviour change? How well do these approaches capture actual and sustained behaviour change and its relationship to health outcomes?
- How are data generated through mobile and digital services used to monitor behaviour, adapt climate-health interventions and inform service delivery decisions? What are the opportunities and limitations of these data?
- How do organisations establish whether observed behavioural outcomes can be attributed to digital technology? What evaluation methods are used, how credible are the resulting claims, and how sophisticated are the contextual healthcare systems in analysing these claims?
- How are climate-related, health system and socioeconomic factors accounted for when measuring and attributing behaviour change outcomes, including potential unintended harms?
The study will not independently prove whether technologies cause behaviour change. Instead, it will critically examine the methods and evidence supporting existing claims and identify ways to strengthen them.
SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
The research will assess existing methods and tools for measuring and attributing behaviour change in mobile and digital interventions at the climate-health nexus in LMICs.
It will focus on digitally enabled health service delivery models, including:
- Digital advisory services.
- Telemedicine.
- Community health worker applications.
- Digital diagnostics.
- Health service operations, such as cold-chain management.
These interventions will be examined in the context of climate-related health risks and adaptation needs, including climate-sensitive infectious diseases, heat-related illness and continuity of healthcare during climate-related disruptions.
Only interventions with a clear climate-health connection will be considered, with attention to behaviour change among both patients and healthcare providers.
The study will consider LMIC evidence globally, prioritising East Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia.
KEY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
1. Structured Desk Research and Evidence Review
- Review relevant academic literature, programme evaluations, donor publications, implementation documentation and GSMA research.
- Examine digital health service delivery models, target behaviours and behaviour-change mechanisms.
- Assess definitions, indicators, tools and methods used to measure behaviour change and its relationship to health outcomes.
- Examine the use of mobile-generated and digital service data.
- Assess evaluation approaches, causal attribution or contribution, and the strength of evidence supporting digital technology claims.
- Analyse climate-related and system-level factors affecting behavioural outcomes and evidence credibility, including healthcare readiness, access to care and unintended risks.
- Collaborate with GSMA to develop an analytical framework and evidence matrix distinguishing intervention reach, engagement, self-reported behaviour, independently verified behavioural outcomes and stronger attribution evidence.
- Distinguish interventions addressing climate-sensitive diseases from those explicitly incorporating climate or environmental information.
2. Expert Interviews
Conduct approximately 20–25 semi-structured interviews across the research team, with responsibilities shared between GSMA and the consultant.
Interviewees may include:
- Academic researchers.
- Implementers of climate-responsive digital health services.
- GSMA grantees.
- Mobile network operators.
- Public health authorities.
- Funders.
- Independent evaluators.
The consultant will use professional networks to identify, approach and secure interviews with relevant experts, supported by stakeholder mapping and targeted outreach. GSMA will contribute to interviewee selection and facilitate introductions where existing relationships are available.
3. Optional Intervention-Level Deep Dives
Subject to the evidence review, stakeholder access and available resources, the study may include one or two focused examinations of specific digital service delivery interventions with clear climate-health pathways.
These may involve reviewing monitoring and evaluation data, interviewing implementation teams or observing programme activities where feasible.
Deep dives and fieldwork are optional, not mandatory deliverables. Their scope, feasibility and costs will be agreed with GSMA and specified at contracting. Any commissioned fieldwork would take place in February 2027.
4. Joint Analysis and Report Development
- Work closely with GSMA to synthesise evidence and interpret findings.
- Identify methodological gaps and develop practical recommendations.
- Co-write the final research report and draft agreed sections.
- Review GSMA-authored content to ensure analytical consistency and methodological rigour.
- Develop a practical framework for assessing the credibility of behaviour-change claims and improving measurement and attribution in digital services addressing climate-related health risks.
DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES
Deliverable 1: Desk Research and Evidence Review
Timeline: December 2026 – February 2027
- Refine the research approach and analytical framework with GSMA.
- Review academic and grey literature.
- Develop an evidence matrix covering climate-health pathways, service delivery models, behaviour-change definitions, measurement approaches, digital data use and attribution.
Deliverable 2: Expert Interviews and Qualitative Analysis
Timeline: January – February 2027
- Identify relevant experts through professional networks.
- Jointly develop interview guides with GSMA.
- Conduct approximately 20–25 interviews across the research team and synthesise findings.
- Undertake optional intervention-level deep dives or fieldwork where agreed and included in the contract.
Deliverable 3: Draft Research Report
Timeline: Late February 2027
- Analyse and synthesise findings with GSMA.
- Develop practical recommendations.
- Co-write a draft research report of approximately 20–25 pages, excluding annexes.
Deliverable 4: Final Research Deliverables
Timeline: Early March 2027
- Incorporate GSMA feedback.
- Finalise agreed report sections, references, evidence matrix, methodological notes and supporting research materials.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITIES
Applicants should demonstrate the following:
- Research experience in public health, digital health, behavioural science, health systems or a closely related field, preferably in LMICs.
- An established professional network of experts and organisations working across digital health service delivery, climate and health, behavioural research and/or impact evaluation.
- Ability to identify, approach and secure interviews with relevant stakeholders.
- Strong understanding of behaviour-change theories, measurement approaches and evaluation methodologies, including causal attribution and contribution analysis.
- Experience conducting structured literature reviews, evidence synthesis and critical appraisal of quantitative and qualitative research.
- Experience designing and conducting qualitative research, including semi-structured expert interviews and thematic analysis.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to assess evidence quality and identify methodological limitations, gaps and implications for policy and practice.
- Excellent writing skills and demonstrated experience producing accessible, evidence-based research reports for policy, development or practitioner audiences.
- Proven ability to collaborate on research design, analysis and co-writing publications with internal research teams.
- Ability to work independently, manage agreed deliverables and meet deadlines.
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE
- Experience researching climate-sensitive health risks, including infectious diseases, heat-related illness or healthcare disruption during climate-related events.
- Knowledge of the climate-health nexus, including climate variability, extreme weather and health service resilience in LMICs.
- Experience evaluating mobile and digital health interventions intended to influence individual, community or health-worker behaviour.
- Familiarity with mobile-generated data, digital health monitoring systems and their use in measuring outcomes or informing programme decisions.
- Experience applying mixed-methods research, implementation research or impact evaluation in LMIC contexts.
USE OF GENERATIVE AI
GSMA recognises that generative AI can improve research processes and products. However, AI-generated text forming large parts of the report adds little or no value to this project and may contain factual errors or fabricated information.
The selected consultant must provide a disclosure statement identifying whether generative AI tools were used and, if so, explaining how they were used.
GSMA’s standard terms and conditions require suppliers to warrant that deliverables are their original work. Breaches, including through the direct use of AI-generated outputs, may be grounds for termination.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Interested individuals must submit the following:
1. Technical Proposal
Maximum three pages, excluding the CV and publication links.
The proposal should outline:
- The consultant’s experience, expertise and interest in collaborating with GSMA on the study.
- A brief overview of the consultant.
- Examples of relevant research and publications.
- Experience in climate-health, digital health, behavioural research and/or evaluation.
- Availability during the proposed research period.
- Relevant professional networks and the ability to identify and engage experts for interviews.
- Experience collaborating on and co-writing research publications.
2. Financial Proposal
Maximum two pages.
The financial proposal must provide a fully itemised quotation in British pounds sterling (GBP), including daily rates, estimated days and total costs for delivering the research activities outlined in the Terms of Reference.
The quotation should cover desk research, expert interviews, analysis and collaborative report writing. Applicants should use the indicative scope and interview numbers provided for costing purposes and clearly state their assumptions.
Applicants must also provide a separate, fully itemised quotation for optional intervention-level deep dives, including any associated travel, fieldwork and transcription costs.
Other proposed additional costs should be itemised separately. Where alternative methodological approaches would significantly affect the budget, applicants should indicate the associated costs and implications for delivery.
GSMA cannot provide exact project budgets at this stage. Applicants may submit several implementation and budget options to help assess value for money, with the project scope to be aligned to the relevant budget after selection.
KEY DATES
- Clarification Questions Deadline: Thursday, 5 November 2026.
- Responses to Clarification Questions: Friday, 6 November 2026.
- Proposal Submission Deadline: Friday, 20 November 2026, at 23:59 GMT.
- Interviews: Thursday, 26 November and Friday, 27 November 2026.
- Research Period: December 2026 – Early March 2027.
- Optional Fieldwork: February 2027, if commissioned.
To be included on the clarification mailing list, confirm your interest before the clarification response date.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit proposals, clarification questions or enquiries to:
- Samir Hafiz – Climate, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager: [email protected]
- Daisy Macaskie – Operations Manager: [email protected]
Proposal deadline: Friday, 20 November 2026, at 23:59 GMT.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to discuss their experience and proposed approach in an interview. The selected consultant or organisation will be contracted to undertake the research between December 2026 and early March 2027, with the scope, deliverables and working arrangements agreed during contracting.