Call for Proposals: Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) on Online Facilitation and Escalation to Violent Extremism

REA Call Specification

Under the terms of its Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Home Affairs, the AVERT Research Network is seeking high quality proposals for the following Rapid Evidence Assessment. The REA topic and content have been developed by Research and Evaluation Working Group (REWG) members of the Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee (CVESC) of the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) in consultation with AVERT.

REA Topic

The role of the social media in the escalation to violent extremism – does engagement with extremist content and networks online facilitate and/or escalate offline violent extremist behaviour?

Call Context

Social media and related digital platforms have emerged as a powerful tool for communication, connection and community-building across different people, groups and places. Yet they have also contributed to increased polarisation, the spread of disinformation and extremist content. The COVID-19 pandemic, where individuals have spent more time at home, online and potentially exposed to more extremist content, has raised concerns that such increased exposure and interaction may enhance the risk of radicalisation to violent extremism.

The online environment displays a number of features that can raise the risk of radicalisation to violence, including:

  • Increased platform moderation through automatic algorithmic systems (resulting in both over- and under-moderation of accounts and content);

  • Increased extremist use of video-conferencing services, and exploitation of search and recommendation algorithms;

  • New paths to radicalisation where individuals first affiliate with an extremist group due to online influencers and personalities (rather than initially identifying with the group’s ideology);

  • The exponential spread of disinformation which extremists use and exploit for recruitment purposes;

  • The emergence of ‘gateway’ sites and platforms, not violent extremism-related in and of themselves, that are designed to funnel people to more extremist content and contacts, including on the dark web.

While there is a growing body of evidence that digital environments, particularly through social media platforms and engagement, can facilitate radicalisation to violent extremism, this Rapid Evidence Assessment focuses on understanding how such opportunities and influences are shaping specific pathways towards violence, including, where data are available, on questions of speed and scale. In particular, we are interested in a rapid assessment of local and international findings that includes the following:

  • A brief definition and/or conceptualisation of engagement with extremist content and networks

  • A brief definition and/or conceptualisation of escalation to violent extremist behaviour

  • A brief review of the literature on the relationship between online engagement with extremist content/networks and offline violent extremist behaviour

  • The evidence base, if any, for specific, measurable online behaviours that can potentially prompt escalation to offline violent extremist action

  • Whether digital environments offer technological and/or social affordances that differ to those of offline environments in terms of their capacity to facilitate escalation to real world violent extremist actions, including relationships and networks

Consideration of any comparative data and analysis on these issues highlighting commonalities and differences between Australian and international contexts is particularly welcome.

Call Proposer

Department of Home Affairs

Deliverables

A rapid evidence assessment (REA) of the available research literature and evidence on the above research topic. The REA should address:

REA Report of no more than 30 pages, including:

  • An Executive Summary (no more than 3 pages), including recommendations

  • Responses to review questions outlined in the Call Context

  • REA methodology, including search terms used for the REA

  • Bibliography

Timeframe

  • Call for proposals close 25 February 2022

  • Successful applicant notified by 18 March 2022

  • Final draft due and consultation w call proposers due by 15 June 2022

  • Final report due 30 June 2022

Funding

$ 23,250.00 (GST exclusive) per REA. Funding will be administered by AVERT following execution of the REA agreement between REWG and the subcontracting agreement between the successful applicant and AVERT. Invoices for funding/payment shall be issued by the successful applicant on commencement of REA and paid on delivery of REA deliverables per contract agreement.

Contract

AVERT will administer the contract agreement with the successful applicant as per the subcontracting guidelines established in the signed PGPAA Funding Agreement with Home Affairs and AVERT.

Call Specification Administration

The AVERT Research Network will administer the call specification issued by the REWG-CVESC through the AVERT Research Network Memorandum of Understanding with Department of Home Affairs.

The AVERT Coordinator will determine eligibility of each proposal to be reviewed based on the below criteria and distribute eligible proposals to members of the REA Assessment Panel (see assessment process below). The REA Assessments of proposals will be concluded by 11 March 2022.

The AVERT Coordinator will forward the REA Assessments to the REWG (via the REWG Secretariate) for their consideration and decision. The REWG will inform AVERT of its decision. The successful applicant/s will then be notified by the AVERT Coordinator no later than 18 March 2022.

The AVERT Network will execute a supplier agreement with the successful applicant no later than 18 March 2022 and then administer funding per the conditions in the supplier agreement.

The final REA deliverables will be due by 30 June 2022 via submission to: adi-avert@deakin.edu.au

Open/Close Dates

Call for proposals will open on 3 February 2022 and close on 25 February 20222.

All applicants will be advised of the outcome by 18 March 2022.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, at least one applicant on the proposal should be a Research Member of AVERT or an AVERT-identified researcher who has expertise on the REA topic and must be affiliated with an accredited university. Track record of lead applicant/s in relation to expertise in the REA topic will be considered.

Proposal Assessment Process and Timelines

Eligible proposals will be distributed to the REA Assessment Panel, comprised of two nominated members of the AVERT Executive and/or AVERT Steering Committee, plus two external academic reviewers (whether or not AVERT members) with the relevant expertise in the selected REA topic to assess proposals against the criteria outlined in the Call Specification. Applicants are asked to nominate up to two suggested reviewers for their proposal who can serve as external academic reviewers. The REA Assessment Panel may consider using, but is not obliged to use, either or both suggested reviewers for a particular proposal.

All assessors serving on the REA Assessment Panel:

a. Cannot submit their own proposal for review in the same REA round or topic area

b. Cannot be from the same institution as the applicant

c. Must complete the Conflict of Interest declaration provided as part of the application documentation

d. Must have demonstrated broad subject matter expertise in the topic covered by the proposal. The applicant will need to provide two (2)-page CVs for any nominated external reviewers for consideration by the assessment panel

Reviewers will assess proposals for REWG consideration based on a review template (to be provided by AVERT Coordinator). Proposals will be assessed based on assessment criteria (see attached) that evaluates quality of the proposal, methodology, feasibility, value for money and the track record of the applicants.

The REA Assessment Panel will collate reviews for all proposals and then rank the proposals based on reviewer responses. The deliberations of the REA Assessment Panel will conclude by 11 March 2022. The AVERT Coordinator will forward the rankings to the REWG (via the REWG Secretariat) for their consideration and final decision.

Successful applicant/s will be notified by the AVERT Coordinator no later than 18 March 2022.

The AVERT Network will execute a supplier agreement with the successful applicant and the final deliverables will be due by 30 June 2022.

Funds will be dispersed to the successful applicant based on the milestones and timelines established in the supplier agreement.

Intellectual Property

The author/s own/s the intellectual property rights of the Deliverables (excluding any pre-existing Material in which the Commonwealth or another party may own IP) that are created for the purpose of and during the period of the REA. The author/s of the deliverables grant to (and if applicable will procure for) the Commonwealth and members of ANZCTC a non-exclusive, irrevocable, fee-free licence to use, reproduce, communicate, publish, adapt and sub-license the Deliverables, including any Reports (including the Activity Report), required by the agreement for any purpose.

Response Requirements

Responses to the call for REA proposals to submit a detailed proposal of no more than 8 pages (excluding bibliography and appendices) using the standardised template (attached). Two (2)-page CVs of the applicants and proposed reviewers, as well as confirmation of the applicant/s AVERT membership, should also be included along with the REA proposal. Confirmation of AVERT membership may be obtained from the AVERT Coordinator at adi-avert@deakin.edu.au

Attachments

  • REA Proposal Template

  • Conflict of Interest Declaration for nominated reviewers

  • REA Proposal Assessment Criteria

Queries

Any queries related to this Call Specification should be addressed to the AVERT Coordinator at adi-avert@deakin.edu.au

The deadline for questions or queries will be COB 18 February 2022.