Deadline: 31-May-23
The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) invites concept notes in the areas of environmental and resource economics relating to the development of South Asia and the HKH region.
SANDEE, a research capacity and academic leadership development network of ICIMOD, provides research support to researchers and institutions from South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region interested in the interconnections among economic development, the environment, and the use of natural resources. Over the next four years (2023–2026), ICIMOD will be working in line with its new vision towards 2030: a greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient HKH.
They seek concept notes related to themes set within two of their three new strategic groups:
- Reducing Climate and Environmental Risks – e.g. understanding the socioeconomic implications of
- a changing cryosphere,
- disaster risk reduction,
- sustainable river basin management, and
- impacts of air pollution, while also examining the potential solutions and policies from multiple angles
- Shaping Green and Resilient Mountain Economies – e.g. understanding the economics of
- sustainable and resilient mountain livelihoods,
- institutions and their responses to enhance livelihoods in the face of climate and environmental changes,
- incentive-based mechanisms that help restore mountain ecosystem and biodiversity, and
- spring shed and wetlands management
- They also encourage research on issues of interest to national, provincial, and local policymakers in South Asia and the HKH region, including environmental issues faced by communities. This could be in the context of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), Sendai Framework, urban challenges, such as air quality, energy access/transition, green value chains, landscape management, agro ecosystems and forest restoration, circular economy, and climate change adaptation/mitigation – ideally looking at how nature-based solutions can deliver wider co benefits and what their economic implications are.
Funding Information
- Grants are likely to be in the range of USD 20,000–30,000 over a two-year period.
Criteria
- Regardless of whether concept notes submitted in response to this call focus on any of the environmental/natural resource issues, SANDEE will prioritise the selection of concept notes that have a strong economics component and the dual potential to produce high-impact scientific publications and information that are useful to national-, provincial-, or local-level policy makers in the region.
- Concept notes for action research that aims to produce consulting-type reports will not be considered. SANDEE welcomes concept notes that involve interdisciplinary projects, cross-border collaborations, and transboundary topics with a mountain and gender focus.
- Researchers from and working in South Asia and the HKH region are eligible to submit concept notes.
- To avoid conflict of interest, researchers whose relatives are working at ICIMOD are not eligible for receiving the research grant.
- Principal investigators (PIs) must be junior to mid-career professionals employed by a university, research institute, or other similar institutions in the region, including government agencies and non-profit organisations.
- Institutional affiliation of the PI is mandatory for receiving research support. While submitting a full proposal (not needed for concept notes), a support letter from the institution where the PI is affiliated is required for further consideration.
- Women researchers and researchers affiliated with member universities of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) are encouraged to apply.
- Note: ICIMOD reserves the right to cancel or postpone the call at any time, depending on the availability of research funds.
For more information, visit SANDEE.