Call for Innovative Ideas: SDG Funding Programme in the Asia Pacific Region

Deadline: 4-Dec-22

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) invites proposals under the Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP) and the Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE) for funding from October 1st, 2023.

High Priority Themes Funding

At APN’s Subregional Meetings, high priority topics were selected based on inputs from member countries in each of APN’s subregions. Following the results of the discussions, APN invites trans- and interdisciplinary capacity development proposals, preferably codesigned with stakeholders, that focus on the following themes for each of subregions as indicated below:

• South Asia
  • Monsoon and the impacts of extreme events;
  • Climate adaptation to extreme events, including flood, drought, climate-resilient agriculture, etc.;
  • Ecosystem services and ecosystem-based adaptation;
  • Future emission scenarios, including decarbonisation pathways;
  • Food, water and energy security, including low-cost energy, bioenergy, food production in agriculture, ecosystem services, etc.;
  • Nitrogen management for nutrients, soil health, food security, etc.;
  • Waste management in the context of climate change mitigation and environmental degradation; and
  • Climate-resilient urbanisation.
• Southeast Asia
  • Bio-circular green economy (food, agriculture, health and wellbeing, tourism and creative economy, bioenergy and biochemical and bio-material);
  • SDGs in the post-COVID pandemic era, particularly SDG6 (water and sanitation) and SDG13 (climate);
  • Climate change and disaster risk reduction;
  • Food, water and energy security in the face of climate change, including nature-based solutions and food security, and alternative energy production;
  • Marine debris (zero waste) and microplastics;
  • Transboundary issues, including air pollution, waste management, electronic waste, marine debris and microplastics; and
  • Education on Big Earth Data for SDGs.
• Pacific
  • Displacement, relocation, food security and water security using global knowledge and/or traditional and local knowledge;
  • Adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the context of global knowledge and/or traditional and local knowledge;
  • Climate change and climate variability and their related impacts in national and regional contexts, including projections/downscaling; remote sensing; extreme events; Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Platform (AP-PLAT); knowledge/technology transfer; etc.; and
  • Global change and its impacts on marine ecosystems and livelihoods in the Pacific, including the impacts of microplastics on fisheries and food security; marine plastic debris; conservation and protection; impacts of ocean warming, ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms on food security; etc.
• Temperate East Asia     
  • Carbon neutral societies, zero carbon futures, particularly related to: alternative energy production; energy security; zero carbon cities.
  • Climate resilience, particularly related to : nature-based solutions; climate-related disaster risk reduction in relation to urban management.
  • Climate change and economic analysis;
  • Climate smart agriculture;
  • Transboundary issues particularly related to: air pollution; waste management; marine plastics and marine pollution;
  • Biodiversity and post-2020 Aichi targets, particularly related to : nature positive; 30×30 (protecting land and sea by 30% by 2030); nature-based solutions.
  • Proposals that do not address any of the above themes will not be accepted under the 2022 Call for Proposals

Eligible Activities

• Activities related to the CRRP research programme that APN supports cover the following:
  • Collaborative research on global change and sustainability that, particularly, addresses gaps, analysis, synthesis and assessment work.
  • Collaborative research that develops pathways and mechanisms to achieve sustainable development and develop adaptation strategies.
  • Collaborative place-based integrative research particularly from developing countries.
  • Collaborative research that contributes to the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030), and the accumulation of scientific knowledge at IPCC, IPBES, etc.
• Activities related to the CAPaBLE Programme that APN supports cover the following:
  • Capacity development activities that promote the following approaches related to one or more of the six thematic areas of APN:
    • Utilizing and strengthening existing capacity
    • Creating opportunities to use/instil capacity
    • Developing new capacity through innovative approaches
    • Awareness-raising and dissemination activities for policy- and decision-making communities, civil society and/or the general public.
    • Science-policy interfacing in the context of the six thematic areas and priority topics.
    • Capacity development partnership activities that contribute to the capacity development components of the evolving global change arena, including the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030), and the accumulation of scientific knowledge at IPCC, IPBES, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• Researchers, academics, practitioners working in institutions based in APN member countries and approved countries are eligible to apply for APN grants.
• Special consideration: APN reiterates the importance of enhancing support to, and engagement of, early-career professionals (ECPs) in the Asia-Pacific region by providing a platform for ECPs to utilise their knowledge and innovative ideas to address regional issues related to global change and sustainability. Therefore, APN encourages applications from ECPs. Collaborative regional research proposals submitted by ECPs that fulfil the eligibility criteria will receive particular attention.
• Restriction: Please note that APN does not support:
  • The running costs of institutions;
  • The salaries of administrative staff; the salaries of researchers who receive or are to receive full-time salary support;
  • The salaries of consultants (project leaders and collaborators should have the expertise to conduct the activities);
  • The maintenance of long-term observation and monitoring systems; and
  • General purpose equipment such as personal computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets or fixed office structures (desks, chairs, etc).

For more information, visit https://www.apn-gcr.org/news/2022-call-for-proposals-under-the-crrp-and-capable-programmes/