Deadline: 28-Sep-21
Applications are now open for the 2021-22 Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment in developing countries.
The Darwin Initiative will support and influence stakeholders to incorporate biodiversity considerations in achieving poverty reduction, through evidence and best practices, and targeting the outcome: Local communities and stakeholders, including governments, demonstrate sustained improvement in policy and practice that results in gains for biodiversity and reduced poverty.
Elements
- Elements of successful Darwin Initiative projects are likely to include clear outputs along these lines:
- Enhancing the Capability and Capacity of national and local stakeholders, to help ensure its long-term legacy of the project after the it ends.
- Delivering outputs that will achieve biodiversity-poverty reduction win-win.
- Strengthen the adoption or use of evidence and refined best practices.
Funding Information
- Darwin projects should be a minimum of £100,000 and no more than £600,000.
- Duration: 1 – 3 years
- Operating between 1st June 2022 – 31st March 2025
Eligible Countries
- Darwin Initiative is entirely Official Development Assistance (ODA) funded, and therefore activities must promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries, and the eligible countries are all on the current OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). However, given wider policy on UK ODA, projects will in practice be expected to be mostly focused on Low income and lower middle income countries.
- Upper-middle income countries (UMICs) are eligible, however, projects applying to work in a UMIC must clearly demonstrate a stronger case for support. This includes operating in areas of high importance for biodiversity and a clear poverty reduction need. Such applications must also clearly demonstrate that they will:
- advance knowledge, evidence and impact in Least Developed or Low-Income Countries, or
- contribute to the global public good, for example by advancing understanding and/or strengthening the knowledge base related to biodiversity conservation/sustainable use and poverty reduction, or
- contribute to serious and unique advancements on a critical issue as a result of specific circumstances of the upper-middle income country that could not be made elsewhere.
- Available funding will be ring-fenced to ensure that at least 70% is allocated to projects in Low Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries.
Eligibility Criteria
If the proposed Fellow does not have an adequate working knowledge of English it is strongly recommended that they consider taking an English language course early, especially if they intend to undertake training in the UK.
Darwin Fellowships will support promising individuals who:
- are working in biodiversity or poverty reduction, and intend to continue to do so,
- have at least five years’ relevant work experience, or a degree from a university/equivalent higher-education institution and at least two years’ work experience in a relevant field,
- demonstrate the ability and willingness to train others and/or disseminate knowledge (including for policy development) and technology upon completion,
- provide evidence of support for their application from their government or organisation,
- have a good working knowledge of the English language (if based in the UK), and
- is a national of an eligible country.
For more information, visit https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/apply/