Call for Letters of Intent - UNICEF-TDR

Call for Letters of Intent: Joint UNICEF-TDR Implementation Research Project to strengthen the equity strategy in Africa

UNICEF headquarters, its Eastern and Southern African Regional Office (ESARO) and West and Central African Regional Office (WCARO), in collaboration with TDR, with the purpose of developing regional implementation research platforms and supporting a number of research activities in targeted African countries have issued a call for letters of intent for the Joint UNICEF-TDR Implementation Research Project to strengthen the equity strategy in Africa.

Objectives

Objectives of the Regional Implementation Research:

• Intersectoral approaches to vector control based on environmental management practices, combined with community mobilization, for example, through partnerships between communities and municipal services to improve water management and solid waste disposal. Improved water management and vector control efforts focusing on productive water container types.
• Propose and implement innovative strategies for strengthening human resources for implementation research and accompanying M&E frameworks at the interface between implementation research and health systems.
• Support UNICEF strategic results areas level 3 activities and improve the measurement and understanding of progress (or lack of progress) and its drivers.

Topics

African country offices of UNICEF are invited to submit Letters of Intent in the following proposed priority topics, under respective research areas:

• Equity and access
• Program effectiveness and improved results
• Health systems and health behavior

Eligibility criteria

All sub-Saharan African countries are eligible. Letters of intent should demonstrate involvement of key stakeholders at the country level. The country implementation research team will be responsible for defining the research question/s, developing the country focused proposal and protocol. TDR and UNICEF HQ will provide technical assistance as needed. It is recommended that the country team should include at the minimum the following representation; UNICEF country office, Ministry of Health, relevant health authorities or public health agencies, research institutions and/or university departments, relevant NGOs. 

Depending on the intended research questions, necessary expertise within the national research team will include all or a combination of the following: epidemiologist, statistician, social scientist, economist, vector control, nutritionist, water sanitation and medical doctor (public health officer). The linkage between research and control is necessary. Although it is preferable for each country to submit only one letter of intent, consideration of two letters of intent will be given where the research questions need two separate teams because of the type of expertise and partnership involved.

Last date for submission of letters of intent is September 19, 2011.

For more information and details, you can visit this link.

USAID and NSF seek proposals under the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research program

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has consistently been engaged in exploring new opportunities so science and technology could be used to address the world’s development issues. USAID as part of its science and technology strategy is also developing mechanisms to leverage the investments that other U.S. government agencies make in scientific research and training. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between USAID and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the two agencies implemented a pilot program to assess the potential for USAID-funded collaborative research projects.

In this context, USAID and NSF have announced the launching of a new and broader program called Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER). This competitive grants program seeks proposals from scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators on topics of importance to USAID.

Areas of Interest

Areas in which both NSF and USAID have strong mutual interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

•        Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics

•        Global health issues such as ecology of infectious disease, biomedical engineering, and natural/human system interactions

•        Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering

•        Other development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy

Proposals Guidelines and Eligible Countries

 When writing their proposals, developing country applicants should consider how their research will contribute to USAID’s development objectives. Additionally, collaborative projects involving multiple developing countries to explore regional issues related to these development projects are encouraged. Pending the availability of funds and the receipt of meritorious proposals, the majority of the PEER funding will be awarded to projects related to the USAID development areas of interest specified above. In addition to projects in these global areas of interest, which may be based in any eligible country (click here to see the list of eligibility countries), the program encourages projects in the following three specific countries:

Indonesia: research projects in any technical area supported under PEER. Projects should be consistent with the objectives of USAID/Indonesia and should also contribute to USAID/Indonesia’s higher education objectives by addressing one or more of the following:

-     Improving instructional delivery through better teaching methods and more relevant curricula in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field;

-     Enhancing research skills and methods in a STEM field;

-     Building quality extension services that engage external stakeholders on topics related to STEM.

Lebanon: research projects in any technical area, particularly those that promote the participation of female scientists, involve large collaborations that include graduate students, and contribute to the strategic development objectives of Lebanon and the USAID mission.

Philippines: research projects that support biodiversity conservation and improved natural resource management while contributing to the development objectives of USAID/Philippines.

Last date for submission of proposals is November 30, 2011

For more information and details, you can visit this link.

UN Habitat seeks proposals from eligible consultants

UN Habitat seeks proposals from eligible consultants for contributing to the development of initial modules of the Cities and Climate Change Academy

The Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) of UN-HABITAT aims to build momentum for local governments to more readily respond to the climatic threats they face (Climate Change adaptation) and take bold steps in reducing cities’ climate footprint (Climate Change mitigation). 

CCCI aims to enhance policy dialogue and advocacy on the local, sub-national, national, regional as well as on the global level. Knowledge generation and management through the CCCI website and publications, Capacity building for all stakeholders through tool development and partnerships with the professional associations, universities and local government training institutes are other key elements of the initiative.

In this context, UN Habitat has issued a call for proposals inviting interested parties to contribute to the development of the initial modules of the Cities and Climate Change Academy.

Objectives

Objectives of the Cities and Climate Change Academy and its modules are:

To provide those teaching urban courses with sufficient material to confidently teach climate change related subject matter. Whilst the modules are to be generic, case studies and specific examples will focus on issues of developing countries making the modules particularly relevant to universities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean and courses in any part of the world that focus on international issues;

•        To provide users with a one-stop, easy-access and attractive resource for urban climate change education.

•        To provide all users with sufficient regional and local content to easily adapt the modules to the relevant climatic zone, climate change impacts and prevailing climate change response framework.

•        To provide users with a dynamic web platform, allowing uploading of local module adaptation as well as other related resources.

•        To provide users with a platform to interact with one another during development and application supporting the creation of a community of practice.

•        To have well tested tools available to scale up climate change responses by cities and local governments;

Required qualifications and experience of the consultant(s) / cooperation partner (team leader/team members)

•        Advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.) in field related to sustainable urban development/urban planning/climate change;

•        Solid international reputation and proven experience in the field of sustainable urban development/urban planning/climate change, preferably with publications in the field of cities and climate change.

•        Team leader should have at least 7 years of experience as urban educator at the tertiary level, including curriculum development; preferably with significant experience in the field of climate change.

•        Team members should have significant experience in delivery of urban education at the tertiary level including climate change.

•        Extensive knowledge of local government systems and functions as well as urban planning in developing countries;

•        Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver realistic plans, observing standards and timeliness;

•        Strong English writing and presentation skills: proven ability to prepare English language education modules;

Last date for submission of proposals is October 9, 2011For more information and details, you can visit this link.

Special Scholarships in Engineering, Kochi University of Technology - Japan

Every year in April and October, the Kochi University of Technology enrolls selected foreign doctoral students under specific research projects.

The students pursue the doctoral course in English while at the same time assisting their host professor as a research assistant (RA).

Through this program Kochi University of Technology wishes to expand and deepen international ties with academic and educational institutions all over the world.

Application Guideline for Special Scholarship Program (SSP)

1. Program of Study

Course for International Students

Doctoral Program (3 years)

Department of Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering

2. Number of Students to be Admitted: 20 students per year

3. Enrollment Time: April/October

Benefits

(1) Receive up to 1,200, 000 yen per year for working as a research assistant.

(2) Exemption from 300,000 yen enrollment fee, 940,000 yen (per year) tuition fee, 150,000 yen (per year) fee for facilities improvement and 150,000yen (per year) cost of experiments and laboratory work.

(3) Receive 200,000 yen for travel and initial living costs (given only to applicants who are living outside Japan at the time of application)

Scholarship Eligibility:

Applicants are required to meet all of the following conditions

(1) To have or to be expected to acquire a master’s degree before enrollment.

(2) To have intention, adequate knowledge and research skill to work as a research assistant under the one of research projects listed here

(3) To have an excellent academic record

(4) To have a high English proficiency

(5) To be 35 years old or under at the time of enrollment

(6) To have other than Japanese nationality.

All inquiries and application documents must be addressed to: International Relations Center, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada. Kochi. 782-8502. Japan. Tel: +81 887 53 1130. Fax: +81 887 57 2000. E-mail: international@ml.kochi-tech.ac.jp

Enrollment Time: April/October.

For more information CLICK HERE

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