Notice – Call for Phase 1 Applications 2012 – Development Research
Within the framework of Danish development cooperation,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark hereby invites Phase 1
applications (prequalification) for research grants related to
development research.
1. Objectives of the support to development research
The objective of the support is to generate new knowledge and strengthen research capacity in order to promote the overall objective of the Danish development cooperation to reduce poverty and support sustainable development.
Grants will be awarded to strategic research cooperation which generates new knowledge relevant to the needs and strategies of developing countries and to Denmark’s development cooperation, and contributes to strengthening research capacity in developing countries. Capacity strengthening is understood as research-based education, e.g. support to Ph.D. students.
Research projects should be carried out as collaborative research between Danish and South-based research institutions with a priority on institutions in Africa.
Focus is on applied research. Product development and demonstration projects are not eligible for funding. Importance is attached to proposals where research activities will be carried out in an interdisciplinary interaction among different fields of research. The private sector can participate with proposals and in such cases companies and institutions are expected to contribute with additional resources to the research.
The objective of the support is to generate new knowledge and strengthen research capacity in order to promote the overall objective of the Danish development cooperation to reduce poverty and support sustainable development.
Grants will be awarded to strategic research cooperation which generates new knowledge relevant to the needs and strategies of developing countries and to Denmark’s development cooperation, and contributes to strengthening research capacity in developing countries. Capacity strengthening is understood as research-based education, e.g. support to Ph.D. students.
Research projects should be carried out as collaborative research between Danish and South-based research institutions with a priority on institutions in Africa.
Focus is on applied research. Product development and demonstration projects are not eligible for funding. Importance is attached to proposals where research activities will be carried out in an interdisciplinary interaction among different fields of research. The private sector can participate with proposals and in such cases companies and institutions are expected to contribute with additional resources to the research.
2. Research themes for 2012
The current call invites Phase 1 applications that address one of the four themes described below. The themes should explicitly be addressed and accommodated in the application. The impact of the proposed research should explicitly be linked to the themes. The text following each theme provides examples of the areas of particular relevance and will have priority.
In 2012, the following four research themes are of particular interest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of their relevance to development:
The current call invites Phase 1 applications that address one of the four themes described below. The themes should explicitly be addressed and accommodated in the application. The impact of the proposed research should explicitly be linked to the themes. The text following each theme provides examples of the areas of particular relevance and will have priority.
In 2012, the following four research themes are of particular interest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of their relevance to development:
Theme 1: Health issues relevant to primary health care
The objective of the support to health-related issues is to increase knowledge of how to improve national health systems mainly at the primary health care level.
Relevant areas of research are: sexual and reproductive health and rights and the production of new knowledge on the role of national health systems in reducing the burden of disease from, for example, malaria in pregnancy, gestational diabetes or life-style related health issues in urban settings; pregnancy in children below 15; ways of enhancing the utilisation and quality of services related to sexually-transmitted infections and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. It would also be of relevance to include research on adherence to antiretroviral treatment as well as research into effective ways of working with hard-to-reach and most-at-risk populations, preferably in collaboration with civil society organisations.
In light of the rapid urbanization processes in most poor countries, addressing health-related issues in urban contexts would be of particular interest.
In 2012, 20 million DKK are specifically allocated for the fight against malaria, HIV and TB with special focus on the development of vaccines.
The objective of the support to health-related issues is to increase knowledge of how to improve national health systems mainly at the primary health care level.
Relevant areas of research are: sexual and reproductive health and rights and the production of new knowledge on the role of national health systems in reducing the burden of disease from, for example, malaria in pregnancy, gestational diabetes or life-style related health issues in urban settings; pregnancy in children below 15; ways of enhancing the utilisation and quality of services related to sexually-transmitted infections and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. It would also be of relevance to include research on adherence to antiretroviral treatment as well as research into effective ways of working with hard-to-reach and most-at-risk populations, preferably in collaboration with civil society organisations.
In light of the rapid urbanization processes in most poor countries, addressing health-related issues in urban contexts would be of particular interest.
In 2012, 20 million DKK are specifically allocated for the fight against malaria, HIV and TB with special focus on the development of vaccines.
Theme 2: Inclusive economic growth, employment, and youth
Inclusive economic growth is a prerequisite for poverty eradication. The growth process must be broad-based if it is to give poor men, women, and youth, a real opportunity to break the bonds of poverty through income generating employment or through marketing of their own products.
The objective of the support to research relates broadly to inclusive economic growth and specifically to innovation. There is a need to understand the dynamics, institutions and policies of broad-based growth, employment, and youth. Technological upgrading is expensive and when a sector develops, some are excluded and others, who can afford investments, experience increased wealth. More narrowly there is a need to understand specific innovations and technical solutions that foster private sector-led growth and entrepreneurship in developing countries, both within the formal and informal economy.
Such research can be anchored within urban contexts, although not exclusively.
Relevant areas of research are: The political economy of business environment reform; linking productive employment and private sector development to informal economic activities; women entrepreneurship, both in the formal and informal sector; promoting business development and jobs in conflict-affected environments and in fragile situations; green growth and the private sector; employment and rights aspect of foreign direct investments in land and natural resources; political economy and distributive effects of natural resource utilization, political-economic analysis of regional economic integration, for instance the East African Economic Community; creating innovative learning environments for building capacities for inclusive growth; new technologies for processing and adding value to primary products.
Inclusive economic growth is a prerequisite for poverty eradication. The growth process must be broad-based if it is to give poor men, women, and youth, a real opportunity to break the bonds of poverty through income generating employment or through marketing of their own products.
The objective of the support to research relates broadly to inclusive economic growth and specifically to innovation. There is a need to understand the dynamics, institutions and policies of broad-based growth, employment, and youth. Technological upgrading is expensive and when a sector develops, some are excluded and others, who can afford investments, experience increased wealth. More narrowly there is a need to understand specific innovations and technical solutions that foster private sector-led growth and entrepreneurship in developing countries, both within the formal and informal economy.
Such research can be anchored within urban contexts, although not exclusively.
Relevant areas of research are: The political economy of business environment reform; linking productive employment and private sector development to informal economic activities; women entrepreneurship, both in the formal and informal sector; promoting business development and jobs in conflict-affected environments and in fragile situations; green growth and the private sector; employment and rights aspect of foreign direct investments in land and natural resources; political economy and distributive effects of natural resource utilization, political-economic analysis of regional economic integration, for instance the East African Economic Community; creating innovative learning environments for building capacities for inclusive growth; new technologies for processing and adding value to primary products.
Theme 3: Good governance, human rights, conflict and fragility
Good governance has been at the core of the development agenda for at least two decades in both stable and fragile contexts. In contexts of conflict and fragility the issue of state building has become an important part of this agenda. For Danish foreign policy and development cooperation good governance provides a window of opportunity for promoting democratic values and reinforcing initiatives aiming at achieving the MDGs. However, the current good governance agenda is often normative rather than analytical.
There is a need to develop better meso-level theories of change which can assist in explaining what types of operational interventions are likely to work in different contexts and within the different areas of Danish governance priorities. Such research could find inspiration in the idea of best fit institutions, as suggested by the World Development Report 2012, and the distinction between institutional form and institutional function.
Relevant areas of research are: positive as well as negative impacts of efforts to reconstitute political authority and legitimacy while defending rights and maintaining a certain level of service delivery within civil society. Such analysis would in addition to state formation and civil society include economic growth, livelihoods, poverty alleviation and social inequality. Similarly, issues related to migration and refugee situations, and efforts aiming at strengthening community resilience through disaster risk reduction may also be addressed.
In the area of conflict and fragility relevant research issues are: peace and state/institution building efforts including recent trends and challenges with a particular focus on the balance between such support and support to social sectors and improvements in livelihoods. In the area of peace and state building the focus should be on conflict prevention, state legitimacy and confidence building and the relationship between local, regional and central level. This area should also include research on how the Security Council Resolution 1325 has been integrated into development programmes.
The research could thus include a plethora of actors and institutions within the public sector at large, the private sector, the informal economy and civil society.
Good governance has been at the core of the development agenda for at least two decades in both stable and fragile contexts. In contexts of conflict and fragility the issue of state building has become an important part of this agenda. For Danish foreign policy and development cooperation good governance provides a window of opportunity for promoting democratic values and reinforcing initiatives aiming at achieving the MDGs. However, the current good governance agenda is often normative rather than analytical.
There is a need to develop better meso-level theories of change which can assist in explaining what types of operational interventions are likely to work in different contexts and within the different areas of Danish governance priorities. Such research could find inspiration in the idea of best fit institutions, as suggested by the World Development Report 2012, and the distinction between institutional form and institutional function.
Relevant areas of research are: positive as well as negative impacts of efforts to reconstitute political authority and legitimacy while defending rights and maintaining a certain level of service delivery within civil society. Such analysis would in addition to state formation and civil society include economic growth, livelihoods, poverty alleviation and social inequality. Similarly, issues related to migration and refugee situations, and efforts aiming at strengthening community resilience through disaster risk reduction may also be addressed.
In the area of conflict and fragility relevant research issues are: peace and state/institution building efforts including recent trends and challenges with a particular focus on the balance between such support and support to social sectors and improvements in livelihoods. In the area of peace and state building the focus should be on conflict prevention, state legitimacy and confidence building and the relationship between local, regional and central level. This area should also include research on how the Security Council Resolution 1325 has been integrated into development programmes.
The research could thus include a plethora of actors and institutions within the public sector at large, the private sector, the informal economy and civil society.
Theme 4: Climate change, energy, sustainable management of natural resources and urban areas
Poor communities in developing countries will continue to be significantly affected by climate change in the coming decades. Temperature increases and altered patterns of rainfall, as well as extreme climatic events, will have impact upon the state of the natural resources, sustainable management strategies and the livelihoods of people. Urban areas are key players in the generation of greenhouse gasses and they also concentrate a large proportion of those most at risk from the effects of climate change. Climate change poses numerous challenges for infrastructure such as housing, water and sanitation as well as for the quality of life in urban and rural areas, particularly to poor households who tend to be subjected to multiple risks related to or intensified by climate change.
Relevant research areas are: climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Both socio-economic and ecological aspects of climate change could be targeted. Areas of special interest are: i) analysis of climate change adaptation and mitigation in relation to improved management of natural resources, including climate friendly and sustainable increases in food production and methods to sustain and increase carbon storage in ecosystems; ii) food security and vulnerabilities, resilience and adaptation strategies, social vulnerability, urban-rural linkages and how to develop the capacity to deal with the abovementioned climate change challenges; iii) innovative options to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions in urban contexts; and, iv) analysis of climate-friendly energy production and consumption, with a particular focus on energy savings and the development and adoption of low emissions, renewable energy technologies.
Poor communities in developing countries will continue to be significantly affected by climate change in the coming decades. Temperature increases and altered patterns of rainfall, as well as extreme climatic events, will have impact upon the state of the natural resources, sustainable management strategies and the livelihoods of people. Urban areas are key players in the generation of greenhouse gasses and they also concentrate a large proportion of those most at risk from the effects of climate change. Climate change poses numerous challenges for infrastructure such as housing, water and sanitation as well as for the quality of life in urban and rural areas, particularly to poor households who tend to be subjected to multiple risks related to or intensified by climate change.
Relevant research areas are: climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Both socio-economic and ecological aspects of climate change could be targeted. Areas of special interest are: i) analysis of climate change adaptation and mitigation in relation to improved management of natural resources, including climate friendly and sustainable increases in food production and methods to sustain and increase carbon storage in ecosystems; ii) food security and vulnerabilities, resilience and adaptation strategies, social vulnerability, urban-rural linkages and how to develop the capacity to deal with the abovementioned climate change challenges; iii) innovative options to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions in urban contexts; and, iv) analysis of climate-friendly energy production and consumption, with a particular focus on energy savings and the development and adoption of low emissions, renewable energy technologies.
3. Type of grant
Applications can only be submitted by an organization, such as a governmental institution, business enterprise or private organization in Denmark. The main applicant must be attached to the Danish organization, which will be responsible for the approved project. Research projects should be carried out as collaborative research between Danish and South-based research institutions with a priority on institutions in Africa.
Applications for strategic research cooperation projects (between 5 DKK and 10 million per project) should be submitted within the four themes mentioned above. The application should state which theme the application is to be assessed in relation to. However, the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research reserves the right to assess the application in relation to other themes in the call for applications. The applications must include substantive elements of capacity strengthening in the form of research-based education, e.g. support to Ph.D. students, and must focus on national priorities and ownership in developing countries.
Applications outside the themes will not be considered.
Support will not be granted to individual Ph.D. and postdoc grants, which can only be supported if included into applications for strategic research cooperation projects within the current call for applications.
Applications can only be submitted by an organization, such as a governmental institution, business enterprise or private organization in Denmark. The main applicant must be attached to the Danish organization, which will be responsible for the approved project. Research projects should be carried out as collaborative research between Danish and South-based research institutions with a priority on institutions in Africa.
Applications for strategic research cooperation projects (between 5 DKK and 10 million per project) should be submitted within the four themes mentioned above. The application should state which theme the application is to be assessed in relation to. However, the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research reserves the right to assess the application in relation to other themes in the call for applications. The applications must include substantive elements of capacity strengthening in the form of research-based education, e.g. support to Ph.D. students, and must focus on national priorities and ownership in developing countries.
Applications outside the themes will not be considered.
Support will not be granted to individual Ph.D. and postdoc grants, which can only be supported if included into applications for strategic research cooperation projects within the current call for applications.
Deadline for submission of Phase 1 applications is Monday December 12, 2011 at 12.00 noon. The results of the Phase 1 process will be made public before the end of January 2012.
Deadline for submission of final applications based on the Phase 1 applications is Monday March 26, 2012 at 12.00 noon.
Deadline for submission of final applications based on the Phase 1 applications is Monday March 26, 2012 at 12.00 noon.
4. Application requirements
Grants under the themes will only be awarded to strategic research cooperation projects with developing countries below the GNI threshold set by the World Bank (USD 2630 per capita 2010) and will only be awarded towards research in Danish partner countries.
The main applicant researcher must at the time of submitting the application hold a PhD or equivalent qualification.
Grants under the themes will only be awarded to strategic research cooperation projects with developing countries below the GNI threshold set by the World Bank (USD 2630 per capita 2010) and will only be awarded towards research in Danish partner countries.
The main applicant researcher must at the time of submitting the application hold a PhD or equivalent qualification.
All requirements regarding the applications as well as
the application procedure, formats and assessment criteria are described
in the guide to applicants.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has outsourced the administration of the support to development research to Danida Fellowship Centre (DFC). The formats for the application, budget form, and guide, etc. can be downloaded via the link http://www.dfcentre.com.
The application should be submitted electronically before the abovementioned deadlines to the Research Unit, Danida Fellowship Centre at email: research@dfcentre.dk. Questions concerning the application procedures may also be directed to this e-mail address.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has outsourced the administration of the support to development research to Danida Fellowship Centre (DFC). The formats for the application, budget form, and guide, etc. can be downloaded via the link http://www.dfcentre.com.
The application should be submitted electronically before the abovementioned deadlines to the Research Unit, Danida Fellowship Centre at email: research@dfcentre.dk. Questions concerning the application procedures may also be directed to this e-mail address.
5. Assessment criteria
Generally, in assessing the applications, importance will be on the factors in the application requirements as described in guide to applicants. The FFU applies the 3 criteria used by the Danish Council for Strategic Research – 1) the quality of the research, 2) its relevance and 3) the potential effect of the research. The three criteria are further specified in the application guide.
In the assessment of the Phase 1 applications, the relevance of the activity to the aims of the call, the innovative nature of the research as well as how the proposed research situates itself in and contributes to advance the relevant research field will be central.
Generally, in assessing the applications, importance will be on the factors in the application requirements as described in guide to applicants. The FFU applies the 3 criteria used by the Danish Council for Strategic Research – 1) the quality of the research, 2) its relevance and 3) the potential effect of the research. The three criteria are further specified in the application guide.
In the assessment of the Phase 1 applications, the relevance of the activity to the aims of the call, the innovative nature of the research as well as how the proposed research situates itself in and contributes to advance the relevant research field will be central.
6. Application processing
Shortly after submitting the application, the applicant will receive an e-mail acknowledging receipt. If the acknowledgement is not received within 48 hours, the applicant should get in touch with Danida Fellowship Centre to ensure that the application has indeed been received.
Applications will be rejected without substantive consideration if deadlines and other requirements set out in this Call for Applications and guide are not met, including if the e-application form is not completed correctly or if supporting documents are missing. The application will be assessed on the basis of the material submitted. It is thus not possible to send in any supplementary material after submission of the application.
All eligible applications will be assessed by the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research.
Applications for Phase 1 are not referred for international peer reviewing but are assessed solely by the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research.
Shortly after submitting the application, the applicant will receive an e-mail acknowledging receipt. If the acknowledgement is not received within 48 hours, the applicant should get in touch with Danida Fellowship Centre to ensure that the application has indeed been received.
Applications will be rejected without substantive consideration if deadlines and other requirements set out in this Call for Applications and guide are not met, including if the e-application form is not completed correctly or if supporting documents are missing. The application will be assessed on the basis of the material submitted. It is thus not possible to send in any supplementary material after submission of the application.
All eligible applications will be assessed by the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research.
Applications for Phase 1 are not referred for international peer reviewing but are assessed solely by the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research.
For final applications, external international peer
reviewing will be used followed by part-consultation and applications
will in addition be forwarded for evaluation in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
All applicants can expect to learn the outcome of their
application within the third quarter of 2012, so that the funded
projects may be initiated at the turn of the year 2012/2013.
Moreinfo: http://www.dfcentre.dk/?Research_Projects:Call_for_Applications_2012
