We are launching a competitive call for proposals for innovative research. Proposals for this type of grant will only be accepted from AGRODEP members. AGRODEP members will be given until August 31st, 2011 to draft a proposal that presents the research topic, its scientific and policy relevance for Africa, the methodology to be used, and its justification.
Only AGRODEP members are eligible to apply for this type of grant. All proposals should be sent to grants@agrodep.org by August 31, 2011.
Proposals are to be a maximum of six (6) pages and must include all deliverables (including, but not limited to, reports, databases, and methodology—mathematical programs) and a complete budget with details of all operations, as well as funding required from AGRODEP and any additional sources of funding. For more information on budgeting and disbursement requirements, please see section 3.1 of the AGRODEP grants program.
Proposals can be presented by several AGRODEP members but cannot include the participation of non-AGRODEP members. The budget for the innovative research proposal is between US$10,000-US$15,000 with a maximum of US$ 20,000. The maximum duration of a project funded by a grant for innovative research is one year starting on October 1st. The AGRODEP management team will announce the list of accepted proposals to the AGRODEP network by the end of September 2011. The management team will identify experts and academics who will play the role of mentor for each accepted proposal. These mentors will be selected for their renowned competences on the topic of the proposal concerned. Mentors will advise the team during the research process and will ensure that the research delivery meets a high quality standard. AGRODEP members may draft a proposal either under the general case (see 1 below) or under the CAADP Agenda case (see 2 below) :
1) Grants for innovative research: general case
AGRODEP members may draft a proposal for July-August 2011 as it is depicted in the grant program (see attached file). Special consideration will be given to studies covering new topics or topics of relevance for Africa, as well as the development of new databases not already in existence. The management team and the SAB reserve the right to either fully or partially satisfy the selected proposals’ request for funds.
2) Grants for innovative research and CAADP Agenda
The AGRODEP initiative intends to facilitate a systematic policy assessment for African economies in order to study the policy-level changes needed to enable the environments in which the CAADP proposed policies can achieve their key objectives (development and poverty alleviation). With this objective in mind, the AGRODEP management gives in 2011 special consideration to proposals that address the priorities defined by the CAADP Agenda:
- climate change and water resource management
- output and input marketing policies
- trade policies and competitiveness
- market access
The goal is to identify the existing policies proposed and implemented under the CAADP Agenda and to perform a systematic assessment that identifies the major bottlenecks affecting the efficiency of such policies. The assessment will be launched through a sequential call for proposals to AGRODEP members and will be implemented with scientific advice from IFPRI and from AGRODEP’s partner institutions. The two proposed stages of the policy impact assessment are: 1. Stage 1 (research from October 2011 to September 2012): Assessment of existing bottlenecks affecting the efficiency of the policies proposed and implemented under the CAADP Agenda. Collection of statistical data and identification of key tools needed to assess the effectiveness of the policies and the effects of reducing or removing the bottlenecks identified. 2. Stage 2 (research from October 2012 to September 2013): Simulation of the costs and benefits of removing the bottlenecks identified. Proposed recommendations for removing these bottlenecks to improve the effectiveness of CAADP policies. A special procedure will be established in order to implement the first stage of the previously described systematic policy impact assessment: proposals must describe research undertaken from October 2011–September 2012. These proposals will need to indicate that the same research team will develop a proposal for stage 2 (12 months) during the competitive call launched in July 2012 for research carried out from October 2012–September 2013. Further information on this grants program may be found in the AGRODEP grant program or may be requested of the AGRODEP management team.