Call for Proposals: University of Nairobi-IDRC Research Grants for Developing Countries 2012

AMDI in Partnership with Can Tho University funded Research Grants on Innovative Application of ICTs in Addressing Water-related Impacts of Climate Change on behalf of the University of Nairobi for Developing Countries’  Students in Africa, Asia and Latin America 2012

Study Subject(s):

Eligible research grants will address the various dimensions of how ICTs can be used to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacities of communities in developing countries to deal with water insecurity resulting from the changing climate.  Grant applications will be accepted for research in the following priority thematic areas:
-Modeling and mapping of water resources, weather forecasting and climate monitoring using ICTs.
-Use of ICTs to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable communities to deal with stress due to climate change.
-ICTs in vulnerability mapping
-ICTs in the “last mile” challenge of Early Warning System (EWS)
-ICTs in social learning and knowledge sharing
-Integration of indigenous knowledge with modern ICTs to cope with the hazards of climate change and water
-ICTs in creating more effective governance mechanisms to manage scarce and changing water resources
-Strengthening the building of partnerships, networks and stakeholder collaboration through the use of ICTs.

Course Level:

This scholarship is available for pursuing master’s and PhD degree level.

Scholarship Provider: 

Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI) in partnership with Can Tho University

Scholarship can be taken at:

The applicant must commit to carrying out his/her research work in one of the eligible countries.

 Eligibility:

-The awards are only open to citizens of developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America who are studying in universities in these regions.
-Applicants must provide documentary evidence that they are enrolled in a relevant Masters or PhD program in a university in one of the eligible countries (e.g. approved proposal) and a letter from their supervisor that they have started or would soon be starting their field research work. In addition, the applicant must commit to carrying out his/her research work in one of the eligible countries.
-Applicants must be able to demonstrate their educational credentials vianotarized copies of diploma/certificate(s) and transcripts of grades, submitted directly by the educational institution of graduation. They must also be able to provide a letter from the University Faculty/School Dean stating that the applicant, at the time of the application for eligibility evaluation, is registered with the university.

Scholarship Open for International Students:

The countries that are eligible for this Call for Proposals are developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Scholarship Description:

AMDI, in partnership with Can Tho University, Vietnam is coordinating the Call for Proposals in Asia on behalf of the School of Computing and Informatics and the Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Kenya. The main objective of the Call for Proposals is to strengthen the capacity of registered Masters and PhD students in universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America to more effectively engage in research on application of ICTs for water management underchanging climatic conditions and attendant policy formulation. The specific objectives of this grant program are to:
(a) Train/support graduate students (Masters and PhD levels) to conduct research on ICTs, climate change and water through research awards.
(b) Build institutional applied research capacity on ICTs and climate change adaptation strategies in the water sector within weakly funded postgraduate programs in the various universities in the three regions.
(c) Increase inter-regional partnerships and collaborations among the participating institutions in this emerging area of applied research.

Duration of Award (s):

The award tenure of the research grants will be 18 months for PhD awards, while Masters Awards will be for nine months.  All grantees will be expected to publish during or after completing their thesis.  There is additional funding available to present a paper at an international conference.

What does it cover?

Candidates for the research awards can apply up to a maximum of CA$15,000 for PhD grantees and CA$7,500 for Masters grantees. These are only indicative figures and due to the need to support a larger number of students from developing countries, strong proposals seeking modest funding support will receive high priority and have a higher chance of being awarded. These amounts exclude the cost of presenting a paper at a conference. There will be two disbursements. The first will be 80% of the project budget to cover the research costs once the student has been cleared by the supervisor to start field work.  The second disbursement (20%) will be done once the student has submitted the final thesis (documentary evidence will be required). This final amount can then be used to produce the final bound copies for submission. To be eligible for the funds for publication, the grantee must have written a paper that has been accepted at an international conference.

Selection Criteria:

The Selection Committee will verify information provided by candidates on academic background and status of current funding to make sure that funding goes to the most deserving students. The committee will take appropriate action in the case where an applicant is found to have cheated, including automatic disqualification and/or possible termination of student enrolment by the host university. Any special considerations regarding the student’s academic background (e.g. class and specialization of Bachelors and Masters Degrees and relevance to ICT and climate change and water as well as to the themes outlined above) will be enumerated in the selection criteria and used during the selection process.

Notification:

Selections will be announced in March.

How to Apply:

The mode of applying is electronically.

Scholarship Application Deadline:

The deadline for applications is 30th November 2012.
Further Scholarship Information and Application