Funding opportunities

These are a selection of current funding opportunities on a research, evidence or evaluation theme which are being run by DFID or by our programme partners. Anyone who is interested in working for DFID should also look at our Supplier Portal. 

Unlocking the Potential for Groundwater for the Poor (UPGro)

Outline proposals are invited for a major new research programme on Unlocking the Potential for Groundwater for the Poor in sub-Saharan Africa funded by DFID, NERC and in principle ESRC.

This £10m programme is an international programme funding interdisciplinary research, generating evidence and innovative tools to enable developing countries and their partners in sub-Saharan Africa to use groundwater in a sustainable way for the ultimate benefit of the poor.

This call is for outline Catalyst Grant proposals which will provide an opportunity for the world's best researchers to develop and test new innovative ideas for addressing the programme's aim of enabling sustainable use of groundwater for the benefit of the poor. It is also an opportunity to facilitate the development of new interdisciplinary teams that bring developing and developed country scientists together.

Proposals are invited for funding of up to £150,000 (FEC). This call has a total available budget of up to £1·5m. Projects will be funded for a maximum duration of one year.

Closing date for submission of outline proposals: 10 January 2013 16:00 UK local time (GMT/UTC).

For more information, please read the full Announcement of Opportunity and visit the NERC website.

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New DFID/Research Council funding opportunity for Social Scientists: ZELs

The Department for International Development (DFID), together with four UK Research Councils (BBSRC, ESRC, MRC and NERC) announce funding opportunities for inter- and multi-disciplinary research on “Zoonoses and Emerging Livestock Systems (ZELs) - Reducing the risk to livestock and people programme”.

The call for proposals is open to any researcher based in recognised higher education institutions or other research institutions, or in other “not-for-profit” organisations with a credible and relevant research capacity. All applications to this call must include at least one partner from a Research Council (RC) eligible UK institution and at least one from a developing country.

ZELs research will make a step change in the research available to inform decision makers how to minimise the health risks associated with the rapidly changing nature of livestock systems in developing countries, focusing on those risks which impact on the livelihoods and health of poor people.

The aims of the programme are:

• to reduce the impact of zoonoses on poor people and their livestock. It recognises that priorities for endemic, new and/or (re)-emerging zoonotic diseases may vary from region to region. It will address the problem of zoonoses by generating high quality research in technical and policy areas
• to forge mutually-beneficial inter- and multi-disciplinary partnerships between researchers in the UK and developing countries that create trans-national added value through meaningful intellectual collaboration, and enhance the scientific capabilities of southern partners for the longer term.

Applications are invited for:

• Topic Specific Project Grants (TSPGs) - multi-partner, small and targeted projects that either address specific research gaps in knowledge or address contextual issues relevant to ZELS
• Research Partnership Grants (RPGs) - multi-partner larger system-level projects aimed at understanding the functioning of various parts of the system, as well as the system as a whole.

Proposals must be submitted by 16.00 GMT on 10 January 2013.

For further information, please visit: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2012/zoonoses-emerging-livestock-systems.aspx or email Amanda Read: dfid.bbsrc@bbsrc.ac.uk

Building Capacity to use Research Evidence (BCURE)

DFID is seeking proposals for a range of innovative programmes that aim to build capacity of decision-makers in low and middle income countries to use research evidence and rigorous data to inform their decision-making. We intend to invest £10 million in a suite of up to six new programmes, which will each run for a period of up to 3 years.

This will help inform DFID and other development research funders on what types of capacity building approaches on research uptake are most cost effective and have the greatest impact. Having the ability to make evidence-informed policy and practice decisions will be vital if countries are to pull themselves out of poverty. The end results of the programme stream will be enhanced capacity of decision makers in low and middle income countries to routinely gather, synthesise, appraise and use research evidence to inform policy and practice decisions.

Deadline for submissions: Wed 13 February 2013 at 14:00

For more details, please click here.

Further funding to support research leaders in sub-Saharan Africa

The Medical Research Council has now launched a further call to support ‘rising star’ African Research Leaders. This is a prestigious award, jointly funded by the UK MRC and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The aim of the scheme is to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa by attracting and retaining exceptionally talented individuals who will lead high quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to the region and beyond.

The scheme is open to talented and enthusiastic African investigators working in all biomedical and health research areas within the MRC/DFID remit on global health. Priority will be given to applications that address the key health problems relevant to national and regional health needs and hence best conducted in sub-Saharan Africa.

Awards provide support for up to five years. The grant package includes a potential contribution to the African Research Leader’s salary (up to 100% in the first years), funds for a programme of research and support for collaborative activities between the African and UK institutions.

The African Research Leader will be nominated by a UK based principal investigator as part of the partnership between the African and UK institution. The application must be submitted by the UK institution.

Please see this link for further information on the scheme and guidance on how to apply.

Deadline for Applications: 28 February 2013