1. Announcement
EPIC-N and START, in collaboration with UNEP’s Global Adaptation Network, are pleased to announce the opportunity to apply for seed grants that support early-stage planning and implementation of an EPIC project in the Asia-Pacific region.
This opportunity is only being made available to city-university pairs who participated in the May 2021 virtual EPIC Asia-Pacific workshop.
Deadline for submissions and schedule of award announcements:
The deadline for proposal submission is 7 July 2021 at 17h00 UTC. Proposals should be submitted by email to Dr. Mzime Murisa at START (mmurisa@start.org). Grant awards are competitive. Awardees will be announced the first week of August and made during that month.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for support, the following criteria must be met:
- The application must be jointly developed and submitted by a pair of participants, one from a local government unit and one from a local university, as they were represented at the May 2021 EPIC workshop. (At least one of the participants must have a complete account profile within the EPIC-N Member Commons).
- The Principal Investigator (PI) may come from either a university or from a local government, as they were represented at the May 2021 EPIC workshop.
- Proposed activities must clearly align with the EPIC Model. A submission of the EPIC-Model Certification form within the EPIC-N Member Commons “Just Start” course must be submitted to demonstrate how the project proposed aligns with the EPIC Model.
- The proposal must include full project details, to include objectives and rationale, the problem(s) being addressed, target stakeholder groups to be engaged, and activities undertaken to initiate planning and/or implementation of an EPIC project.
- The scope of work and related budget must be reasonably matched to the available time frame and funding (see Section 3 below); and,
- All required materials must be submitted prior to the deadline (see Section 4 below).
3. Project Duration and Award Amount
The seed grant award amount is up to $2,000 USD, dependent on proposed work and appropriateness of the proposed budget. The project must begin no later than 1 October 2021 and be completed no later than 1 February 2022. Project grants will be awarded based on competitive review of proposals submitted in response to this Call. Because of limited funds, not all proposals will receive funding.
Each proposal should designate a Principal Investigator whose institution will serve as the contracting institution to receive and distribute project funds as appropriate. Note: no indirect costs can be claimed on this grant.
4. Project Submission Requirements
Proposals for projects will not be considered complete until all required materials are received.
A complete proposal package consists of the following:
- A Project Grant Proposal of no more than 5 pages in length
- A Project Budget, consisting of both a Summary Budget Table (that documents total funds requested in USD) and a Budget Narrative (that explains how requested funds will be expended)
- An Institutional Support Letter that identifies the project’s Principal Investigator, confirms his or her affiliation with the institution and acknowledges the institution’s willingness to serve as the contracting institution to receive and distribute project funds, without charging overheads or indirect costs.
All questions regarding this Call for Proposals should be directed to Dr. Mzime Murisa (mmurisa@start.org).