The Africa Climate Change Leadership Program seeks to identify the best researchers, policy makers and practitioners to generate, interpret and disseminate relevant climate change knowledge and information that will positively impact Africa.
There are three streams for the program:
- Research: The overall objective of this stream is to stimulate interdisciplinary and scientifically significant research on the regional origins and implications of climate change. The stream will start with an inception six-day training which will include understanding concepts of climate variability and change modeling at various times and space scales, understanding the approaches to regional and local climate studies based on existing climate analysis methods, efficiently planning for experiments or surveys and methods and tools for data analysis. After the training, researchers will be expected to carry out national or regional climate change assessments and research on Vulnerability, Impact, and Adaptation (VIA) on thematic areas informed by the gaps identified from key sources that can address issues of concern to both the science and policy-making communities and contribute to the future rounds of IPCC’s Assessment Reports. Each of the ten (10) researchers with high-quality research proposal will be eligible to receive an 8 to a 12-month research grant of US$9,000 to carry out their proposed research.
- Policy: The policy fellows will be mid-level to senior policy advisors/analysts from government ministries and agencies who are responsible for climate sensitive sectors. They will also be expected to identify senior researchers with subject matter expertise in the respective thematic policy issue selected to be their mentors from amongst the grantees or from outside this group. Mentors will be expected to meet their fellows face to face (if based in the same country) or follow up on the fellows’ research online. Fellows with high-quality research proposals will be eligible to receive a 12-month research grant of US$ 4,000 to carry out their proposed research. In this research, the policy fellows will use the knowledge gained during the training and work with practitioners on the ground. They will also be expected to get guidance from mentors.
- Practice: The practice stream comprises of developers and people with existing innovative climate solutions with potentials to be up scaled or people with beta level or prototype climate solutions that can be advanced further and have high chances of successful implementation with impact at the ground level. As in the other streams, selected researchers/practitioners will be expected to develop a draft proposal describing what kind of practical climate solution they would like to advance and implement before coming for the inception training. The solution will need to have been informed by a comprehensive and relevant literature review of existing climate solutions. Selected researchers/practitioners will receive feedback on how to elaborate and refine their draft proposals from the training facilitators as well as from other grantees from the three streams. Under this stream, ten (10) mid-level researchers/practitioners or teams of researchers/practitioners will receive US$ 8,000 for one year to advance and test, in real world settings, innovative climate solutions that enhance community resilience and have the potential for scaling up. Past prototypes or beta climate solutions that have the potential for large scale positive change will be advanced. They will use participatory action research methods to test and implement these solutions on the ground with communities or organizational practitioners and to monitor their impact. The results should be publishable in peer-reviewed journals, used to shape policy and further research and to inform practice.
Applicants for the African Climate Leadership Award must meet the following eligibility requirements:
General Eligibility Requirements
Applicant’s institution must have significant presence/operations in any African Country. Applicant’s institution must meet one of the following descriptions:
– Legally-recognized organization in any African Country; or
– A governmental entity or academic organization in any African Country.
Applicants must have been students/employed and reside within Africa and will be evaluated based on the following attributes that are deemed to exceed business as usual:
- Innovation, strategic management, and thought leadership in addressing climate change.
- Key climate (or closely associated) initiatives led by the applicant, and subsequent goals, benchmarks and plans for measuring success implemented by the applicant.
- Quality of engagement with non-profit partners, government organizations, and/or other non-advocacy collaborations.
- Quality of collaboration with peers to develop best practices, influence behavior change, establish standards and engage in public education.
- Education and training of internal staff and management, as well as external stakeholders, partners, and suppliers.
- Academic qualifications and achievements.
- Strength and relevance of Concept Note.
Click here to apply.