COVID-19 Community of Practice
UN/CCA: Understanding the Potential Interaction Between Chronic Household Air Pollution Exposure and COVID-19 in LMICs
The United Nations Foundation’s Clean Cooking Alliance (Alliance) is accepting proposals for Understanding the Potential Interaction Between Chronic Household Air Pollution Exposure and COVID-19 in LMICs.
A variety of hypotheses linking air pollution and COVID-19 incidence and outcomes have been postulated. Exposure to high levels of household air pollution (HAP) is widespread in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These same populations may be highly vulnerable to this pandemic. This Request for Proposals (RFP) solicits research proposals to assess the potential interaction between chronic HAP exposure and COVID-19 in LMICs.
Proposals may focus on:
- the effect of chronic HAP exposure on transmission, infection risk, and course of COVID-19 disease or
- the potential effect of interventions to control COVID-19 on HAP exposure and related human health outcomes.
Award Size: Up to $500,000
Deadline: October 14, 2020
BMGF: Support to Speed the Response to the COVID-19 Epidemic
The Therapeutics Accelerator is committing funding to speed the response to the COVID-19 epidemic by playing a catalytic role in accelerating the evaluation of new and repurposed drugs and biologics to treat patients with COVID-19. The Therapeutics Accelerator is a collaborative effort committed to equitable access, including making products available and affordable in low-resource settings.
The portal is provided for applicants to propose diagnostics approaches to enable effective interventions. The process begins with an application form and a screening questionnaire. The screening questionnaire is then reviewed, resulting in either a request for additional information, deferring, or advancing. If the submission advances, then the submitter will be requested to complete a full proposal questionnaire. This will enable a rigorous and standardized review and subsequent discussion of a proposed diagnostic.
Please note that each proposal should be in line with the Therapeutics Accelerator’s guiding principles in order to qualify for review. We have highlighted the most relevant criteria here:
- A focus on near-term impact
- Global access through prompt launch, with a focus on vulnerable populations
- Feasibility for use in low- and middle-income (LMIC) health systems
- A willingness to share relevant data in near real-time
Award Size: varies with proposal
Deadline: March 23, 2021
Environment, Energy & Water
EJ: Biodiversity Media Grants 2020
The Biodiversity Media Grant Opportunity is designed to support the awareness- or capacity-building around biodiversity and conservation, network building, content production around these issues, or creating digital or other media outlets. Applicants should note their affiliations with existing media organizations or provide detailed plans about how this project would facilitate the creation of a new network or organization. As Internews is strictly a media development organization, we will not consider applications rooted in advocacy or political campaigning.
This opportunity is open to journalist networks, media organizations, civil society organizations or academic institutions. Although we will consider applications by NGOs or environmental groups looking to build the capacity of journalists to cover conservation issues, preference will be given to applications from or affiliated with professional journalists, media organizations, journalism schools and the like.
All activities must take place in the countries listed here. We will also consider applications for activities to be held in Russia.
Award Size: $10,000 up to $15,000
Deadline: October 15, 2020
FWS: Arctic Goose Joint Venture Notice of Funding Opportunity – Fiscal Year 2020 (Fish and Wildlife Service)
The Arctic Goose Joint Venture (AGJV) is a partnership-based program under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) that provides and improves scientific information to support and promote effective management, monitoring, and conservation of northern-nesting geese. The USFWS, a partner in the AGJV, administers financial assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements), purchase orders, and contracts on a competitive basis for projects and studies that advance the general scientific community's understanding of goose ecology and management and is seeking proposals from interested parties.
Priority consideration will be given to proposals addressing the following focus areas and species/populations:
1) Evaluation and Improvement of Population Delineation and Monitoring Improvement in delineating populations and obtaining accurate indices and long-term trends of population abundance and other demographic parameters remain a priority for many goose populations. The AGJV seeks research that evaluates or improves current population delineation and/or monitoring and assessment methods, particularly methods used to derive indices used for management. The AGJV identified the species/populations below as priority for this focus area. Projects that evaluate Lincoln estimates and demographic variables derived from banding data or improve the sample size or representativeness of banding data are priority.
- Brant (Black, Western High Arctic, Atlantic)
- Cackling goose (Midcontinent)
- Canada goose (Atlantic, North Atlantic)
- Ross’s goose
- Snow goose (Wrangel Island, Western Arctic, Midcontinent)
- Greater white-fronted goose (Midcontinent)
2) Evaluation and Improvement of Harvest Estimates Harvest data are used to monitor and assess the sustainability of hunting regulations, and, in conjunction with band-recovery data, estimate population size and trends using Lincoln estimates. Projects that evaluate current harvest surveys for possible bias and/or use alternative methods or new technologies to derive harvest estimates that can be compared to existing harvest survey estimates are priority.
3) Population Status, Population Dynamics, and Ecology of Brant and Emperor Geese Brant and emperor geese are maritime species that make little use of agricultural land or other human modified habitats compared to other Arctic-nesting geese. These species have specific habitat requirements, limited growth capacity, and are vulnerable to changes in marine coastal environments.
Award Size: $5,000 up to $150,000
Deadline: November 20, 2020
SE: Go Green Student Competition
Schneider Electric seeks applications for the “Go Green” global student competition Middle East & Africa. Students are invited to submit solutions to real-life case challenges within energy management or ideas for efficient energy management. The top participants will be invited on a fully sponsored trip to pitch their ideas and receive mentorship from Schneider Electric experts. In addition, one all-female team from the semi-finals will win the Women in Business Award, including a cash prize of US$1,000.
Schneider Go Green 2021 is open to two-member teams worldwide. To take part, you must:
- Be a Bachelor’s student (at least on 2nd year) or working on a Master’s degree
- Studying Business, Engineering, Marketing and Innovation
- Be located in the same region (for the duration of the competition) as your fellow team member. Being in the same country is highly preferred.
- At least one team member must be a woman
- Be proficient in English as the final pitch must be presented in English
Award Size: Varies per proposal
Deadline: February 15, 2021
Education & Engagement
ACC: Japan Virtual Exchange Program
Since its inception in 1963 as the Asian Cultural Program of the JDR 3rd Fund, ACC has operated a program of long-term, immersive fellowships and shorter-term grants for individual artists, scholars, and arts and humanities professionals who wish to pursue specialized training not available in their home countries; find new creative inspiration through travel, research, and exploration; or pursue targeted research projects aligned with ACC's mission of advancing international understanding.
While international travel is restricted and ACC’s travel-related fellowships and grants programs are suspended, ACC is sponsoring a special fellowships and grants program to support virtual exchange and engagement in the arts between Japan and Asia, and between Japan and the United States. The Japan Virtual Exchange Program is a limited initiative serving projects taking place between December 2020-December 2021.
In 2020 and 2021, in response to the widespread human crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty of international travel until the pandemic is resolved, the Asian Cultural Council is calling for proposals from individuals and organizations in Japan and the U.S. with projects intended to strengthen and enhance impactful international connectivity and engagement between Japan and countries/regions of Asia, and Japan and the U.S., through activities and projects that can be enacted without international travel.
This program will support creative, innovative responses to international engagement during this period of limited travel. In response to the economic impact of the pandemic, grant funds may be used to support artist honoraria and organizational costs of managing virtual programs.
Award Size: varies with program
Deadline: October 15, 2020
Other Opportunities
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries: Postdoctoral Positions/Fellowship Program
The Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Germany invites scientists from all countries and at different career stages to apply for a research visit. The program offers fellowships for PhD students, postdocs, and senior scientists for up to 24 months.
The position is intended as an opportunity to join IGB to develop and implement original research ideas in ecology, evolutionary biology, microbiology, Ecohydrology, chemistry, behavioural ecology, genomics, inland fisheries and aquaculture. IGB is determined to increase the proportion of women in science, and particularly encourages female scientists to apply.
Award Size: Varies per proposal
Deadline: October 15, 2020
WCC: Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts
The World Cultural Council is now accepting nominations for the “Leonardo da Vinci” World Award of Arts.
A candidate for the award should be a renowned artist, sculptor, painter, writer, poet, cinematographer, photographer, architect, musician or other performing, creative or visionary artist, whose work constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of the world. The prize is awarded every second year.
Award Size: $10,000
Deadline: November 27, 2020
DD: Dan David Prize -- Call for Prize Nominations
The Dan David Prize is a joint international enterprise, endowed by the Dan David Foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University. The Dan David Prize recognizes and encourages innovative and interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms. It aims to foster universal values of excellence, creativity, justice, democracy and progress and to promote the scientific, technological and humanistic achievements that advance and improve our world.
The Dan David Prize covers three time dimensions - Past, Present and Future - that represent realms of human achievement. Each year the International Board chooses one field within each time dimension. Following a review process by independent Review Committees comprised of renowned scholars and professionals, the International Board then chooses the laureates for each field.
- The Past refers to fields that expand knowledge of former times.
- The Present recognizes achievements that shape and enrich society today.
- The Future focuses on breakthroughs that hold great promise for improvement of our world.
Three prizes of one million US dollars each are granted annually in the fields chosen for the three time dimensions. The prizes are granted to individuals or institutions with proven, exceptional, distinct excellence in the sciences, arts, and humanities that have made an outstanding contribution to humanity.
The Dan David Prize is unique in that its laureates donate 10% of their prize money to graduate students in their respective fields, thereby contributing to the community and fostering a new generation of scholars. It is also unique in its outreach efforts to the wider community.
Award Size: $1M
Deadline: November 30, 2020
NEH: Collaborative Research Grants
Debate, exchange of ideas, and working together—all are basic activities that advance humanities knowledge and foster rich scholarship that would not be possible by researchers working on their own. The Collaborative Research program aims to advance humanistic knowledge through sustained collaboration between two or more scholars. Collaborators may be drawn from a single institution or several institutions across the United States; up to half of the collaborators may be based outside of the U.S. The program encourages projects that propose diverse approaches to topics, incorporate multiple points of view, and explore new avenues of inquiry in the humanities for scholars and general audiences.
The program allows projects that propose research in a single field of study, as well as interdisciplinary work. Projects that include partnerships with researchers from the natural and social sciences are encouraged, but they must remain firmly rooted in the humanities and must employ humanistic methods. Partnerships among different types of institutions are welcome. For example, research universities might partner with teaching colleges, libraries, museums, or independent research institutions.
Proposed projects must lead to tangible and sustainable outcomes such as co-authored or multi-authored books; born-digital publications; themed issues of peer-reviewed journals; a series of peer-reviewed articles in academic journals or articles in general audience publications or both; and open-access digital resources. All project outcomes must be based on and must convey interpretive humanities research.
Award Size: Up to $250,000
Deadline: December 2, 2020
Scholarships & Fellowships
SF: Schlumberger Foundation 2021–2022 Faculty for the Future Fellowships
The Schlumberger Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports science and technology education. Recognizing the link between science, technology, and socio-economic development, as well as the key role of education in realizing individual potential, the Schlumberger Foundation flagship program is Faculty for the Future.
Purpose: This program awards fellowships to women from developing and emerging countries to pursue PhD or Post-doctoral research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at leading universities worldwide.
Criteria:
- Female and a citizen of a developing country or emerging economy where women are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines who has applied to, been admitted to, or currently enrolled at MSU
- Excellent academic record
- Demonstrated leadership skills
- Community outreach activities and track record in encouraging girls and women into STEM fields
- Committed to return to their home countries upon completion of their studies to contribute to the economic, social and technological advancement of their home regions by strengthening the STEM teaching and research faculties of their home institutions as well as through their leadership in science-based entrepreneurship.
Fellowship recipients are also expected to contribute to the public sector where their newly acquired technical and scientific skills can help provide evidence-based support for STEM policy making, including topics of gender representation.
Award Size: $50,000 (PhD); $40,000 (post-doc)
Deadline: November 9, 2020
AISLS: American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies Fellowship Program
AISLS fellowships support two to nine months of research in Sri Lanka by US citizens who already hold a PhD or the equivalent at the time they begin their fellowship tenure. Both scholars with little or no experience in Sri Lanka as well as specialists are encouraged to apply.
Projects in all fields in the social sciences and humanities are eligible. Proposals in other areas that contribute to the understanding of Sri Lankan history, culture, or society are also invited. Applicants need not have prior research experience in Sri Lanka. Proposals will be judged on their quality, on the extent to which they fall into one of the targeted categories listed below, and on their potential to strengthen US scholarship on Sri Lanka and develop links between US and Sri Lankan scholars. All applications, including those from US citizens resident outside the United States, must address all three of these criteria.
Award Size: stipend, travel expenses, research budget
Deadline: December 1, 2020
