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Promoting
Food Security Research and Dialogue |
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The Research Grants
Initiative |
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The
Research Grant Award Initiative (RGI) aims at increasing civil
society’s involvement in producing action-oriented research on food
policy and food security issues to inform and strengthen policy.
Civil society representatives can apply for research grants under
two facilities, namely the Programme Funded Research (PR) and the
Challenge Fund (CF). The former is geared towards supporting
long-term substantive research by institutions, organisations and
centres, while the latter will support complementary short-term
research work on existing policies and interventions on best
practices.
To ensure responsiveness of the initiative to emerging food security
issues and priority research needs, the Programme conducted a
participatory assessment of Food Security Research Needs, outcomes
of which were consolidated in a Bangladesh Food Security Research
Needs Digest. Two workshops organized by the programme provided an
active platform for exchange between government and civil society
stakeholders and provided inputs towards the finalization of the
RNA. This digest provides the basic thematic framework for research
supported by the Programme.
Research grants are awarded through a Research Grant Panel. The
first call for proposals took place in April 2007 and a total of 22
grants (8 PR and 14 CF) were awarded on this occasion. A second call
for took place mid 2008 with another 22 grants (11CF and 11PR)
awarded. |
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(1) Challenge Fund (CF) |
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The
CF provides grants to conduct short term research, including
research that seeks to analyze and distill experiences related to
specific interventions or practices by Government or Civil Society
Organizations, and analyses of options for scaling up of best
practices identified. The CF will award grants ranging from US$
2,000 to US$ 10,000 (in BDT equivalent) per approved research
proposal, to be completed within 12 months from the date of
award. For details of the 14 CF initiated in the fall of 2007
click here. For those awarded in the fall
2008 click here.
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(2)
Programme Funded Research (PR) |
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The
PR provides grants to conduct longer-term more substantive research
and deal with more complex topics that require specialized research
skill. The PR component will involve grants ranging from US$ 30,000
to US$ 50,000 (in BDT equivalent) per approved research proposal, to
be completed within 18 months from the date of award. In October
2007, after their selection by the Research Grants Panel, eight
research projects began under with the support of NFPCSP. For more
details click here. For details on the
proposals approved in the fall of 2008,
click here.
Evaluation of CS research institutions
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The purpose
of this evaluation was to identify research institutions potentially able to
take a lead role in coordinating/managing the PR component of project
research grant initiative in the perspective of an extension of the project.
A more immediate purpose of the evaluation was to provide relevant
background information on civil society research institution a reference for
the evaluation of research proposals, in line with the criteria set in the
Guidelines.
This report provides an evaluation of selected research institutions in
Bangladesh for their capacities related to research on food security policy
and for their capacity to undertake some kind of leadership role in the
National Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Programme (NFPCSP) in
Bangladesh. It provides an assessment of the relevance of research focus to
food security, the quality and quantity, availability and capability of
their technical staff, quality and timeliness of delivery of research
outputs, links with other research institutions inside and outside the
country and record of joint work with institutions inside and outside of
Bangladesh. The report gives an overview of the view points provided by the
directors and senior researchers of the institutions surveyed, and gives
pointers for specific needs of the NFPCSP programme, with regard to
providing some guidance on possible options for the management of the
research component
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