Call for Applications: SEARCA Seed Fund for Research and Training

Published Date: September 13, 2024

Deadline Date: October 31, 2024

Program Objectives

The SEARCA Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT) is designed to support promising research and training projects in Southeast Asia by providing start-up funds. The program aims to:

• Provide start-up funds to researchers and scientists to advance regional development through research and knowledge dissemination.
• Build researchers' capacity to develop proposals and conduct research while managing technical, financial, and administrative responsibilities.
• Expand SEARCA’s impact on research, capacity building, and contributions to agricultural innovation in the region.

Project Features

Proposals must be:

• Innovative with a plan to scale up into a large-scale research/training program relevant to agricultural and rural development needs.
• Capable of generating significant long-term funding support.
• Completed within one year.
• Accompanied by a plan for future funding support and dissemination of results to stakeholders.

Research Topics

Projects should align with SEARCA's theme of Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) and address one of the following priority areas:

• Agri-Business Models for Increased Productivity and Income
• Sustainable Farming Systems and Natural Resource Management
• Food and Nutrition Security
• Transformational Leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD)
• Gender and Youth Engagement in ARD
• Enhanced ARD towards Climate Resilience
• EcoHealth/One Health Applications to ARD

Funding Information

Grants of up to USD 15,000 are available for research and training projects. The grant aims to cover start-up costs with a requirement for generating:

• At least one policy brief
• A final research report, potentially publishable as a technical paper
• Presentation of results at a scientific forum/conference, if possible

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be Southeast Asian nationals with at least a four-year degree and limited start-up funds. Priority will be given to:

• Southeast Asian nationals who are alumni of SEARCA Graduate Scholarship, faculty, and staff of SEARCA member universities or institutions
• Southeast Asian nationals working with government agencies, non-profit development institutions, or agricultural universities outside the SEARCA University Consortium

More Information

For additional details, visit the SEARCA website.