Five new thematic r4d projects funded
The r4d network is growing by five new projects. The interest in the Additional Thematic Call with four topics and a budget of CHF 13.2 Mio was high resulting in a fierce competition.
Between 2012 and 2014 the r4d programme launched five thematic calls and funded 17 r4d projects in the thematic modules. In 2015, the r4d Steering Committee decided to use the unallocated funds of CHF 13.2 million for an Additional Thematic Call, covering research gaps in the modules Employment, Ecosystems and Public Health and including a topic on natural resource governance for sustainable development.
International research consortia applying from 24 Swiss research institutes submitted 54 pre-proposals. The invited applicants from 14 Swiss research institutes elaborated together with research partners from 31 countries 17 full proposals of very high quality and development relevance.
The Review Panel evaluated the proposals based on external peer review and a colloquium. It proposed to the National Research Council and its Presiding Board to fund five new r4d projects, all designed for a duration of 6 years. The global r4d programme network grows to 46 projects working in 45 countries.
These are the five new thematic r4d projects:
- Assessing the 'nature' of a 'forest transition' in Vietnam: ecosystem services and social-ecological resilience in locally managed forest landscapes; Kull, Christian, Switzerland; Ngo, Dung Tri and Tran, Thang Nam, Vietnam
- Curbing Illicit Financial Flows from Resource-rich Developing Countries: Improving Natural Resource Governance to Finance the SDGs ; Carbonnier, Gilles, Switzerland; Dzanku, Fred, Ghana; Brugger, Fritz, Switzerland; Bürgi Bonanomi, Elisabeth, Switzerland; Insisienmay, Sthabandith, Laos
- Health impact assessment for engaging natural resource extraction projects in sustainable development in producer regions; Winkler, Mirko, Switzerland; Brugger, Fritz, Switzerland; Diagbouga, Serge, Burkina Faso; Macete, Eusébio Victor, Mozambique; Okumu, Fredros, Tanzania; Binka, Fred Newton, Ghana
- Linking Education and Labor Markets: Under what conditions can Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) improve the income of the youth? Renold, Ursula, Switzerland; García Fallas, Jacqueline, Costa Rica; Bordon Tapia, Paola, Chile; Günther, Isabel, Switzerland; Parajuli, Mahesh Nath, Nepal; Gandonou, Esaïe, Benin
- The contribution of vocational skills development to inclusive industrial growth and transformation: An analysis of critical factors in 6 countries; Maurer, Markus, Switzerland; Allais, Stephanie, South Africa; Berhe, Hadush, Ethiopia; Erum, Mariam, Bangladesh; Khammounty, Bounseng, Laos; Gonon, Philipp, Switzerland
The ad hoc Review Panel that evaluated the proposals was composed of elected members of the existing five thematic Review Panels, an additional expert in natural resource governance, and four delegates from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC):
San Bilal, Ana Cascao, Andrea Inglin (SDC), Marjolein Dieleman, Susanna Hausmann (SDC), Stefanie Hellweg (Panel Chair, SNSF Delegate), Wolf Linder, Claude Martin, Jacqueline Schmid (SDC), Werner Thut (SDC), Peter Verburg.
The research projects will start their work between March and September 2017.