Ideas for Action is a knowledge platform of the World Bank Group and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School. The annual Ideas for Action competition seeks innovative ideas and actionable projects to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Past winners include water solutions for better fish farm yields, women-led business models to improve sustainable access to energy, web based solutions for agriculture processes, and many more. Teams must consist of two to six members and may be formed across different schools, institutions, companies, or countries. Students and young professionals between the ages of 18-35 years from around the world are invited to participate. The winners of the competition present their ideas at the annual meeting of the World Bank Group, receive support from a project incubator and coaching. The deadline for submissions is 29 February 2020. Ideas for Action
Category: Cross-Cutting Subjects
The NSF funds an annual competition for research on the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on the Earth’s surface. Projects on a variety of topics U.S. and international (through subawards) qualify for support if they offer promise of enhancing geographical knowledge, concepts, theories, methods, and their application to societal problems and concerns. Past projects include several in the world’s developing countries related to environmental disasters, waste management, marine spatial planning, wildlife conservation, and others. The deadline for regular proposals is 03 September 2020. Link
The Earthwatch Shulman Awards provide research and training grants to early-career environmental scientists. The grant offers support to conduct scientific research, join and present at conferences and implement environmental research in the focus areas sustainable agricultural land management, urban green spaces (including gardens and parks), and reducing water pollution. Two selected projects will receive a grant of £4 thousand and four runners up will receive a grant of £500 to spend on conservation-based training. All applicants will need to be nominated for the award. The deadline for applications is 26 November 2019. More information
The British Academy program Youth Futures, funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund, will support youth-led research directly and primarily relevant to the problems of developing countries. Projects must aim to support the economic development and welfare of countries on the OECD DAC list. Projects must be 21 months in duration, with a maximum value of £300 thousand. Principal Investigators must be based in the UK, however, international collaboration is strongly expected. The deadline for submissions is 04 December 2019. Click here
- Tags: all regions, december2019, research, youth
The Lead 2030 Challenge for SDG 12 seeks solutions that address necessary changes required to avoid unnecessary waste production. Projects can focus on alternative solutions for waste streams; retail recycling, consumer behavior, cross-industry collaboration; or the reduction of post-harvest losses. The winner will receive a US$50 thousand project grant and 12 months of mentorship from a team of Mondi Group professionals. The project must be youth-led (founded by a person aged 18 – 30). The application deadline is 05 January 2020. About the SDG 12 challenge
The 9th ‘Mostra Ecofalante de Cinema Ambiental’ invites entries to the Latin-American Competition in Environmental Cinema. Socio-environmental categories include energy, water, climate change, consumption, people and places, environmental activism, accumulated waste, contamination or export, socio-environmental resources, green spaces, urban areas, food, green economy, globalization, wildlife, and sustainability, among others. Selected films compete in the categories Best Long Film by the Jury (over 60 minutes), with a prize of R$15 thousand; Best Short Film by Jury (up to 59 minutes), with a prize of R$5 thousand; and Best Film by the Public. The deadline for submission is 15 January 2020. (Note: Information in Portuguese) Find out more
The North-South Cooperation of the University of Zurich (UZH) awards up to three grants per semester for mobility students from universities in the Global South (eligible countries are listed in the announcement). The grants can be used to study at UZH during the academic year 2020-21. (Note: Grants are only awarded if a professor at UZH guarantees supervision.) Applications for the academic year 2020/21 must be submitted by 31 January 2020. More about the Mobility Grant
- Tags: all regions, individuals, january2020, travel/mobility
The US Department of State, in partnership with Cultural Vistas, accepts applications from emerging leaders (ages 25-35) across the Pacific to attend the Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Conference in Papua New Guinea (April 2020). The Conference will include informational sessions, skills workshops, cultural activities, and site visits to deepen participants’ capacity to address regional issues related to Education; Environment and Resource Management; Civic Leadership; and Economic and Social Development. All travel, lodging and meals will be provided to selected participants. After the YPL Conference, all YPL alumni will be eligible to compete for small grant funding to support projects in their countries. Applications are due by 03 February 2020. Find out more
PEER invites scientists in developing countries to work with U.S. collaborators in research and capacity building on priority topics that include environmental contaminants, agricultural productivity and food security, biodiversity conservation, water security, low-carbon development, fisheries assessments, and others. The priorities are different for each PEER focus area (i.e., varying by regions and countries). Projects are anticipated to run for one to three years. Awards involving support for only one institution (single institution awards) range from US$40-80 thousand per year. Awards involving support for more than one institution (multiple institution awards) may receive up to US$100 thousand per year. Applicants must be based at academic institutions, non-profit organizations, or government-managed research laboratories, centers, or institutes in the eligible countries. Applicants need to have at least one research partner in the U.S. that has grant funding from the U.S. government. The deadline for pre-proposals is 10 February 2020. Click here
Interreg Baltic Sea Region provides seed money to support the preparation of projects in line with the Action Plan of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). The Programme area covers eight EU Member States (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, parts of Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden) and two partner countries (Norway and parts of Russia). Seed money applications can be submitted by national, regional or local authorities. The total budget of a seed money project is €50 thousand. Draft applications have to be submitted by 09 December 2019. Find details