Fellowships and writing workshops for South Asia’s climate change researchers

Applications are now open for a new programme to support South Asian scientists and social scientists who are working on climate change.

Through fellowships and writing workshops during 2012, Support to Improve Climate Research and Information Services in South Asia (SICRISA) will train and support researchers to:

• Publish in peer reviewed journals
• Write for different types of publication aimed at a range of audiences
• Increase their influence on policy
• Raise the profile of their research through the media.

Applications are open to researchers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Launching the call for applications, IDS Research Fellow Terry Cannon explained the motivation behind the project. ‘This exciting new programme will give up to 80 researchers from South Asia the opportunity to improve the quality of their research. Many key climate change journals feature little research generated locally from countries in the global South, and this project is a key step towards changing that.’

The programme particularly aims to increase the representation of climate science from South Asia in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) processes.

About the programme

Approximately 80 researchers will be selected to participate in fellowships and/or writing workshops. It is anticipated that 20 fellowships will be offered, and 15 participants will be selected for each of four writing workshops. A selection of papers will be offered for special issues of two key journals.

The project is funded by the UK Department for International Development and managed by a group of four institutions:

• Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK (lead partner)
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden
• International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Bangladesh

How to apply

Applications are open to researchers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, who are working on any aspect of climate change research. Participants should be early/mid career researchers, although more established researchers may be considered.

Candidates should apply through the online application system or by downloading an application form from the SICRISA project webpage. This page also contains guidance notes on eligibility and the application process itself. Please note that the writing workshops will be held in English and papers must be written in English.

Although the application process is expected to be highly competitive, unsuccessful candidates will have the opportunity to benefit from online networks and access to guidance materials on the project website.