This a reminder of the approaching deadline for applications to the OECD’s Cooperative Research Programme (CRP) call for international event sponsorship and research fellowship grants to be funded in 2025. Applications must be submitted by Tuesday 10 September 2024 (midnight, Paris time, CET). Please note too that since the call was launched in April, the OECD website has migrated to a new platform and that the CRP URLs have changed (new links are provided below).
The UK is amongst 30 OECD countries participating in the Cooperative Research Programme on Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems. The CRP supports research collaboration related to the sustainable use of natural resources in agriculture, food, forestry and fisheries. Applications should fit in to one of the following three research themes, full details of which can be found in the CRP’s research theme document:
- Managing natural capital
- Strengthening resilience in the face of multiple risks in a connected world
- Transformational technologies and innovation
For the 2025 call, the CRP would particularly welcome applications in any of the following areas:
- Sustainable and resilient productivity growth and food security and nutrition.
- Climate change mitigation, reducing emissions from agriculture and food systems, carbon sequestration in agriculture, forestry and land use.
- Halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation.
- Reducing the negative environmental impacts of livestock production and practices harmful to animal health and welfare, investigating the positive contribution livestock can make to soil quality and management, biodiversity and livelihoods.
- Biodiversity, enhancing ecosystem services.
- Improving soil health and water and air quality, including through agroecological and other innovative, context specific approaches.
- Innovations in the transfer and development of agricultural knowledge, including indigenous and traditional knowledge.
- Fisheries and aquaculture productivity, sustainability and resilience.
The CRP normally supports up to 10 events (conferences, symposia) and around 20 fellowships each year.
- The Event Sponsorship scheme aims to inform policy makers, industry and academia of current and future research, scientific developments and opportunities on issues relevant to the CRP and to OECD’s policy priorities – CRP funding supports the costs of invited speakers. A new CRP page sets out the application process for events. Information on previous sponsored events since 2020 can be found in a dedicated section on the CRP Home page.
- Fellowships aim to strengthen the international exchange of ideas and increase international mobility and cooperation. The CRP provides support through bursaries covering travel and subsistence costs to research scientists with 4 years postdoctoral training and who have a long-term renewable position. Fellowships may be from 6 to 26 weeks. A new CRP page sets out the application process for fellowships. Information on previous sponsored fellowships since 2020 can be found in a dedicated section on the CRP Home page.
Please note the importance of explicitly addressing all the selection criteria in your applications to increase the chances of success. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to discuss their proposal with the relevant Theme Coordinator on the CRP Scientific Advisory Body prior to submitting an application, to ensure eligibility and fit to CRP objectives.
Further information is also available from christopher.barker@defra.gov.uk