GENERAL INFORMATION ON APN

2017 CALLS FOR PROPOSALS UNDER:

1. COLLABORATIVE REGIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME (CRRP)

2. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (CAPaBLE)

INTRODUCTION & RATIONALE

The Asia-Pacific Region is home to more than half the worlds population with development aspirations
that challenge the sustainability of natural resources, communities and their cultural heritage. Achieving
these aspirations is further complicated by the impacts of natural and anthropogenic changes in the
Earths bio-geophysical systems.

Recent research and supporting observations have provided new insights into these changes and their
impacts but have, at the same time, raised a number of new and challenging issues and questions. The
Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) seeks to identify and address these issues through
scientific research, capacity building, science-policy dialogue and awareness raising.

APN defines Global Change as the set of natural and human-induced processes in the Earth's physical,
biological, and social systems that, when aggregated, are significant at a global scale. These changes
manifest themselves differently at regional and local scales and require place-based solutions.

MISSION
The mission of APN is to enable investigations of changes in the Earths life support systems and their
implications for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region through support for research and
science-based response strategies and measures, effective linkages between science and policy, and
scientific capacity development. APN, therefore, supports investigations that will:

1. Identify, explain, project and predict changes in the context of natural and anthropogenic forcing;
2. Assess potential regional and global vulnerability of natural and human systems; and
3. Contribute, from the science perspective, to the development of policy options for appropriate
responses to global change and sustainable development.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
In order to achieve its mission, APN fosters the understanding of global environmental change by
conducting regional research through collaboration and capacity building in accordance with the four goals
outlined below. Each goal may be achieved primarily through support of competitively selected activities in
research, capacity building and science-policy dialogue in particular, according to the scientific themes
identified under its action agenda, which are climate change & climate variability; biodiversity &
ecosystems; changes in atmospheric, terrestrial and marine domains; resources utilisation & pathways for
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sustainable development; and risk reduction and resilience. Specifically, APN goals, in order of priority, are:
1. Supporting regional and international cooperation in research on global change and sustainability
issues particularly relevant to the region.
2. Enhancing capabilities to participate in research on global change and sustainability and to
support science-based decision-making.
3. Strengthening appropriate interactions among scientists and policymakers, and providing
scientific input to policy decision-making and scientific knowledge to civil society and the public.
4. Cooperating with other global change and sustainability networks and organisations.

More details on the APN and its specific strategies for 2015-2020 can be found in the APNs Fourth
Strategic Plan (2015-2020).

THE 2017 CALLS FOR PROPOSALS

The APN invites proposals under two separate programmes, the Collaborative Regional Research
Programme (CRRP) and the Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE), for funding FROM SEPTEMBER
2018, and is able to provide a limited amount of financial support for regional collaborative research and
capacity development activities that fall within its areas of interest.

APN ACTION AGENDA

1. Research Agenda
Engaging a minimum of three countries in the region, APN fosters the understanding of global environmental
change by conducting Asia-Pacific regional-based research through collaboration and capacity development.
APNs activities promote research that improves understanding of the physical, biological and human
dimensions of change in the Earth system and advances science that informs decision-making regarding
adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development in the following specific areas:

1. Climate Change and Climate Variability;

2. Biodiversity and Ecosystems;
3. Changes in the Atmospheric, Terrestrial and Marine Domains;
4. Resources Utilisation and Pathways for Sustainable Development; and
5. Risk Reduction and Resilience.

The above themes are interrelated and involve the interface of natural, social, behavioural, economic and
political sciences. In the 4th Strategic Phase (2015-2020), APN will increasingly emphasise this
interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach in addressing regional issues.

2. Capacity Development Agenda

In addition to supporting capacity development under its regional-based research agenda, APN also has a
capacity development agenda under its Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE) that targets activities
at local, national or regional levels (in the thematic areas under 1 above). The aim of CAPaBLE is to enhance
the capacities of scientists, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific to identify
and assess global change issues at local, national and regional levels and further identify appropriate
solutions to resolve the issues and achieve sustainability. APN supports capacity development activities that
enhance existing capacities of developing countries at three levels:
Individual-based capacity development
Group, organization, network-based capacity development
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 Societies, governance, system level capacity development

ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST TO APN FOR FUNDING FROM 2018

APN is prepared to support activities in the area of global change and sustainability relevant to APNs
thematic areas that specifically target one (or more) of the topics under HIGH PRIORITY TOPICS FOR
FUNDING (see next section). Activities of interest are outlined below:

Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP)

1. Collaborative research on global change and sustainability that, particularly, addresses GAPS,
ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS and ASSESSMENT work.
2. Collaborative research that develops PATHWAYS and MECHANISMS to achieve sustainable
development and develop adaptation strategies.
3. Collaborative PLACE-BASED INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH particularly from developing countries.
4. Collaborative research that CONTRIBUTES TO THE EVOLVING SCIENCE-POLICY ARENA, including IPCC,
IPBES, post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, as well as ongoing and new global change and
sustainability research programmes.

Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE)

1. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITES that promote the following approaches related to one or more
the five thematic areas of APN:
Utilizing and strengthening existing capacity
Creating opportunities to use/instil capacity
Developing new capacity through innovative approaches
2. AWARENESS-RAISING AND DISSEMINATION activities for policy- and decision-making communities,
civil society and/or the general public.
3. SCIENCE-POLICY interfacing in the context of the five thematic areas.
4. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITIES that contribute to the capacity development
components of the evolving global change arena, including IPCC, IPBES, post-2015 Sustainable
Development goals, and ongoing and new global change and sustainability research programmes.

APN does not support:

a. The running costs of institutions;
b. The salaries of administration staff; the salaries of researchers who receive or are to receive full-
time salary support;
c. The salaries of consultants (project leaders and collaborators should have the expertise to conduct
the activities);
d. The maintenance of long-term observation and monitoring systems; and
e. General purpose equipment such as personal computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets or fixed
office structure (desks, chairs, etc).

HIGH PRIORITY TOPICS FOR FUNDING

At the APNs 22nd Inter-Governmental Meeting (held in April 2017), APN established high priority topics
based on inputs from member countries in each of the APNs subregions. Following the decision, APN invites
trans- and interdisciplinary research and capacity development proposals focusing on the following topics
for South Asia, Southeast Asia and Temperate East Asia as indicated in the table below:

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 South Asia
Policy-relevant research on
implementation of
Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs)
Extreme events related to
monsoon and climate
change
Southeast Asia
Disaster risk reduction and
resilience to climate change
Community resilience to
climate change impacts in
vulnerable areas
Energy, ecosystems in a
changing climate, low
carbon society
Water, agricultural
productivity, nutrient
management
Temperate East Asia
Climate change impacts on
global supply chain
Climate change and human
security (water-food-energy
nexus)
Water treatment
technology transfer in the
context of Paris Agreement
Extreme events related to
monsoon and climate
change

While acknowledging that high priority will be given to regional research proposals and capacity
development proposals that address the abovementioned topics in the subregions above, APN is also
interested in receiving trans- and interdisciplinary research and capacity development proposals related to
the following topics (not in priority order):
- Human health and climate change
- Technology transfer in contribution to the Paris Agreement
- Climate change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Management of ecosystem services for water and food security
- Air quality: urban air quality; transboundary air quality management
- Sustainable consumption and production
- Mainstreaming gender equity in global environmental change
- Economic valuation and modelling on global change impacts

Proposals that do not address any of the above topics will not be accepted under the 2017 Call for Proposals.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Researchers, academics, practitioners working in institutions based in APN member or approved countries
are eligible to apply for an APN grant. Details of eligibility criteria are outlined in the Guides for Proponents
(links provided under Formats of Summary Proposals below).

To proponents working in their respective home countries of Cambodia

From time to time, one or more of APNs member countries are able to provide direct financial support to
researchers engaged in an APN project. Presently, APN has established a mutual understanding with the
Government of Cambodia in supporting Cambodian researchers to submit proposals to APN. Should such
proposals be successful, opportunities may become available for direct financial support from the
Government of Cambodia. Applicants from Cambodia may apply to either CRRP or CAPaBLE.
While applications received under this invitation would be subject to the same standard review process as
all applications, any proposals from Cambodia that meet the criteria laid out by APN will be shared with
the Cambodian government and/or Cambodian institution to determine whether the proposals are of
interest and, therefore, eligible to qualify for direct support under this invitation.

Should the Calls for Proposals be of interest to you, please proceed to Procedures for Application.

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PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION

ONLINE ADVISORY SERVICE (Voluntary)

A potential proponent can consult with the APN Secretariat via the APNs online advisory service system
(URL: http://www.apn-gcr.org/?p=7253). This web-based advisory service, which is available 365 days and
updated regularly, contains a comprehensive set of information that you may need to be able to apply to
the APN for funding. Should you also choose to submit a query via our online service, the Secretariat will aim
to provide a response within six weeks of the submission date.

SUBMISSION AND REVIEW PROCESS (Compulsory)

The submission and review process consists of 3 main stages:
Stage 1 Online submission and review of a Summary Proposal for CRRP or CAPaBLE. Proponents
can only submit an application to ONE call (not both).
Stage 2 Submission and 3-step review process of a Full Proposal (this is by invitation only if you
pass stage 1)
Stage 3 Final Decision-Making

Stage 1: Submission and Review (compulsory)

A proponent submits a Summary Proposal through an online submission process: https://www.apn-
gcr.org/apnis

Submission should be completed by Wednesday, 1 November 2017. Applications will undergo a

screening process performed by the APNs Scientific Planning Group (for a CRRP proposal) and Capacity
Development Committee (for a CAPaBLE Proposal) who will select successful proponents that will
proceed to the next stage. All proponents are notified of the results of the preliminary screening by mid-
December 2017.

Proponents who pass this stage will be invited to submit a Full Proposal for further consideration by the
SPG, external reviewers and APN stakeholders, as appropriate.

Stage 2: Submission and Review of Full Proposal (compulsory and by invitation)

This stage is by invitation only. Successful proponents from Stage 1 are invited to submit their Full
Proposal to the APN Secretariat by Wednesday, 7 February 2018.

Three-Step Review process

Review by APN internal reviewers (SPG members) and external reviewers. Proponents above the set
cut-off line respond to the questions and comments of the APN internal reviewers, and unsuccessful
proponents are informed of the results of the first review (Step 1 Review: February March 2018).
Proponents respond to reviewer questions (Step 2: deadline early April 2018 and SPG members submit
their ratings based on the final proposal which incorporates all the responses submitted by the
proponents at Step 2 (Step 3 Review: April 2018).

Stage 3: Final Decision-Making

The APNs 23rd Inter-governmental Meeting (IGM) approves which proposals to fund following
recommendations from the SPG and CDC (June/July 2018). The Secretariat informs proponents of the
final decision by July 2018 and activities can commence usually starting from September 2018.

Formats of Summary Proposals

Guidance on the format of applications for the separate CRRP and CAPaBLE calls are set out in separate
guidelines (available in the APNIS system) providing detailed information of the two independent calls and
the criteria used in the review. Proponents should also read APNs Fourth Strategic Plan that reflects the
APNs Action Agenda (which includes its research, capacity development and science-policy agendas) in its
4th Strategic Phase from 2015-2020.

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DEADLINES

The following deadlines must be observed:

Advisory Service year round (no deadline)

Stage 1. Submission of Online Summary Proposal (Compulsory, online submission for CRRP; for
CAPaBLE): Wednesday, 1 November 2017, midnight (24:00) Japanese Standard Time.

Stage 2. Submission of Full Proposal (template for CRRP; for CAPaBLE) by the Successful Stage 1
Proponents (Compulsory and by Invitation Only): Wednesday, 7 February 2018, midnight (24:00)
Japanese Standard Time.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Any additional information needed can be found on the APNs extensive Online Advisory Service. If you
cannot find the information you are looking, you can submit a query through the web-based service. Do
not contact the Secretariat directly. APN aims to provide a response to any queries received through its
service within six weeks.