Deadline: December 15, 2014
The Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute Community Development (NEWRIComm) invites proposals from applicants from universities, research organisations and government agencies for the Lien Environmental Fellowship (LEF) Programme award. The LEF Programme aims to enable successful candidates to develop and improve water, sanitation, and renewable energy (waste-to-energy) for developing communities in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
First launched in 2010, the programme is currently supporting six projects in five countries — India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The LEF programme is supported by the Lien Foundation (www.lienfoundation.org) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The Programme places strong emphasis on implementation of technologies, coupled with well-grounded research and community capacity building. The ideal outcome would see implementation follow education so that benefits can accrue beyond the Fellowship recipients and towards the target communities.
About the Fellowship
Fellowship Phase: Successful recipients shall stay at NEWRI for up to six months to better conceptualise their proposals with NEWRI mentor(s), discuss prototyping issues and detailing implementation plans and costs with the mentor(s) and consultants. Recipients may also audit classes, attend seminars and join research discussion groups. This is intended to help the recipient’s future efforts in education and research upon returning home.
Successful recipients can expect the following financial support during the Fellowship Phase:
- Up to two return economy airfares from the recipient’s country to Singapore;
- A monthly allowance of S$2,500 for the duration of the recipient’s stay at NEWRI. Whenever the fellowship phase is carried out at Fellow’s home institution, the allowance to be discussed shall be pro-rated.
- Accommodation shall be provided (on campus whenever possible);
- Laboratory and prototyping costs.
The key outcome of the Fellowship Phase shall be the LEF Implementation Proposal. This shall be presented to the NEWRI assessment panel for evaluation. The Implementation Award shall then be awarded to projects deemed to merit further support.
Implementation Phase: Implementation Phase will follow the formal acceptance of the Implementation Award. Deliverables of this Phase typically consist of pilot implementation of technology and community training. This phase is expected to be completed within 12 months.
The Fellow can expect the following support during the 12-months Implementation Phase:
- Consultancy on technical & project execution by NEWRI;
- Cost of material and construction of pilot implementation;
- Project logistic costs (e.g. transport, field work expenses of the project team).
- Monthly allowance of SGD 500 for 12 months (for LEF fellow only)
Monitoring Phase: A 12-month Monitoring Phase will begin immediately after completion of the Implementation Phase. The Fellow can expect the following support during the 12-months Monitoring Phase:
- Project logistic costs up to two observation visits (e.g. transport, field work expenses for monitoring team).
At the end of Monitoring Phase, fellow will be required to submit a Sustainability Report. The report will elaborate how the implementation outcomes will have been operated and maintained by the benefitting community, and how they will have benefited the community & ecosystem thus far.
Eligibility
- Academics and researchers from universities and research interests in Central Asia, South- East Asia and South Asia may apply:
- Applicants must possess a PhD degree. Applicants with Master’s degree may be considered if they have substantial relevant work experience.
Project Evaluation Criteria
- Matching of project scope with NEWRI’s expertise, in the domain of Water, Wastewater, Waste and the Energy-Water nexus.
- Matching of project scope with that of LEF Programme. LEF Programme supports non-profit, pilot implementation of technology, which also aims at community education and capacity building.
- Sound concept of the solution, technically and socially, demonstrating awareness of the nature of the problem, and sensible strategy in solving the problem.
- Sustainability & replicability of the solution
- Commitment of support from institution, local authorities, and community.
- Manageability of scope, timeline, and budget
Important Considerations before Applying for LEF Programme
- Applicants are expected to coordinate the project during the fellowship phase, implementation phase and monitoring phase spanning over 3 years. It is ideal that Fellowship Phase, Implementation Phase and Monitoring Phase shall each have a duration of 6-months, 12-months and 12-months, each proposal shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Applicants must obtain support of their institutions prior to applying for this Programme as the Award is given to the institution, and not to individuals.
- Support from local authorities, and target communities are required in the full proposal stage. The implementation technology proposed should not ran counter to prevailing local rules and regulations.
- As the Programme is philanthropic in nature, in-kind support from applicants’ institutions, partner organisations, and the community is essential. As such, there will be no monetary compensation.
- The Programme is able to provide limited financial support for qualified projects. Average grants for the Fellowship and Implementation phases are approximately SGD 50,000 and SGD 100,000 respectively. All eligible projects would be subject to rigorous budget review.
- The Programme will not support:
- The operational cost of institutions;
- Salaries of administration staff or researchers who receive or are to receive full-time salary;
- The cost for maintenance of any facilities after the handover i.e. long-term operations, maintenance, or monitoring system
- Replication/ mass-production of pilot facilities.
- Salaries to engage external consultants (applicants and collaborators should have the credentials and expertise of the activities proposed)
- IT equipment such as personal computer, laptop, mobile phones, camera, printer, etc.
Application
Interested applicants are required to submit a Project Brief using the template provided in Annex I of attachment and their CV.
Do note that at this stage, you are not required to cost the project if it is implemented. Please email your proposals and all enquiries to us at [email protected].
For more information, visit Lien Environmental Fellowship.
