Deadline: October 8, 2024
Applications for the Science Foundation Ireland/Irish Aid SDG Challenge 2024 are now open. The SDG Challenge seeks to support diverse, transdisciplinary teams to develop transformative, sustainable solutions that will contribute to addressing development challenges under the UN SDGs in countries where Irish Aid works.
In this call, SFI and Irish Aid are seeking solutions that contribute to SDG 2: Zero Hunger, “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. Applications will be considered that contribute towards one or more of the five SDG 2 outcome targets; improving access to food, ending all forms of malnutrition, enhancing agricultural productivity, sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices, and maintaining genetic diversity of food production.
Objectives of the Challenge
The overarching purpose of the SDG Challenge is to develop transformative, sustainable solutions that will contribute to addressing development challenges under the UN SDGs in Irish Aid’s partner countries.
The SDG Challenge will be run within the challenge-funding framework of the SFI Future Innovator Prize Programme. As such, they share common objectives. Furthermore, the SDG Challenge have its own specific objectives, which are as follows:
- To generate impact through advancement of sustainable solutions in addressing global sustainability issues and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- To support the mobilisation of transdisciplinary teams, comprising academic researchers and societal stakeholders to identify key development challenges where sustainable solutions can deliver transformative impact with a focus on southern partner countries;
- To enable the development of collaborations between researchers in Ireland and researchers in partner countries where Irish Aid works;
- To support development, deployment and demonstration of sustainable solutions across a range of application areas.
Funding
- Funding is available for collaborative research teams based in eligible research institutions in Ireland and partner countries. Successful teams will be awarded up to €300k and will work through a series of phases to develop their idea. An overall prize award of €1M will be available to the team that demonstrates the highest potential for transformative impact.
Eligibility
The Ireland-based Team Lead/Co-Lead must:
- Be a member of academic staff of an eligible Research Body (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the award).
Be a contract researcher with a contract that covers the period of the award (contract may be subject to receipt of the award). - Hold a PhD or equivalent.
The Partner Country Team Co-Lead must:
- Be employed at a HEI or RPO in one of the partner countries eligible under this call. The HEI/RPO in the partner country must be a publicly funded or not-for-profit institution. The RPO must have the capacity and infrastructure to support the research, should be research active and be able to demonstrate the standard of academic rigour required for a significant research project.
- Be a member of academic staff or a contract researcher at an eligible HEI/RPO with a contract that covers the period of the award.
- Hold a PhD or equivalent.
Application
The deadline for submission of applications to this call will be October 8, 2024 (13:00 Dublin Local Time).
For more information, visit SDG Challenge.
