Today on UN International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) announces the launch of the Commonwealth Climate Resilience Challenge Grants open exclusively to academic and professional staff at ACU member universities.
The grants, which can be awarded to ACU members from any country, are designed to support collaborative work addressing climate resilience. Four grants of up to GBP 2500 each are available to help meet the costs of organising projects that promote the aims and priorities of the Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network (CCRN).
ACU members involved in enhancing the climate resilience of universities themselves, and/or enhancing universities’ contribution to the resilience of communities, business and government are eligible to apply. The funding can be used for a diverse range of projects, workshops and events in areas such as:
- Improving learning, teaching, and training for climate change adaptation – e.g. virtual exchange or collaboration, teaching or professional practice collaboration and sharing and co-development of learning materials
- Increasing the research capacity of CCRN members in climate change adaptation – e.g. virtual fellowships or collaboration, comparative analyses, research management and uptake capacity building, understanding and documenting indigenous knowledge and resilience practices
- Improving institutional resilience policies and practice adopted by Commonwealth universities - e.g. developing tools, training and approaches to support contingency and continuity of operations planning at higher education institutions.
The Commonwealth Climate Resilience Challenge Grants are the first of three new Challenge Grant schemes, with the ACU also set to launch the Commonwealth Peace and Reconciliation Challenge Grants in December 2020, followed by the Higher Education and SDGs Challenge Grants opening for applications in April 2021.
These funding opportunities will support collaborative work focused on the priorities of the Commonwealth Peace and Reconciliation Network and the Higher Education and the SDGs Network respectively.
Commenting on the news, Alex Wright, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the ACU, said: ‘We are delighted to be launching the first of the ACU Challenge Grants exclusively to our members. In these extraordinary times, international collaboration in the face of global challenges matters more than ever.
‘Commonwealth universities are at the forefront of action on climate change and sustainability, and many have formed international partnerships for research, teaching and learning and engaging beyond academia. The new Commonwealth Climate Resilience Challenge Grants will support our members doing just this – leading initiatives that strengthen the resilience of universities themselves, and enhancing universities’ contribution to the resilience of communities, business and government across the world.’
More information
- Applications for the Commonwealth Climate Resilience Challenge Grants are now open. The deadline for applications is 11.59 pm GMT on 13 November 2020.