SCIENTIST: Environmental Grant

The Global Environment:
Invitation for RITE Research Proposals

Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE)is inviting basic research proposals dealing with global environmental problems. Also, research proposals deemed to contribute significantly to the resolution of global environmental problems will be supported by RITE in the form of entrusted research.

1. Category of Research

Basic research aimed at the development of innovative technologies which will contribute to the solution of global environmental problems.

2. Themes of Research

[A] Research concerning carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases considered to be the primary causes of global warming:
Efficient separation, recovery, disposal, re-use etc. of greenhouse gases.
Innovative process technologies which limit greenhouse gas generation.
Research concerning enhancement of CO2sinks (eg. ocean sink, underground storage and reforestation through biotechnology).

[B] Research on other technologies concerning global environmental problems as follows:
Control of the generation and widespread release of chemical substances, apart from the greenhouse gases mentioned in [A], which are seriously detrimental to the environment, or detoxification of those substances.
Substitutes for the chemical substances mentioned above.
Recycling and effective utilization of materials.

3. Number of Research Proposals to be Accepted

The number of research proposals to be accepted will be determined after the governmental budget for FY 2001 has been confirmed. Thirteen new research proposals have been accepted for FY 2001.

4. Research Expenses for Entrusted Research

Up to 10 million Japanese yen will be allocated for each research proposal, although the entire cost of research proposal may not be covered by RIT. Research expenses distributed for the research proposals accepted in FY 2000 ranged from 5.0 million to 7.0 million Japanese yen per research proposal, with an average of 6.27 million yen.

5. Application Period

Application Period will be from July to October.

6. Period of the Entrusted Research

Period of the entrusted research will be from April 2002 to March 2003.

If continuation is deemed necessary, however, RITE may entrust for the next year.

7. Qualified Research Participants

Individuals or groups engaged in research activities at research institutions etc. are eligible. The applicants' citizenship or proposed site for the research will not be considered as criteria for selection.

8. Application Procedure

The necessary forms for application can be downloaded from the following.

Application forms(can be found on their website)

In case the forms cannot be downloaded, please request them by fax or e-mail as shown below and they will be sent by postmail after the announcement.

Research Proposals Reception Section
Research Planning Department
RITE
9-2 Kizugawadai,Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun,
Kyoto, 619-0292,JAPAN
TEL: +81-774-75-2302 FAX: +81-774-75-2314
E-mail : [email protected]
Webpage: www.rite.or.jp

The Small Grant Facility has been established as a result of a continuous debate between the Danish NGO community and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. The Facility will meet a demand for support to mainly smaller environmental projects, and will try to avoid developing complex application procedures.

The main partners of the project are the DEPA department for Danish Cooperation for Environment in Eastern Europe (DANCEE), the Danish Outdoor Council and The Regional Environment Center in Budapest.

The Small Grant Facility Co-ordination is situated in the Danish Outdoor Council, who is responsible for giving advice on the Small Grant Facility and for facilitating contacts between NGOs. The Small Grant Facility will support projects with no more than 250.000 DKK.

The Small Grant Facility will receive applications from both Danish NGOs and NGOs from the target countries (see below).

*Objectives and principles*

The objective of the establishment of the Small Grant Facility is to involve more organisations in the environmental work in the South and East of Europe. The development potential of especially smaller NGOs should be realised in regards to the DANCEE support programme, and the Small Grant Facility will try to address this need. The Small Grant Facility will thus encourage smaller projects to be developed in co-operation between Danish and target country NGOs, in order to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and experience.

*Target Countries*

Target countries for the Small Grant Facility are:

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, FYR Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Yugoslavia.

*Requirements of the Small Gran Facility*

In order to qualify for support from the Small Grant Facility, an applicant must fulfil the following criteria:

1) Be an NGO / Civil-society organisation working on a strictly non-profit basis. In short, the following type of organisations can be supported:
* NGOs (organisations working for idealistic purposes)
* Civil society organisations (organisations where members of society are organised to promote own interests)
* Political parties
* Church organisations or other religious organisations
* Grass root organisations (local self-help groups and likewise)
* Local organisations (village councils and likewise)
* Cultural organisations (culture, sport and likewise).

2) Demonstrate that the environmental project falls within one or more of the following priority areas of the Small Grant Facility:
A. Organisational development of relevance to environmental work.
B. Co-operation on citizens' participation in environment / nature management and decision-making.
C. Promotion of outdoor recreation with consideration for nature and the environment.

3) Be engaged in opening new partnerships and new projects in the present and future DANCEE countries. The applicant must cooperate with a partner NGO / civil-society organisation based in the target country, or be engaged in a project preparation phase with the aim of identifying a partner. Concrete projects as well as project preparation activities like networking and / or sharing of experiences are valid for support.

4) Demonstrate that the project is viable, and that the applicant will carry costs of the project, either in-kind or by carrying a share of the total budget.

5) Inform the public of the results of the project during implementation (preferably) or after completion.

6) Send final report to Danish Outdoor Council including an evaluation on the impact and future replication of the project.

*Technical requirements for applicants*

Budget

Proposals can apply for a maximum of DKK 250.000,- from the Small Grant F-cility, but the total budget of the project can exceed this amount. Proposals seeking a higher level of external contribution should apply directly to DANCEE. Up to 75% of the budget can be prepaid upon project start and the remainder will be paid upon project completion - i.e. when the final report on the project has been approved by the Danish Outdoor Council.

The Small Grant Facility can support the activities of NGOs from Denmark and from the target countries.

The applying organisation must provide a detailed budget where the expenses for each project-activity are stated. All involved partners of the applying organisation must agree to the parts of the budget, which are relevant to them. This can be done in a separate statement of co-operation. The statement must be signed by an authorised person and should preferably carry the stamp of the organisation.

No specific target have been set for the level of contribution (in-kind or other) from the applicant, but it is recommended that the organisation should try to estimate the value of the contribution financially if possible.

The following budget lines can only be supported in a limited scale:
* Administration can be supported by up to 7 % of the total budget.
* Evaluation of the project can be supported by up to 7 % of the total budget.
* Unforeseen expenses can be supported by up to 10 % of the total budget, but the Danish Outdoor Council must approve of the expense(s).

*Project completion*

Projects must be completed at the end of August 2001 at latest, and must deliver a final report on the project to the Danish Outdoor Council after project completion.

*Modification of project*

The project holder must inform the Danish Outdoor Council of any major changes (i.e. changes in activities, co-operation, expected results of project and likewise) in the project. The Danish Outdoor Council reserves the right to veto major changes, and in extreme cases to permanently withhold outstanding support to the project. Such a situation coul for example develop if it is found that the project has been changed in a direction, which is contrary to the criteria and guide-lines for receiving support from the Small Grant Facility.

*Final report*

The applicant must compile a report on the results of the project, and forward it to the Danish Outdoor Council. The report should shortly (maximum 4 pages) state the following information:
* Alterations to the timeline, activities, results and perspectives of replication of the project, and explanations for possible changes where necessary.
* Description of performed communication initiatives towards the public.
* Documentation should be included in an annex if possible.
* Results of the project and evaluation on the development process.
* Future of the project, is it sustainable in the short, medium or long term and is it replicable in other contexts / countries?

The project will be completed when the Danish Outdoor Council receives the final report, and the outstanding support will be remitted when the Danish Outdoor Council has approved the final report.

*Partners of the project*

The Danish Outdoor Council.

The Danish Outdoor Council was founded as an independent umbrella-organisation in 1942 by eight outdoor organisations, who for some time had been part of a working group formed by the then prime minister. The purpose of the Council was to promote outdoor recreation for organisations and the general public under consideration of both environmental and nature protection needs.

Today more than 90 organisations are members of the Council. After almost 60 years of existence the goals of the Outdoor Council has only changed slightly. However, the activities and the daily work have changed over the years, enabling the Council to develop into a modern organisation with an extensive network both nationally and internationally.

On the international scene, the Council has a great commitment to the network of the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE), where more thn 20 countries co-operate on educational activities. The Council held the Presi-dency of FEEE from 1990 to 1996, and presently holds the co-ordinations of both the Blue Flag and the Learning About Forests campaigns. The Danish Outdoor Council will continue to contribute to and participate in the work of FEEE, which is now expanding to become a worldwide organisation.

*CONTACT INFORMATION*

For further information, please contact:

The Danish Outdoor Council
Scandiagade 13
DK-2450 Copenhagen SV
Denmark

Phone: +45 33 79 00 79
Fax: +45 33 79 01 79
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.friluftsraadet.dk