APN’s Special Call for Proposals for a Focussed Activity FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The information provided below is intended to guide you when formulating a proposal for submission to the APN for a “Focussed Activity”. If you cannot find the answer from the questions outlined, please submit your question to the APN Secretariat, Dr. Linda Stevenson at lstevenson@apn-gcr.org and Ms. Kristine Garcia at kgarcia@apn-gcr.org. We will do our best to answer your question in a timely manner.
FAQ1. Who is eligible to submit proposals to the APN for funding? Developing Country Members of non-profit making institutions based in APN member and/or approved countries can submit proposals to the APN. FAQ2. What countries in the Asia-Pacific region are Member or Approved Countries? Member countries are: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam and United States of America. Approved Countries are: Pacific Island Countries and Singapore. Note that Developed Countries are underlined. FAQ3. How many calls for proposals does the APN launch each year? In addition to the present “Special Call for Proposals for a Focussed Activity”, the APN will launch two other (annual) calls for proposals, one under the ARCP programme and the one under the CAPaBLE programme. FAQ4. When is the deadline for submitting a proposal to the APN? The deadline for submitting an Expression of Interest is Friday 05 June 2009, midnight (24:00), Japanese Standard Time (JST) and is strictly adhered to. FAQ5. If I miss the deadline, will the APN still accept my proposal? No. The APN has a very rigorous review process, which is performed over a tight timeline, and deadline compliance is essential. FAQ6. Where and to whom do I submit the proposal? Proposals must be submitted to the APN Secretariat electronically for the attention of Linda Anne Stevenson lstevenson@apn-gcr.org. FAQ7. How much funding is available for individual projects? Funding is expected to be, on average, US$30,000. FAQ8. What is the duration of projects? Duration is expected to be one year. FAQ9. Can I charge overhead costs in my proposal budget? APN does not pay administrative overhead costs. Please refer to the APN’s financial regulations (available separately) for more information. FAQ10. If my proposal is successful, when can I receive funding?
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Funding will be made available in September 2009. All funded projects are expected to begin their activities in September 2009. FAQ11. Can I submit more than one proposal? A proponent can only submit one proposal at any one time. An institution can submit more than one proposal providing that the proponents do not reside in the same department. FAQ12. Can I submit a proposal if I am currently a project leader of an APNfunded project? Project Leaders who are under a current Contract drawn with the APN cannot submit a proposal, as proponent, to the APN. Project Leaders should refer to their Terms of Agreement attached to their Contract. Nevertheless, the same Project Leaders may be among the collaborators of a new proposal for funding consideration by the APN or of another ongoing APN project. FAQ13. What are the criteria for submission of an Expression of Interest? The eligibility criteria are available in the announcement. A full set of criteria will be made available for those proponents who are invited to submit a proposal following successful review of their Expression of Interest. FAQ14. Who reviews my proposal? Members from the APN’s Scientific Planning Group, APN’s Capacity Development Committee and external reviewers drawn from the global change community provide expert reviews on proposals. The APN maintains the confidentiality of its reviewers for the sake of fair appraisal. FAQ15. When is the decision on project funding made? The decision on project funding will be made in August 2009. FAQ16. Is APN able to provide salary support for project implementation? The APN may be able to provide some salary support for time spent on a project, assuming that a full-time salary is not already being paid. More detailed information can be found in APN’s financial guidelines or by contacting the Scientific Officer (Linda Anne Stevenson lstevenson@apn-gcr.org) directly at the APN Secretariat. FAQ17. Does the APN allow for consultants and/or consultant firms to be engaged in the project, at APN’s expense? The APN will not pay salaries of consultants. As APN usually relies on expertise drawn from the APN global change community, any consultant fee or honorarium would have to be agreed with the APN in advance. Project leaders and collaborators should have the expertise to conduct project activities. FAQ18. Is it necessary that proposals submitted for APN funding has co-funding from other sources? Co-funding is strongly desired and will strengthen your proposal, however it is not mandatory. FAQ19. Before submitting my proposal to APN do I have to get it endorsed by the national Focal Point or SPG member of my country? Endorsement is not necessary; however, please refer to the basic criteria for eligibility with regards to engaging APN country members in the Focussed Activity. FAQ20. Can members of developed countries submit proposals or only in conjunction with developing countries? Members of developed countries cannot submit proposals as the main proponent. However, developed countries can be engaged in project activities as main collaborators.
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FAQ21. What is the difference between the “Focussed Activity” Special Call and the Annual Calls for Proposals under the ARCP and CAPaBLE programmes? The main difference is that “Focussed Activity” Calls for Proposals are NOT launched on an annual basis. In addition, the topic is very specific compared with the more general thematic areas covered under the annual calls for proposals. FAQ22. When will funding be available for successful proposals? Funding will be made available in September 2009. All funded projects are expected to begin their activities in September 2009. FAQ23. How is the process of submission and review different from the process implemented under the annual calls for proposals? As there is only a 5-month process (compared with 10 months for the annual calls for proposals) for proposal submission and review, there will only be 2 steps involved (there is no summary proposal stage). After submitting an Expression of Interest (stage 1) following the correct format, only invited proponents will be asked to submit a full proposal.
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