Belmont Forum and

G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding
International Opportunities Fund

The International Opportunities Fund is a joint funding call between the Belmont Forum and G8 Heads of Research Councils (G8HORCs) for approximately 20M Euros. The countries involved in this initiative, currently, are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India*, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Possibilities for collaboration for non-participatory countries and developing countries exist as well. The current International Opportunities Fund is aimed at supporting research in the areas of Coastal Vulnerability and Freshwater Security. Please read the guidelines and refer to the relevant National Annexes before submission.
 

* National Annex available now.

Background Information

Belmont Forum

The Belmont Forum is a high level group of the worlds major and emerging funders of global environmental change research and international science councils. It aims to accelerate delivery of the international environmental research most urgently needed to remove critical barriers to sustainability by aligning and mobilising international resources. The aims of the Belmont Forum are detailed in a White Paper, and encapsulated as the Belmont Challenge: To deliver knowledge needed for action to mitigate and adapt to detrimental environmental change and extreme hazardous events.

In order to make progress against the Belmont Challenge and help deliver international collaboration the Belmont Forum agreed to develop collaborative research actions (CRAs). The principles of the CRAs are that they will:

• Address the Belmont Challenge priorities (i.e. societally relevant global environmental change challenges)
• Lever Belmont Forum members existing investments through international added value
• Bring together new partnerships of natural scientists, social scientists, and users

G8 Heads of Research Councils

At the G8 Heads of Research Councils (HORCs) meeting held in Kyoto, Japan in May 2008, an initial proposal for a multilateral funding activity was introduced with the understanding that multilateral research projects can address global challenges in ways that are beyond the capacity of national or bilateral activities. The G8 HORCs framework provided the unique opportunity to pilot a new modality for conducting international research.

G8HORCs agreed that research topics would be defined separately for three calls. Following two successful calls the G8 Research Council Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding is now embarking on its third and final call.

Working Together

Belmont Forum and G8HORCs have come together in this International Opportunities Fund, taking forwards the process developed by G8HORCs to deliver against two priority areas of the Belmont Challenge. Partner Organizations are participating under the G8HORCs Multilateral Research Initiative Memorandum of Understanding or the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Actions Memorandum of Understanding.

This International Opportunities Fund is aimed at supporting excellent research on topics of global relevance best tackled through a multinational approach, recognising that global challenges need global solutions. Funding should support researchers to cooperate in consortia consisting of partners from at least three of the participating countries and must bring together natural scientists, social scientists and research users (policy makers, regulators, NGOs, communities and industry). Where appropriate, some Partner Organizations could also support capacity building in some developing countries.

Scientific Themes

• Coastal Vulnerability
• Freshwater Security

Important Dates:

OPENING DATE OF THE CALL: 15^th April 2012

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSION of Pre-proposals: 20^th July2012

NOTIFICATION FOR SUBMISSION of Full Proposals: 20^thSeptember 2012

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSION for Full Proposals: 20^thDecember 2012