The second phase of the Platform for African-European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD) is a European Commission-funded (FP7) programme to support partnerships for agricultural innovation. PAEPARD II nurtures partnerships to increase the quantity and quality of joint proposals (leading to more funded initiatives).

PAEPARD II has issued a call for applications from innovative partnerships interested in seeking funding under this window. The deadline for applications is 28 January 2010.

The partnerships that PAEPARD supports aim to conduct joint innovation processes that address shared challenges or opportunities. More specifically, within the context of their innovation process, these partnerships wish to formulate and seek funding for joint agricultural research for development (ARD) activities that support their innovation process. While these research activities will be led by a research partner, the leadership of an innovation process goes beyond the mandate and competence of a research organisation and thus requires that another actor assumes this role.

Aspiring partnerships are invited to apply for support to establish their partnership and formulate collaborative ARD proposals targeted at identified funding opportunities.

The main criteria to be used in the selection are:

·         Composition of the partnership: Partnerships should comprise both “non-research partners” (producer organisation, private sector organisation and/or NGO) and “research partners” (research organisations, universities), and both African and European partners.

·         A partnership should have at least one European partner, one African non-research partner and one African research partner. All partners should have an interest in addressing the shared innovation challenge or opportunity.

·         Role of the research and non-research partners: Partners should jointly conduct an innovation process, preferably initiated and led by a non-research partner; the research activities undertaken as part of this innovation process will be led by a competent research partner.

·         Openness to empowerment of non-research partners: Partners should be willing to work with PAEPARD to enable non-research partners to play their expected role.

·         Prospect of obtaining research funding: Partnerships should aim to develop ARD proposals targeting published or expected calls or existing other funding opportunities offered by identified donors.

For more details:

http://paepard.blogspot.com/2010/12/call-for-applications-for-support-to.html