The University of the Philippines Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Stockholm-based International Foundation for Science (IFS) have signed a deal on the provision of research grants to help push food security in Southeast Asia.
According to SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio, the grants are under the auspices of a Mentorship Program for Advanced Grants, jointly funded by SEARCA and IFS under an agreement signed on November 26. These grants are available to Filipinos, as well as citizens of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
He said the agreement was the second collaboration between IFS and SEARCA, with the first in 2015 to 2019 for the IFS-SEARCA Collaborative Grants Pilot in Southeast Asia. This program awarded research grants to 12 teams composed of 41 scientists and researchers from seven countries in Southeast Asia.
“The research focus then was on climate change adaptation and mitigation,” he added.
Gregorio said the SEARCA-IFS grant program is intended to enhance the research capacity of early-career scientists in the aforementioned Southeast Asian countries.
“It is the role of higher education and research institutions, particularly in the global pandemic, to promote a transformative mindset and product experts who understand the growing complex social concerns, and can contribute positive change now and in the future,” he added.
IFS Director Nighisty Ghezae said no single organization, no matter how large or well-funded, can address future challenges by itself.
“In this era of interdependence, strategic partnerships with like-minded institutions are not an option, but a necessity. Thus, this MOA (memorandum of agreement) between our two organizations symbolizes a collaboration which we believe will lead to addressing short- and long-term food security challenges, enable us to invest in more resilient food systems, and take us closer to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” Ghezae said.
Pedcris Orencio, SEARCA program head for Research and Thought Leadership, said “research formally articulates the truth” and that collaborative research increases productivity and quality. He also detailed how to qualify for the program.
“To be eligible for the grants of up to $20,000, applicants must be enrolled in a PhD program or have recently completed a master’s or Ph.D. degree within the five years before the call, with proven limited access to start-up funds for their research,” Orencio said, adding that proposed projects must contribute to knowledge and practice for food security.
