MENA NWC: Water Innovation Fellowships Grants Program

MENA NWC has created the Water Innovation Fellowships grants program to stimulate partnerships between researchers and practitioners and to reward innovative thinking to solve water problems. The fellowship program complements the Policy, Research and Development (PR&D) Grants which are larger in size and scope and longer in duration. Grants awarded under will have a period of performance ending no later than July 31, 2015.

ELIGIBILITY
To seek funding for research projects under this program, applicants must be:

(1) citizens of a Middle Eastern and North African country,
(2) currently resident in the Middle East and North Africa, and
(3) full-time employees of an institution or entity based in the Middle East and North Africa.

Water Innovation Fellowships seek to build a strong partnership between one research scientist or one water practitioner and one Network Center.

FABRI will pair successful applicants with member Centers of MENA NWC, based on best fit.

DEADLINE
Proposals are due by February 28, 2014.

OBJECTIVES
 Provide an exciting opportunity for water research scientists and practitioners to pursue their unrealized professional interests/dreams and enhance their career development
 Foster scientific research or outreach partnerships between:
(a) scientists or practitioners in the Middle East and North Africa and
(b) a Network Center
 Develop and carry out creative and innovative activities that have a demonstrable impact on the water sector in the Middle East and North Africa
 Stimulate knowledge creation and exchange in the water sector

TECHNICAL SCOPE
Water Innovation Fellowships grant projects aspire to make a concrete impact in the water sector. Research projects must address a policy, operational, technical, or managerial issue that is identified by stakeholders in government, business, NGOs, or civil society. They must also address one or more of MENA NWC’s priority research areas: water use efficiency and productivity, groundwater, non-conventional water, water/energy/food nexus, and water supply and sanitation.

FUNDING
A funding pool of US $250,000 is available for fellowships under this program. Research projects funded under this program may range in size from $5,000 to $25,000. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding/co-financing in cash and in-kind from external sources, such as MENA NWC Centers, utilities, governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and similar entities.

RESEARCH PRIORITIES
The Network’s thematic areas and related research priorities include:

GROUNDWATER
 Artificial and natural groundwater recharge/discharge
 Groundwater exploration and monitoring technologies
 Groundwater degradation
 Socioeconomics of groundwater, including governance, economics and policy

NON-CONVENTIONAL WATER
 Desalination
 Wastewater reuse and reclamation
 Environmental and health impacts on non-conventional water resources

WATER/ENERGY/FOOD SECURITY NEXUS
 Optimization of the reuse of treated wastewater for peri-urban agriculture in dry areas
 Modeling water futures or modeling the water/energy/food security nexus
 Renewable energy for water treatment

WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION
 Water quality standards, management and enforcement
 Rural water and sanitation challenges
 Improved service delivery
 Climate change

WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY
 On-farm water-use efficiency and productivity
 Crop improvement and management
 System-wide water use management

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MENA NWC
 Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA)
 Arabian Gulf University (AGU)
 Grand Water Research Institute, Technion Israel Institute of Technology (GWRI)
 International Institute for Water and Sanitation, National Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE-IEA)
 Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Science Hassan II (IAV)
 International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)
 International Center for Biosaline Research (ICBA)
 International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
 Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST)
 Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC)
 National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE)
 National Institute of Research for Rural Engineering, Water, and Forestry (INRGREF)
 Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D)
 Qatar National Food Security Program (QNFSP) Royal Scientific Society (RSS)
 Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
 The University of Jordan
 Water and Environmental Studies Institute (WESI), An-Najah National University

Contact information	Peter Reiss Chief of Party, FABRI (email: mena-nwc-waterinnovations@dai.com ; peter_reiss@dai.com) Phone: + 1 202 549 1387
News type	Nomination
File link	n/a
File link local	20142015annoncemenanwc.pdf (PDF, 511 Kb)
Source of information	USAID
Subject(s)	AGRICULTURE , ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , ENERGY , FINANCE-ECONOMY , HEALTH - HYGIENE - PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISM , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INDUSTRY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RIGHT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , TOOL TERMS , TOURISM - SPORT - HOBBIES , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY
Relation	http://blog.usaid.gov/2011/03/laying-the-foundation-for-a-new-network-of-water-centers-of-excellence-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/
Geographical coverage	n/a
News date	08/11/2013
Working language(s)	ENGLISH , FRENCH