Research Fellowship Programme

Round 3 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS. Closing Date for submissions: midnight 7th March 2010

Application Form (English)/Application Form (Arabic) and Guidance Notes (English) /Guidance Notes (Arabic)

Up to 4 awards of between £10,000 & £25,000. Only proposals demonstrating likely impact on academic development in the proposal field in Iraq will be considered. Proposals already submitted twice will not be eligible for Round 3. For further information please contact amman.cara@lsbu.ac.uk.

Round 1 Selected Proposals:
• ‘Use of Molecular Methods for Better Understanding of Tuberculosis in Iraq’
• ‘Female Iraqi Academics in Post-Invasion Iraq: Roles, Challenges & Capacities’
• ‘Analytical Study of Curricula of Education in Iraq’
• ‘Potential use of Trees in Phytoremediation and Phytostabilisation of Heavy Metals in Iraq’

Round 2 Selected Proposals:
• ‘Transfer of Expertise in NMR Spectroscopy from the University of Liverpool to Iraq’
• ‘A School-Based Psychosocial Intervention to Support Conflict-Affected Children’
• ‘Mobile Phone Technologies to Enhance Self-Management & Education for Iraqi Diabetics’
• ‘Community Reconciliation through Theatre: Developing a University of Basra Model’

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Iraq Research Fellowship Programme

This 3-year Iraq Research Fellowship Programme is one of a number of complementary activities sitting within the wider ‘Iraq Programme’. It aims to

              • enhance regional and Iraqi research and teaching capacities;
              • undertake and deliver innovative research outputs of relevance to Iraq’s future;
              • nurture lasting international research collaborations; and
              • reengage selected Iraqi academics in exile.

A fundamental requirement of any proposal submitted is that it demonstrate an impact on academic development in Iraq and on the international reengagement of Iraq’s academics.

A prerequisite for all research proposals is that core research teams combine an academic currently in post in universities of international repute, an Iraqi academic in post-2003 exile and two early to mid-career Iraqi lecturers and/or researchers currently working in Iraqi universities.

The programme will fund up to 20 distinct pieces of research over the 3-year programme period, with total awards for each of up to £25,000. Funding will be made available primarily in the form of fellowships and should be viewed as either seed-corn to support a scoping/piloting study or as funding for smaller distinct pieces of research.

A UK Steering Committee and Middle-East Regional Sub-Committee made up primarily of international researchers and academics, including Iraqi academics, advise and guide the programme and the selection of research proposals to be funded. Final selection is made by the UK Steering Committee on the basis of the following criteria: importance to Iraq and the Iraqi people; academic impact in Iraq; quality; novelty; feasibility; team competence; value for money and dissemination strategy.

All complete proposals received will be subject to independent expert review.

The UK Steering Committee reserves the right to limit the total number of awards made where it believes that this would meet the aims of the Programme more effectively. There will be up to 5 bidding rounds over the anticipated 3-year programme period.

CARA is indebted to both the Open Society Institute (OSI) and the Sigrid Rausing Trust for their support of this programme.

Should you have any queries please address them to amman.cara@lsbu.ac.uk