Call for EOIs: Understanding African Universities’ Capacity for Climate Adaptation Research

Selected institutions will play an active role in developing, testing, applying, and refining the tool. This will contribute to strengthening the role of African research institutions in driving climate-resilient research and development.

The “Understanding African Universities’ Capacity for Climate Adaptation Research” project is a 24-month project that seeks to enhance institutional capacity for climate adaptation research in Africa. This project is intended to work with 20 universities across Africa to co-create and implement a climate change adaptation research-focused organizational capacity assessment tool (CO-CAT) through a living lab-based approach.

This approach will involve climate adaptation researchers from multiple disciplinary backgrounds, research professional service staff, senior university managers, and non-academic stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), policy makers, government bodies and community members who engage with climate adaptation research.

Through this living lab approach, the project aims to close the communication and collaboration divide among the diverse stakeholders tasked with tackling, or are affected by, the challenges encountered in relation to climate adaptation research in universities and research institutions.

Scope

• The selected institutions will be engaged through a series of iterative and collaborative activities involving a diverse group of stakeholders. This will include workshops, focus groups, expert consultations, key informant interviews, and Esurveys, generating evidence to understand the current context.
• The selected institutions will participate in the joint development of a Climate Adaptation Research-centered Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (COCAT).
• The selected universities and other stakeholders will contribute not only to the refinement and finalization of the CO-CAT but also to the production of user guidelines, and development of case studies of capacity strengthening responses based on tool outcomes.

Benefits

• This project presents a variety of benefits:
  • An opportunity to engage with a broader community of more than 300 climate adaptation research contributors and organizations across Africa associated with the CLimate Adaptation & REsilience (CLARE) project across Africa.
  • An opportunity to engage diverse stakeholders on climate change adaptation research.
  • Through this project, it is anticipated that institutions will be responsible for common issues identification and proffering of solutions.
  • Other benefits include the opportunity for learning activities, training, workshops and exposure to virtual living lab environments and toolkits.

Funding Information

• A seed grant of USD 5,000 will be awarded to selected Institutions involved to pilot and contributing to refining the CO-CAT tool.
• Duration: The implementation phase of the project commenced in January 2025 and is anticipated to conclude in December 2026.

Eligible Countries

• Institutions must be based in one of the following countries: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Central African Republic, RDC, Gabon, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana.

Eligibility Criteria

• Institutional Commitment: Participating universities must demonstrate a strong institutional commitment to sustainability and climate action through established strategies and policies. They should express their active involvement in global or continental initiatives for climate action with clear leadership support and willingness to engage in the proposed project.
• Research Alignment: Institutions should have ongoing research activities that align with national or continental climate adaptation goals. This includes having dedicated research centres, programs, or experts in climate or environmental science, environmental sustainability, or related fields, with the capacity to contribute to evidence-based policymaking.
• Partnerships and Collaboration: A strong record of collaboration is essential. Universities and research institutions must have existing partnerships with international academic institutions, NGOs, governments, the private sector, or local communities. Active involvement in multi-stakeholder initiatives and the ability to engage in collaborative knowledge exchange will be highly valued.
• Infrastructure and Technology: Participating institutions should possess reliable ICT infrastructure that supports online collaboration and data sharing.
• Credibility and Ethics: Universities must show a credible track record in publishing climate-related research in reputable journals and demonstrate access to internal or external funding for climate research. Ethical research practices and a commitment to transparency and integrity are non-negotiable.

For more information, visit CLARE.