Applications open for SEARCA Travel Grants Program

To reinforce the Center’s efforts and resources in accelerating transformation through agricultural innovation (ATTAIN) and become a leading enabler and champion of excellence in agricultural and rural development, SEARCA will provide travel grants of up to a maximum of USD 1,200 to each qualified agriculture and agriculture-related professional, social scientist, or graduate student in Southeast Asia.

Objectives of the Grant

• To provide opportunities to qualified Southeast Asian nationals to participate and present papers in ATTAIN-relevant scientific conferences and fora, locally or internationally. Note: Priority will be given to paper presentations, but poster presentations may be considered depending on the volume of applications.
• To promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge/information vital to agricultural innovation.
• To provide the Grantee a venue to discuss with other scientists, researchers, university faculty, and scholars about recent developments in their respective disciplines.
• To facilitate linkages, partnerships, and active collaboration between SEARCA, or the applicant’s home institution, with other development organizations and donors.
• To produce articles or any publication out of the Grantee’s presented paper, whenever appropriate and feasible.

Conference Venue

• Priority will be given to travel within the Southeast Asian region. Grants for travel outside the region may be considered on a case-to-case basis depending on how well the paper satisfies the selection criteria and the objectives of the Travel Grants.

Eligibility of Applicants

• Applicants who will present scientific papers in international or local scientific conferences and fora, either via face-to face or online mode, are qualified for the grant. On a case-to-case basis, paper presentations may not be required if attendance to a conference/forum is expected to result in establishing formal linkages, partnerships, collaborations, and strong development impacts to the Center.
  • Priority 1. Priority shall be given to the following:
    • SEARCA fellows (senior, adjunct, and visiting fellows);
    • SEARCA Graduate scholarship alumni;
    • Researchers of SEARCA-implemented/coordinated projects;
    • SFRT grantees;
    • Proponents from the University Consortium (faculty, staff, and graduate students);
    • SEARCA ongoing scholars; and
    • Faculty and staff of universities under the SEARCA’s Institutional Development Assistance Program.
  • Priority 2. Applicants who are citizens of Southeast Asian countries who are regular staff members of non-profit development-oriented institutions or graduate students at other agricultural universities in the Region may be considered if not enough qualified applications under Priority 1 have been received.
  • At present, only citizens from the following countries are qualified to apply: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Selection Criteria

• Subject Matter
• The focus of the paper should be aligned with SEARCA’s priority thrusts under its 11th Five-Year plan (FY 2020/2021 – 2024/2025), as follows:
  • Agri-Business Models for Increased Productivity and Income
  • Sustainable Farming Systems and Natural Resource Management
  • Food and Nutrition Security
  • Transformational Leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD)
  • Gender and Youth Engagement in ARD
  • Enhanced ARD towards Climate Resilience
  • EcoHealth/One Health Applications to ARD
• Re-applying Grantees
  • Previous applicants can re-apply, but must not have been awarded with a SEARCA Travel Grant in the last three (3) years.

For more information, visit SEARCA.