DURAS 2nd Call for Proposals: 173 pre-proposals submitted

One hundred seventy three (173) pre-proposals were submitted by various stakeholders for the DURAS Competitive Grants' second Call for Proposals, about 34 per cent more than the submissions received in the first call.

Of the pre-proposals received, 55% focuses on the theme Agro-ecology and other sustainable farming practices while 45% tackles the them Linking farmers to market: support to small and medium agro-enterprises (SMEs).

Launched in December 2004 and closed on 23 February 2005, this is the second of the two Calls for Proposals under the DURAS project. Project titles and lead proponents will be posted in the project website www.duras-project.net.

Table 1 : Percentage distribution of pre-preposals
received per stakeholder, per theme

Elibility criteria

Application for the Competitive Grants is open to all stakeholders involved in agricultural research, provided that the Lead Proponent (LP) - a university, national research center or a civil society organization (CSO) - is from a ZSP country covered by the project.

The proposed project should involve (a) a minimum of two (2) countries from the South which may not necessarily be from the same region/sub-region; and (b) at least three (3) stakeholder groups, one of which should either be an NGO, a farmers organization, or an agri-SME.

The proponent should also submit Letter(s) of Intent (LOI) of their collaborating organizations stating their willingness and commitment to participate in the proposed project.

Review process

Pre-proposals received will be reviewed by the project's Comité de Sélection et Partenariat Scientifique (CSPS, or Selection and Scientific Partnership Committee) on 15-16 March 2004 on the basis of the following criteria: (a) over-all project design and feasibility; (b) appropriateness and innovativeness; (c) socio-economic consideration; (d) environmental and sustainability considerations; and (e) partnership quality. All lead proponents will be notified of the outcome of the evaluation a week following the review.

Next steps

Full proposal development and partnership-building stage will be facilitated by the CSPS chaired by Agropolis. In order to facilitate dialogue between Southern and Northern partner in this process, DURAS Project has set aside limited funds to support the travel cost of Southern partners who need to meet with their European counterpart. Full proposals will be submitted to the DURAS Project Office in April 2005. Final selection will be made in May 2005 by the project’s Comité de Pilotage chaired by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Project implementation is expected to start in June 2005.

DURAS is a GFAR-Agropolis project supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Priority Solidarity Fund (PSF). It aims to contribute to strengthening the involvement and enhancing the scientific potential of southern stakeholders in agricultural research for sustainable development (ARSD). This three-year project covers countries from Africa, Near East and some parts of Asia that are listed in France's Priority Solidarity Zone (PSZ).

Contact
Oliver OLIVEROS
DURAS Project Coordinator
Agropolis International
Avenue Agropolis F-34394 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Tél. : +33 (0)4 67 04 3747 ; Fax : +33 (0)4 67 04 7599
Email:
Website: www.duras-project.net