Call for Proposals: Pathways Communication Grants

Deadline Date: December 22, 2024

 Donor Name: Future Earth

 Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

Applications are now open for Pathways Communication Grants to support innovative ways of communicating scientific outcomes of place-based research projects on pathways for sustainability to educate and engage with non-academic audiences.

Objective

• The Pathways Communication Grants Program seeks to ensure that scientific contributions supporting the development of pathways for sustainability reach relevant audiences beyond the scientific community. To promote wider uptake and understanding of pathways for sustainability, the grant supports the dissemination of scientific findings of place-based research projects via innovative formats and practices.

Scope

• Proposals must be based on completed outcomes of inter-/trans disciplinary place-based research projects that advance the understanding of transformative pathways for sustainability in practice. They must not be limited to disseminating knowledge or creating awareness on the state of the problem. 

Priority

• Priority Groups: One third of the funding will be allocated to support proposals led by researchers from and working in low and middle income countries. Another third will be allocated to support proposals led by early career researchers, as another priority group. Early career researchers are defined here as PhD students or researchers who have received their PhD within the last ten years.

Funding Information

• Funding amount for each project : €5,000 to €12,000 
• The available funding per call is €36,000 
• Estimated number of awards per call: 3-7

Eligible Costs

• Only the costs of the development of the communication product are covered by the grant.
• The following costs may be claimed: layout, graphic design, video design and production (including equipment rental, local travel and subsistence for video shooting), venue rental, writing and editorial support, communication consultancy to help shape narratives and translate complex knowledge into clear and targeted material for non-expert audiences. 

Ineligible Costs

• The following costs cannot be claimed: publication and open access fees, international travel, salaries, compensation for participants/volunteers/speakers including honorariums, stipends, gifts, and allowances, translation and linguistic revision, costs of printing copies, advertising, food and beverages/catering for events, mobile data, subscriptions (e.g., website hosting, zoom). Website design and maintenance.

Eligibility Criteria

• Researchers, including PhD students, who are affiliated with universities and/or research institutions are invited to submit proposals for communication products that aim to disseminate scientific outcomes developed within inter- and/or trans disciplinary place-based research projects on pathways for sustainability, and are addressed to the broader public. This grant supports the communication of research that has already been completed. Proposals to fund research studies and/or include data collection will not be considered.

Evaluation Criteria

• Eligible proposals will be evaluated based on:
  • The fit of the proposal to the scope of the call,
  • The clarity and relevance of the proposal,
  • The novelty and potential impact of the communication product on the uptake, understanding and reach of place-based research on pathways for sustainability beyond the scientific community
  • The quality and originality of the research outputs forming the basis for the communication product
  • The competences and quality of the team (relevant expertise, level of inter disciplinarity between natural and social sciences and/or trans disciplinarity, diversity in terms of geography, gender, career stage)
  • The overall communication and dissemination approach.

For more information, visit Future Earth.