Research on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change

The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) is a research network within the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) that provides research support to South Asian researchers and institutions interested in the inter-connections between development, natural resource use, and the environment. SANDEE is currently inviting research concept notes on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change in South Asia. The selection of concept notes will lead to invitations to submit full research proposals which will be further reviewed for funding consideration.

SANDEE requests research concept notes in any area of environmental or resource economics with implications for the development of South Asia. We encourage research on issues of interest to national, provincial, and local-level policy-makers in South Asian countries. Concept notes that demonstrate a clear demand from policymakers for the underlying research are of particular interest, although any concept note for research of scientific merit will be considered. For example, in relation to the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that each country has submitted to the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement.

Some examples of research previously supported by SANDEE include:

• A country-wide assessment of how well renewable energy subsidies target the poor in Nepal and a case study of  incentives for recycling lead acid batteries under India’s Deposit-Refund Scheme
• An analysis of possible payments to farmers for ecosystem services in Bhutan and an examination of biodiversity and economic indicators under different forest management strategies in Bangladesh
• An evaluation of a REDD+ pilot program in Nepal on carbon sequestration and socio-economic changes, and of a livelihood intervention program in India on farmers’ adaptive capacity

While SANDEE focuses on environmental management, proposals have to include a strong economics component. Concept notes are evaluated on their academic merit and policy significance.  Multi-disciplinary projects, cross-border collaborations and transboundary topics will be prioritized. Institutional affiliation is required for receiving support.

Grants are likely to be in the range of USD 20,000–30,000 over a two-year period.  Larger grants are more likely if teams are multidisciplinary, involve two or more countries in the region or focus on a transboundary issue. Please review guidelines and upload concept notes on SANDEE’s website at www.sandeeonline.org by 31 July 2017 to be considered for the next grants window.  Selected proposals will be invited to the Research and Training Workshop to be held in December for defense. For any additional questions, please contact us at research@sandeeonline.org.

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