CDRI Fellowships 2021: Building a Resilient Future!

Application Deadlines: November 15, 2020

Context

The CDRI Fellowship Programme supports research focused on urban, rural or regional contexts, whether it is focused on resilience of existing infrastructure or new infrastructure. The research may focus on risks at the level of asset (e.g. construction technology for components of a power transmission network) or risks at the level of an infrastructure system (e.g. innovative ways to identify vulnerable nodes in a power grid).

Types of risks

The CDRI Fellowship Programme supports research on building resilience of infrastructure to disaster risks emanating from both natural (hydro-meteorological and geophysical hazards) and man-made hazards. The proposed research may look at risks from extreme events as well as slow-onset events including those emanating from the emerging effects of climate change.

Types of infrastructure

The CDRI Fellowship Programme supports research related to resilience of physical infrastructure (e.g. power, telecommunication, roads, railways, and airports), social infrastructure (e.g. schools, hospitals amd community infrastructure), as well as ecological infrastructure (e.g. natural waterways, wetlands, mangroves).

Thematic Areas

Across the sectors mentioned above, the research may focus on any of the following eight thematic areas:

• Governance & Policy: Governance and PolicyThe development of governance and policy arrangements required to enable the integration of disaster and climate resilience concepts in all infrastructure creation.
• Risk Identification & Estimation: Risk identification & EstimationThe identification and estimation of risk to and from infrastructure from large and small hazards, from the macro to micro scales.
• Standards & Certification: Standards & CertificationAdoption of mechanisms required for developing, enforcing, and updating scientific standards and regulations for infrastructure resilience in light of changing technology and risk profile.
• Capacity Development: Capacity Development & Knowledge ExchangeEnabling the exchange and spread of scientifically accurate knowledge enabling the contribution of all stakeholders to building resilience of infrastructure systems.

• Use of Emerging Technology: Use of Emerging TechnologyHarnessing and leveraging the power of technology to address constraints on accuracy, scale, reach and capacity in constructing, operating, and recovering infrastructure systems.
• Recovery & Reconstruction: Recovery & ReconstructionEx-ante development and adoption of mechanisms for assessing losses, estimating needs, and channelling adequate funds to disaster affected areas in a timely manner.
• FinancingFinancing: Risk financing strategies for each nation will depend on its capacity, risk appetite, resources, and willingness to manage risk. Appropriate financing can incentivise resilience of infrastructure systems.
• Community-Based Approaches: Community-Based ApproachesBuilding the capacities of local communities to participate in the process of creating and sustaining small-and large-scale infrastructure, so as to enhance disaster and climate resilience of the community and its surrounding infrastructure.

Indicative research topics

The main emphasis of the research should be to address specific real-world problems and search for implementable solutions in infrastructure sectors. Above-mentioned themes provide few indicative research topics to give an idea of the type of research the Programme may support.

Benefits:

CDRI offers a lump-sum Fellowship amount up to US$ 10,000 or equivalent. This amount is inclusive of all costs of research, travelling for research and review presentations, institute overheads, taxes, duties, etc., and any applicable tax. However, if the research teams are invited by CDRI to make presentations at conferences, seminars, etc., the cost of travel will be borne by CDRI. The honorarium/overhead of the endorsing institute will be up to fifteen percent (15%), and is included in the above amount.

Eligibility

CDRI Fellowship is open to candidates from the CDRI Member countries. The candidates can be students, faculty, or researchers from academic institutes; practitioners from government agencies, service agencies, non-governmental organizations, private organizations; as well as community workers. A candidate can be part of up to two Research Projects at a time.

Duration of the Fellowship

The research projects under the CDRI fellowship should be completed within 12 months from the disbursement of the first instalment of the Fellowship grant. Generally, no extension is granted in the duration of the project, in extraordinary situations, CDRI may consider an extension of project duration for not more than six months. However, there shall be no increase in the Fellowship amount due to extension of the duration of the Fellowship.

Payment of Fellowship

The CDRI Fellowship grant will be a lump-sum amount to be paid in two instalments of 50% each. First instalment will be paid after the applicant(s) is selected for the Fellowship. Second instalment will be paid after a satisfactory level of research work in the second progress review.

Source / More information: Official Website.