ECOWAS Research Grant Program 2015

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) is launching a Research Grant Program and is inviting research teams to submit proposals for policy research in any of the energy fields (e.g. energy technologies, energy finance, energy economics, energy policy, energy and the environment/climate change, energy and development, energy law etc.) Teams will receive a grant

The Research Grant Program is part of the ECOWAS initiative on Youth Leadership Development in Energy, which works to prepare the region’s young men and women to become globally competitive energy leaders in the future. Aligned with the initiative’s objective, the Research Grant Program aims to build and strengthen the capacity of young West Africans to contribute and participate actively in the energy discourse at the national and regional levels and, thus, ensure that the youth has a say in the way energy development is shaped in West Africa.

With the recent launch of the West African Energy Leaders Groups (a regional branch of the African Energy Leaders Group – AELG) under the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), the goal is that the program will represent a knowledge generating body that contributes to the AELG’s core objectives by producing well-researched, academic papers to guide and inform economic and political decision-makers towards the transformation of the region’s energy sector.

The Program will, thus, support research teams with research proposals that are ambitious and innovative, and aimed at generating new knowledge for decision making.
Successful proposals will be selected based on:

1) scientific quality of the proposed research
2) policy relevance
3) competency level of the research team

For Scientific quality, proposals will be judged on:

a) Strength of the hypothesis, theories and/or research questions
b) Appropriateness of the methodology and research design
c) Applicability of the research and its impact.
d) Originality and innovation
e) Multidisciplinary approach

For policy relevance, the proposals will be evaluated based on its contribution towards solving pressing energy issues.

Specifically,

a) Relevance of the research to current or planned policy instruments and legislation.
b) Contribution to the body of knowledge in energy policy formulation and competence of decision-makers

The third group of criteria will focus on the ability of the research team to successfully execute the proposed project, considering if the team (or a member of the team) has executed a project of similar scope.

Evaluation will be based on the:

a) Qualifications, skills and competencies of the research team
b) Feasibility of the research timetable and suitability of the budget

Research teams must comprise of young West African researchers of not more than 35 years of age (excluding Research Advisor(s)). Participants should at least be students in or graduates from an institution of higher education (in the region or outside the region). Research teams with a Master or PhD degree holder, or equivalent, will be given priority.
Submission of research proposal opens on 1 October, 2015.

Applications should be submitted electronically to researchgrant@ecreee.org   by 30 November, 2015.

The following should be sent along with the research proposal:

• A cover letter;
• A supporting letter from an organisation (public or private) interested in the research and that may use the results of research;
• A letter from the Advisor committed to supervise the research;
• Detailed curriculum vitae of each member of the team (including the Advisor).

The research proposal should state:

• Title
• Brief Introduction
• Background and statement of the problem
• Research question or hypothesis, aim and objectives
• Policy relevance (highlighting its significance, applicability and originality)
• Study design (type of study)
• Possible barriers and limitations to the research
• Data collection methods and instruments
• Data analysis methods
• Research period – Timetable for completion of the project, i.e. schedule of activities
• Participants in the study – e.g. stakeholders to be consulted
• Resources required for the study, including budget
• References
• Appendices

If the paper is accepted for publication, Research Advisors will be paid a sum of €500, separate from the research budget.

The research papers will be published electronically on the ECOWAS Energy Journal and made available on the ECREEE e-library. Furthermore, researchers will be given the opportunity to share their findings and recommendations at conferences and workshops organized by ECREEE.

The Research Grant Program is supported by the ECOWAS Commission, the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID), the U.S National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

ECREEE is inviting potential partners to join this initiative. These may include universities, private companies, corporate foundations, civil society organizations and professional associations.
For further details, please contact us at researchgrant@ecreee.org .