Call for Applications: Social Science and Legal Research Programme and Awards for Myanmar Researchers
This is a call for proposals for talented Myanmar social science or legal researchers interested in pursuing their research by either leading or collaborating in research projects contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. This call welcomes researchers with demonstrated potential and strong ambitions to conduct research of high quality.
The HRER Programme, in collaboration with the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP), Mahidol University, Thailand, and Yangon School of Political Science (YSPS), will support legal and social science researchers to strengthen their research skills with the purpose of fostering Myanmar-led research on health, culture, justice, economic well-being, and the environment related to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
This research programme interventions will support the participating researchers to develop strong research methodology skills through the provision of small research grants that will be supported by research training and close mentoring support by senior research mentors. The researchers will be supported in developing their ideas into full research projects that can later be suitable for publication in academic journals or as individual reports.
The researchers will receive research mentoring from an international or local academic working on similar thematic areas over a period of 10 – 11 months.
The call is open to research ideas focused on any of the specific topics under the following sustainable development goals:
- No Poverty (Goal 1) – End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Good Health and Well-Being (Goal 3) – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Gender Equality (Goal 5) – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Decent work and economic growth (Goal 8) – promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all,
- Reduced Inequalities (Goal 10) – reduce inequality within and among countries
- Life on Land (Goal 15) – protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
- Peace, Justice and Strong Institution (Goal 16) – promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels,
- Any other thematic area related to rule of law and justice, etc.,
There are two categories of awards that we will be handing out:
- Category One: Graduate and experienced legal researchers who have completed their LLM/ PhD Degrees;
- Category Two: talented emerging social science or legal researchers with limited research experience (one research publications or less) that have ambitions to pursue a research career.
The application is open to Myanmar legal and social science scholars who want to advance in the above-mentioned thematic areas by using social science and legal research approach. The total number of proposals to be awarded are subject to funds availability.
Application process
Applicants must send the following documents to research@hrer-myanmar.dk with the subject title “HRERP research grant application, name of applicant, date”. The complete package include:
- A cover letter summarizing the applicants’ experience and motivations;
- A detailed curriculum vitae including a list of publication (if any) for each applicant;
- A research proposal of 2-3 pages outlining the research idea and objectives as well as suggested methodology
Research Proposal Components
- Abstract: 250 words
- Clearly state the research problem, the research question, and the significance of the research
- Simple description of proposed research methodology
- Brief project plan and description of how the research award will be managed against other professional commitments the applicant may have
- A budget proposal and description for the proposed expenses
Note: in special circumstances applications from research teams of up to four people will be accepted. In this case provide a list of researchers and a short description of their experience in application letter
Application deadline: 28 June 2021 (17:00)
The submission will only be considered as completed when all of the required documents are included. Questions related to the application process can be addressed to research@hrer-myanmar.dk
Selection Process
Applications that satisfy the eligibility requirements are subsequently subjected to a review process by the HRER Programme together with senior researchers of IHRP and YSPS.
Intended outcomes
The research award recipients are required to a) submit a draft report or working paper suitable for future publication (e.g. journal articles); b) commit to publication and/ or discussion of their results through a knowledge sharing platform; c) presentation of the results to a wider audience of experts through a virtual webinar or conference during the grant period.
Budget Proposal Guidelines
The budget ceiling for each grant is between approximately US$ 3,000-5,000 USD/grant.
About 6-10 applications are expected to receive the grants in this round. Funds need to be spent within a period of 6 months.
The budget should be used for the following activities
- Materials and supply for research – computer, printer, recorder, stationary, books, transportation and accommodation for data collection, translation, data collection assistant fees, etc.,
- Publication – any cost preparation for publication such as copy-editing, language check and conference registration cost, etc.,