Aid by Sector
Global Land Governance programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The goal of the Land Facility is to improve stability, inclusive growth and responsible investment by promoting more effective, efficient and equitable rural and urban land governance. The programme will help build basic capacity and systems and mobilise the necessary political support, so governments can implement and resource sustained land governance reform, leading to improved tenure security for all. Improved tenure security will contribute to a number of climate benefits; transformational change, reduced deforestation, increased resilience and sustainable land management practices. It will run for 7 years and will initially work in up to 10 countries in Africa and South East Asia depending on size and needs.
Ocean Country Partnership Programme
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) supports countries to manage the marine environment more sustainably, including by strengthening marine science expertise, developing science-based policy and management tools and creating educational resources for coastal communities. The programme is funded through official development assistance (ODA) as part of the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund. Through the OCPP, the UK government partners with ODA-eligible countries to deliver positive impacts for coastal communities that depend on healthy marine ecosystems. Bilateral partnerships under the OCPP are primarily delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), agencies of the UK government that possess unique expertise in marine science and management. The OCPP also funds two international initiatives that align with its aims and help to develop global public goods, the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) and the Friends of Ocean Action (FOA). GOAP is a global, multi-stakeholder partnership established to enable countries and other stakeholders to effectively measure and manage progress towards sustainable ocean development. FOA is a platform hosted by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, which brings together ocean leaders from a wide range of sectors to encourage action and investment into sustainable ocean projects. GOAP and FOA are both strategic partners of the OCPP, and are funded by the Blue Planet Fund (BPF). They do however remain independent organisations from OCPP, BPF, and Defra. Their work, and its intended outcomes and impacts, are strategically aligned with the OCPP and complement its programming in bilateral partnerships. GOAP and FOA were originally developed as separate business cases under the BPF, then in 2022 introduced as integrated components under OCPP to provide a clearer overall BPF offer to recipient countries. The investment to GOAP supports ODA-eligible countries to develop 'ocean accounts' to more accurately and comprehensively capture data on the natural capital assets contained within their oceans. Using this data - and through further technical, advisory, and capacity building support - GOAP aims to ensure that biodiversity is valued and integrated into policy making, decision making, and infrastructure investments in these countries, resulting in the inclusive and sustainable use and management of the ocean. An initial investment of £1million was awarded to GOAP in FY 2021/2. Following good performance in year one, a further £6million of investment was awarded, split evenly over FY's 2022/3, 23/4, and 24/5; giving a total of £7million. From December 2023, following evidence of strong value for money, this investment has since been uplifted to a total of £14.2million, involving new and expanded scope for certain activities, as well as extending the strategic partnership into FY 2025/6. FOA is a multi-stakeholder platform hosted by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, which brings together ocean leaders from a wide range of sectors to encourage action and investment into sustainable ocean projects. FOA, working closely with the High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy, aims to mobilise ocean leaders to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. Through OCPP the investment supports pillars of FOA's work that strategically align with OCPP's own outcomes. There was an initial investment of £1million to FOA in FY 2021/2. After FOA performed well against investment and performance criteria in year one, a further investment of £2million was awarded in both FY's 2022/3 and 2023/4; rounding total investment for FOA to £5million.
Market Accelerator for Green Construction (MAGC)
UK - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Market Accelerator for Green Construction (MAGC) aims to drive the financing and construction of greener buildings in emerging markets. The programme is a partnership between the UK and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), it aims to build demonstration portfolios of green construction at scale, reducing emissions, mobilising new finance and inspiring markets to shift towards the new energy efficient buildings of the future.
(2REST) Responsibilities for Resilience Embedded in Street Temporalities: mapping street youth lived resiliences through analysis of secondary data
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
2REST aims to explore the experinces of homeless street youth and their resilient reponses to diffculties as they grow up in contexts of stress and vulnerability in African cities. Through secondary data analysis of the Growing up on the Streets qualitative data, the objective is to go beyond individual person-centred responses to stress and understand the multiple systems involved in overcoming difficulties over space and time as young people grow up. The resulting evidence will provide a better understanding of street youth resilience and all the factors involved. The 2REST project further aims to translate these findings and apply the learning to outcomes for policy and practice in order to improve street youth lives.
Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To support provincial economic development and sustainable energy in Pakistan. The programme objective is to address two binding constraints to economic and urban development in Pakistan: weak planning; and energy. The programme aims • To support Pakistan's poorest province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to plan and finance the infrastructure and investment it needs for growth, jobs and prosperity. • To address Pakistan’s energy crisis by providing innovative financial solutions to industry for the adoption of sustainable energy practices. The programme will also contribute to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office International Climate Fund (ICF) obligations.
The Evidence Fund - 300708
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Evidence Fund procures and manages research and evaluations that primarily benefit ODA eligible countries. Most research and evaluations paid for by the Evidence Fund are country-specific, and all respond to requests for evidence to inform programme or policy decisions. Primarily serving research requests from HMG’s Embassies and High Commissions in ODA eligible countries, and from HMG policy and strategy teams, the Evidence Fund strengthens the evidence behind the UK’s priority international development investments and development diplomacy. The Evidence Fund also invests modest amounts of non-ODA, to strengthen the evidence behind wider UK foreign policy.
Urban Resilience Programme in South Africa
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Urban Resilience Programme will fund technical assistance (TA) for inclusive, sustainable and climate-resilient economic development in South African cities. The programme will support South Africa’s ambitions for green recovery, sustainable growth and institution building. The programme will build on the learning and achievements of Future Cities, which successfully delivered strategies for urban governance, spatial planning and economic development in Durban/eThekwini, Johannesburg and Cape Town
African SCENe (Sustainable Community Energy Networks)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Over 800 million people live without electricity globally, 600 million in Africa. African SCENe (Sustainable Community Energy Networks) was born from a desire to accelerate adequate, affordable, and reliable renewable energy within low-income suburban communities in sub-Saharan Africa, whilst enhancing nutrition, clean energy awareness and education. Our vision is to make clean energy accessible to not only drive climate action but also to enable children raised in off-grid and informal settlements to achieve their full potential. African SCENe proposes to turn schools within informal settlements into Community Energy Hubs (CEHs) through innovative business models that make energy generation and storage technology accessible, fostering sustainable energy practices, enhancing local resilience, and empowering communities to take control of their energy production and consumption. The advent of affordable locally supplied energy technology means this is now possible: we can energise the lives of informal settlement dwellers, stimulating community members to collaborate and share benefits. The challenges we are addressing are the lack of proven business models and community support to make it financially and socially viable. The Ayrton themes we are responding to are firstly ‘smart delivery: inclusive energy and leave no-one behind’ and secondly ‘super-efficient demand: modern cooking services and energy efficiency’. The core team spent 12 months in two major informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, working with communities to co-create a workable business model that is supported by informal schools and approved by the Kenyan Ministry of Education. Our study has shown that African SCENe’s concept can be physically and economically viable in both off-grid and informal settlements. Our study established a feasible approach to overcome the biggest hurdle in the deployment of clean energy: financing. The theoretical business model prioritises the use of energy generated by the CEHs for school use during teaching hours and for revenue-generating activities afterschool. This revenue will repay the asset costs over 7-8 years. Assets will be funded using a blended finance model (25% impact grant 75% commercial loan). Accurately sizing the assets, managing energy generation/demand, and costs/revenue administration are some of the areas where research innovation is needed. We now want to test this through a 3-year 10-school pilot in Nairobi that would enable us to address social-economic viability and prove the business model. Kenya experiences similar challenges to other African countries: unequal energy access, energy insecurity, low availability of clean energy, food insecurity, disparities in access and participation to education/training, pressure on educational facilities, and large population living in slums. Once proven in Kenya, the model can be scalable across many sub-Saharan African countries. This funding will enable our interdisciplinary research team to answer remaining questions and validate our concept to bring our vision to reality. The wider vision is for equitable and sustainable community energy to play a significant role in meeting African sustainable development goals (SDG). African SCENe is clearly aligned with SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy (via the provision of accessible distributed solar energy generation) and SDG13 Climate Action (via increased energy resilience, security, and awareness within informal settlements, raised capacity for climate change-related planning and a focus on the marginalised), and delivers against a further 11 SDGs (see Fig4: Our Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals). Notably, our proposition can improve access and quality of education, enabling informal schools to deliver the new Competency-Based Curriculum through accessing power for IT/labs.
Royal Society Delivery Costs - NF
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Programme delivery and administrative costs for Royal Society for ODA programmes under the Newton Fund.
Climate Action for a Resilient Asia
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
A Technical Assistance facility will build capacity of national and subnational governments and vulnerable communities to integrate climate resilience into government-wide policy and planning and also work with the private sector, banks and financial regulators to support the integration of climate-related risks into investment decisions. A portion of the programme budget will be earmarked for coordinated policy work and regional cooperation in specific sectors or themes which require a regional approach where we have existing successful regional partnerships which can be scaled up, and or there is demand from country offices for a multi-country approach. Enable management of the programme including monitoring and evaluation, research, knowledge dissemination, communication, advisory support to country offices if required.
Adding Male Single Dose HPV Vaccination to Female HPV Vaccination in Tanzania (Add-Vacc)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
MRC JGHT award to assess the impact of adding multi-year male HPV vaccination with one dose of HPV vaccine to the Tanzania national HPV vaccination programme of female vaccination on the population prevalence of HPV vaccine genotypes.
Core and Resilient Futures - UK ODA Fellowships
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Fellowships for non-UK scientists who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK. (From the Resilient Futures Collective Fund).
DARA Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy Phase 3
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This proposal is to continue, deepen and expand the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) project. DARA is a human capital development programme with the principal aim to develop high tech skills in radio astronomy in the eight developing African countries that partner with South Africa in the hosting of the mid-frequency telescope of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The first two phases utilized the Newton Fund and delivered a basic training to over 300 young people as well as Masters and PhD level training. This proposal is once again a bilateral UK-SA project bidding for Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding as part of the Tomorrow's Talent strand of the new International Science Partnership Fund (ISPF). In this new phase we will extend the HCD pipeline to establish postdoctoral fellows in African partner institutions for the first time. The aim is to complete the establishment of radio astronomy research groups in each partner country so that their citizens can fully engage with the SKA project. We will also continue the basic and Masters level training programme. This third phase will also encompass elements of the DARA Big Data sister project to deepen the training in machine learning techniques required to analyse SKA data and embed synergies with Earth Observation data. We will also continue and expand our partnership with the space sector to showcase how the skills of radio astronomy can be utilized to address development challenges in Africa. The industrial partners also bring entrepreneurship and business start-up experience. Overall, the DARA project addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of increasing high tech skills, research activity and international cooperation.
CERN Non-Member State Doctoral Student Programme
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The CERN and Society foundation run PhD student placements for researchers from non-member states, funded through partner contributions. Through this programme STFC will provide funding to cover costs for students from Sub Saharan African countries that are on the DAC list to participate in CERN’s Non-Member State Doctoral Student Programme for the first time. Enabling up to 5 high-calibre students in particle physics, applied physics, information technology/computing and engineering from CERN non-member states to obtain world-class exposure, supervision and training in scientific and technological activities at CERN.
African School of Fundamental Physics and Applications Graduate Summer School Programme
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The African School of Fundamental Physics (ASP) runs an annual programme supporting graduate and postgraduate physicists from ISPF priority African countries (Kenya, South Africa plus LDCs). High calibre students are selected to attend a two-week 'summer school' in Morocco in July 2024 which aims to increase applied physics skills, increase the diversity of the physics research base, and increase engagement with university facilities. One-year’s funding enables 10-15 students from ISPF Priority Countries to attend in 2024. A 3-year sponsorship would support two schools and one conference, covering travel and subsistence for students/researchers, who would otherwise be unable to attend. STFC is working directly with ASP to support this programme which will benefit the African physics research community enabling mobility and networking.
Characterization of high-energy neutron beams at iThemba LABS for use in irradiation of electronics
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The project aims to characterize high-energy quasi-monoenergetic neutron beams at iThemba LABS for applications in irradiation testing of electronics. High-energy neutron facilities are crucial for testing the effects of atmospheric radiation, induced by cosmic rays, on electronics. The increasing need of reliable electronics is today coming from many growing sectors, like vehicle electrification, automation, and internet infrastructure. The project will evaluate neutron fluxes, spectra, and beam uniformity at energies from 50 to 200 MeV. A variety of neutron techniques, that have been developed and used at the ISIS neutron source of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, will be deployed to perform a complete characterization and a cross-calibration with the ChipIR beamline. Silicon and diamond detectors will be used for their well-known neutron energy response combined with fast signals that allow for time of flight measurements. Activation foils will measure neutron flux and energy distribution with direct reference to nuclear cross sections. SRAM-based detectors will monitor Single Event Upsets to measure neutron flux and beam profiles, aiding cross-calibration with existing facilities like ChipIR at ISIS. This comprehensive approach ensures robust testing and confidence for using these beams for microelectronics testing application. The research teams at ISIS and iThemba LABS have a proven track-record in neutron measurements and instrumentation development as well as operation of fast neutron user facilities. Each team is led by an internationally recognised expert. The total project budget of £ 211k consists of STFC staff time, equipment, calibration at a third reference facility and travel&subsistence. The equipment cost includes silicon and diamond detectors, activation foils, electronics and SRAM based monitors. South Africa is the country that will directly benefit from this Official Development Assistance (ODA) project. A desired outcome of this project is to expand the international user base of the quasi-monoenergetic neutron beams at iThemba LABS for applications in irradiation testing of electronics. On top of being an international centre of excellence, the particle accelerators operated by iThemba LABS can make a huge contribution towards improving the quality of the lives of South African citizens. As an example of direct societal and regional benefit, iThemba LABS uses accelerated proton beams to facilitate the production of radiopharmaceuticals. These radioisotopes are used amongst others for PET imaging of neuroendocrine tumours, prostate cancer and positron annihilation studies. iThemba LABS in general contributes towards developing a cohort of future researchers in nuclear measurements, instrumentation, and related applications.
Optical diagnostics system for ion sources
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (UK) and iThemba LABS (South Africa) will collaborate on the development of optical diagnostics systems for ion sources. Optical diagnostics will be used to improve ion source availability for accelerators and their applications. The diagnostics system will guide decisions on adjustments of the ion source control parameters and provide information for the technological development of ion sources at iThemba LABS. The time-resolved optical diagnostics system will be first developed and tested in the UK using existing ion source test facilities at ISIS. The system will then be deployed in South Africa. The main features of the optical diagnostics system are good time-resolution, wavelength selectivity, capability for simultaneous monitoring of several emission bands and ease-of-use. The setup is based on bandpass filters providing selectivity and silicon photomultiplier detectors providing high-sensitivity and good temporal resolution. The proposed work builds on pioneering development of optical diagnostics at ISIS. The ISIS Low Energy Beams Group (LEBG) have used time-resolved optical diagnostics to study the plasmas of the ISIS Penning and prototype RF ion sources, and for the detection of beam-induced light emission to study the space charge compensation in the low energy beam transport. We will utilise the ion source and low energy beam transport test facilities at ISIS for further prototyping of the diagnostics tool developed for iThemba LABS, which makes the approach efficient and mitigates the risk related to the prototyping stage. The risk related to technology transfer is minimised by arranging a training period for iThemba LABS staff at ISIS where they are trained to use the prototype diagnostics device for monitoring a real ion source and to carry out the data analysis. The research teams at ISIS and iThemba LABS have a proven track-record in ion source and plasma diagnostics development as well as operation of ion sources at accelerator-based user facilities. Each team is led by an internationally recognised expert. The project budget consists of STFC staff time, equipment and travel & subsistence. The equipment cost includes vacuum components, optical fibres, optical components, spectrometers, silicon photomultiplier diodes, pre-amplifier components, power supplies, oscilloscopes and data acquisition computers. Several experimental campaigns attended by researchers from each laboratory will be conducted during the project. The country that will directly benefit from this Official Development Assistance (ODA) project is South Africa. The particle accelerators operated by iThemba LABS can make a huge contribution towards improving the quality of the lives of South African citizens. As an example of direct societal and regional benefit, iThemba LABS uses accelerated proton beams to facilitate the production of radiopharmaceuticals. These radioisotopes are used amongst others for PET imaging of neuroendocrine tumours, prostate cancer and positron annihilation studies. Some of these radioisotopes are used for cardiac and neurological applications and these are produced solely for local clients due to the half-life of the isotopes. iThemba LABS in general contributes towards developing a sufficiently trained cohort of future researchers. The charged particle beams of all these applications are delivered by the ion sources operated by iThemba LABS. The proposed technology transfer of the optical diagnostics system is foreseen to improve the usability and reliability of the ion sources, resulting in better utilisation of the accelerator facilities addressing these development goals and challenges.
International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) - Institutional Support Grant for Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible activities Aston University
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Institutional Support Grant has been awarded to the Aston University. This funding provides flexible institutional grants that can be used strategically to support activities that are Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliant as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This may include underpinning ISPF activity funded through other delivery partners, or by directly supporting research that addresses the problems faced by developing countries that are not funded through the ISPF grants of other delivery partners.
International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) - Institutional Support Grant for Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible activities University of Bath
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Institutional Support Grant has been awarded to the University of Bath. This funding provides flexible institutional grants that can be used strategically to support activities that are Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliant as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This may include underpinning ISPF activity funded through other delivery partners, or by directly supporting research that addresses the problems faced by developing countries that are not funded through the ISPF grants of other delivery partners.
International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) - Institutional Support Grant for Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible activities Bath Spa University
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Institutional Support Grant has been awarded to the Bath Spa University. This funding provides flexible institutional grants that can be used strategically to support activities that are Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliant as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This may include underpinning ISPF activity funded through other delivery partners, or by directly supporting research that addresses the problems faced by developing countries that are not funded through the ISPF grants of other delivery partners.
Advanced filters
To search for Programmes in a specific time period, please enter the start and end dates.