Aid by Sector
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
(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.
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.
British Council - Research Collaboration Programme -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The global grant call funds bilateral and multi-country research and innovation collaborations under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) themes. With priorities set in collaboration with partner countries, the call funds three types of grants: Global Challenges Research, Translational Research Partnerships, and Futures Research and Policy Change. Global Challenges Research supports tackling global issues such as extreme weather, food and energy security, and the needs of growing and ageing populations through high-quality partnerships across disciplines, sectors, and nations. Translational Research Partnerships facilitate knowledge transfer and the application of research by engaging with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and other third parties, while Futures Research and Policy Change aims to create policy environments conducive to cutting-edge research. These grants provide seed or catalyst funding, with a focus on multi-country projects, especially those supporting work in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Research Collaboration grants offer small-scale seed funding for UK and ISPF country/territory partnerships. By addressing global challenges through integrated approaches, the program encourages high-quality, cross-disciplinary partnerships to foster innovation and research that have a profound impact on societal and economic issues worldwide, aligning with the primary objectives of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries.
British Council - International Research Empowerment Programme -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
International Research Empowerment Programme will fund bilateral/multilateral partnerships promoting knowledge exchange and access to new research environments to enhance the quality of UK and partner countries’ research and innovation environments. UK and partner country institutions will identity common capacity challenges, priorities, and solutions within the ISPF themes. LDC participation will be encouraged as well as engagement with the commercial and innovation sector. Activities might include but will not be limited to: 1)training programmes for researchers, research administrators, policy makers, researchers at R&D companies, 2)enhanced capacity of technology transfer offices in universities, 3)sharing of knowledge and good practices relevant to ISPF thematic priorities; 4)initiatives addressing gender inequality in science and research.
British Council - Early Career Fellowships Programme ( formerly Gender Equality & Inclusion Programme)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The Gender Equality and Inclusion Programme (GIP) encompasses a range of Level C activities aimed at fostering gender equality and inclusion within the realm of Research & Innovation (R&I). Key components include the Early Academic Fellowship scheme for Women in R&I, small gender-focused early career grants for researchers in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in collaboration with the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH), and a fund dedicated to implementing recommendations from gender analysis and evaluations conducted during the Newton Fund legacy period. Additionally, the programme provides training and networking opportunities to address the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) leadership roles, funding for conferences or roundtables on gender equality, diversity, and inclusion, and initiatives to build institutional capacity for integrating gender equality into research practices. The GIP also facilitates knowledge and practice sharing with UK and international partner organizations, including other International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Partner Organizations. Through the ISPF, the British Council will fund selected UK universities and research institutions to support at least three Early Career Fellowships, covering academic and living expenses. These fellowships aim to establish medium- to long-term partnerships between hosting and sending institutions, thereby strengthening research capacity at both individual and institutional levels and supporting the career development of individual researchers. A primary objective of this fellowship scheme is to nurture talent that will drive inclusion in Research & Innovation (R&I), ultimately fostering sustainable and impactful global research partnerships. This programme is ODA eligible as it directly addresses the primary objective of promoting the economic development and welfare of developing countries, specifically through capacity building in research and innovation. By targeting gender equality and inclusion, the programme not only advances Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) but also enhances the research capabilities of women in least developed countries, fostering economic growth and societal advancement. The funding of early career fellowships and the emphasis on sustainable partnerships between UK and partner country institutions are designed to create lasting impacts that contribute to the development of robust research ecosystems in developing countries, thereby aligning with the primary goals of ODA.
British Council - Amazonia Brazil / UK -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The Capacity Building for Amazonia +10 initiative focuses on the Brazilian Amazon and its under-represented groups, forming part of the broader Amazon+10 Initiative—a coalition of 25 State Research Foundations across Brazil established in 2022. This initiative aims to support and fund a sustainable development model for the Brazilian Amazon through Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I). With an initial investment of nearly £7 million in Research and development (R&D) projects across the nine states within the Legal Amazon, the strategy endeavors to foster a socio-biodiversity economy while enhancing collaboration networks and research opportunities for PhD and MSc researchers, whose capacity currently lags behind the national average. The proposal seeks to integrate with the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) by co-designing interventions with Brazilian partners to strengthen capacity and promote bilateral research collaborations, fostering engagement between UK and Brazilian researchers, particularly in the Legal Amazon and other contributing institutions. Workshops will cover topics such as biodiversity and climate change, protection of traditional communities, urban challenges, and bioeconomy to support sustainable development. Open to lead researchers from universities and research institutions in both the UK and Brazil, the grants aim to support international development, enhance early career researcher capacity, and establish or develop sustainable long-term research links. This initiative is ODA-eligible as it focuses on the economic development and welfare of the Brazilian Amazon, directly benefiting local communities by promoting sustainable development, enhancing research capacity, and fostering inclusive growth in a region classified as a developing area.
British Council - Convening for strategic collaboration: the ISPF Kenya Collaborative -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Building on the British Council's convening power and strong partnerships in Kenya, the programme will engage potential Kenya ISPF partners and grantees through initial consultation to scope out a process for regular peer-to-peer exchanges once the fund is underway. This initiative aims to foster robust cross-partnership collaboration, enhancing efficiencies and maximizing impact. It is expected to result in thematic convenings, the sharing of best practices, and the identification of lessons learned through a structured process overseen by the British Council in Kenya. The process will address scalability and replicability of approaches and outputs, aiming to foster cross-partner and cross-grantee connections while integrating sustainability and long-term impact from the outset. The British High Commission, fully supportive of this approach, has suggested co-chairing the collaborative effort with the British Council, which provides an excellent opportunity to link with other UK-funded programmes. The proposed strategy promises a more coherent portfolio of work, enabling DSIT and the UK in Kenya to develop a stronger offer and narrative when engaging with Kenyan Government counterparts. Furthermore, this programme is ODA eligible, as its primary objective is to promote the economic development and welfare of Kenya, a country eligible for Official Development Assistance, by enhancing collaborative networks and fostering sustainable development initiatives.
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.
British Council - Country-specific approaches to Research Capacity Strengthening -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Professional Development Programmes for policy makers or future leaders in research and science. This activity addresses country-specific capacity gaps relevant to International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) priority themes and partner country development objectives, and will realise impact at individual, institutional and system level. Programmes will be co-designed with national partners, and will be responsive to long term national priorities and ambitions. Activities and themes will include but will not be limited to: Need gap analysis (Egypt); research governance and management, leadership development, uptake of research for evidence-based policymaking (Jordan); research impact assessment system, knowledge/skills exchange and tech transfer; climate change science policy framework (Malaysia); awareness on Transformative Innovation Policy framework (Philippines); strengthening the capacity of academics and tech transfer professionals (South Africa). This activity will only be delivered in ODA eligible or Least Developed Countries (LDCs) settings, with a particular focus on bespoke needs and interest assessment from the design stage through co-delivered implementation. The ODA relevance will be assessed at the Level C design stage for each setting and again when any Level D grants or tenders are awarded. This programme has a direct Research Capacity Strengthening (RCS) benefit, supporting researchers and academics in ODA-eligible settings, and establishing needs and strategic interests of partners.
British Council - South Africa Programmes -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The South Africa Research Initiative (SARChi) has previously launched significant programs, such as the Bilateral and Trilateral Research Chairs and the South Africa (SA). University Staff Doctoral Programme, aimed at increasing the number of black and female academics with PhDs in South Africa, thereby driving systemic reforms. This initiative now encompasses two new activities: the Sub-Sahara African Analysis Centre (SASAC) Programme, which promotes regional research collaborations and capacity building for students, scholars, and academics from South Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Research Commercialisation Capacity Strengthening Programme, designed in collaboration with Universities South Africa, to facilitate the transfer of academic research into practical products and services that benefit society and the economy. The SARChI chair themes focus on critical areas such as marine ecosystems, food security, gender inclusivity, and clean energy, and these chairs are established in partnership with UK universities. The programme supports the enhancement of research practices and policies, expands research impact in the region, and strengthens research capacities, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The initiative is ODA eligible as its primary objective is to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries, ensuring the benefits are specifically directed towards enhancing academic and research capacities in these regions.
Ukraine Humanitarian Response Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
This programme supports life-saving interventions and protection for vulnerable people, including women and children, refugees and those internally displaced within Ukraine. This multi-sectoral programme supports a range of partner interventions in cash/food, medical, water and hygiene, education and shelter support, logistics, and gender-based violence, protection and anti-trafficking. This programme also provides in-kind items to partner governments, and contracts humanitarian expertise to enable an effective response and push for sufficient humanitarian access.
United Kingdom National Commission for the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
Provide Independent Advice on Education, Communication, Science and Culture in relation to UNESCO’s programme’s in order to improve their impact, ensuring benefits for all countries including the UK.
Listen, Learn & Leap: Co-producing Equitable and Sustainable Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience in East African Cities
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
"Cities in East Africa face various challenges that exacerbate climate-related risks and complicate resilience-building. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, the potential to realise a more resilient future is also intimately tied to water and nature. This is especially the case for those living in informal settlements (who constitute the majority in both cities), many of which are located within waterways and floodplains that are highly exposed to hydrometeorological hazards and lack adequate drainage, sanitation or drinking water to meet the needs of residents. In these cities as elsewhere, social norms and power relations that designate responsibility for water collection, cooking, cleaning and other care work to women and girls and restrict their mobility outside the home, mean that they are more affected than men and boys by water deprivation and the socio-spatial risks associated with flooding, inadequate water supply and sanitation, and are the first responders to severe flooding and other hazards. These riparian areas are also locations where urban natural assets and buffers are being rapidly lost due to continued urbanisation. Interest in, and awareness of, the potential for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to support climate adaptation and mitigate environmental risks while also realising various social benefits has been growing. However, there is a lack of evidence and understanding of local experiences of NbS, particularly in low-income informal settlements. Furthermore, a preference for large-scale grey infrastructure projects and related hesitance in policy and planning circles to recognise and invest in localised NbS continues to hinder municipal resilience-building efforts. Yet top-down engineered solutions often fail to reach those most in need, and rarely include community perspectives; young people who make up 70 percent of the population in Kenya and Tanzania remain excluded from urban planning and decision-making. Our project responds to these challenges and aims to fill existing knowledge gaps by exploring the socio-political factors that support the uptake, sustainability and institutionalisation of NbS in African cities. Our objectives are to: 1) Listen: documenting existing knowledge, experiences of, and experiments in managing water risks through NbS to enhance our understanding of the context-specific and communal factors that shape the equity, efficiency and sustainability of NbS, and the barriers and entry points for scaling-up or mainstreaming community-driven interventions into urban planning processes; 2) Learn: by facilitating the co-production of community-driven NbS in informal settlements and developing methodologies that produce actionable knowledge of the environmental, socio-cultural, financial and institutional considerations that drive or derail equitable, sustainable and resilient NbS to urban water issues; 3) Leap: fostering cross-sectoral municipal and regional dialogue and knowledge exchange between community-based organisations, civil society and institutional actors to identify common goals and practical guidance around institutionalising and scaling-up inclusive community-led NbS to advance equitable urban climate resilience in East Africa and beyond. Co-production is central to this action-research to ensure that our inquiry into the possibilities and dilemmas of NbS is grounded in the human experience. We argue that engaging young people, and especially adolescent women and girls, is critical to ensuring that urban resilience-building policies and interventions are both equitable and sustainable in the longer term. The strengths and capacities of our team to deliver this research stems from our diverse disciplinary backgrounds, strong relationships with key city actors, and our track-record in delivering co-produced, community-driven interventions in informal settlements, and leveraging those voices and experiences into policy and planning forums in Nairobi and Dar."
Co-designing effective Nature-based Solutions in coastal West Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Communities living near coasts are increasingly at risk from coastal flooding as climate change raises sea-levels and causes storms to occur more frequently. Mangrove forests can help protect communities from this threat, as they reduce the energy of waves and storm surges, and trap sediment to help coasts keep pace with rising sea levels. Despite their benefit, a third of mangroves in West Africa have been lost since 1980. Mangrove wood is an important source of fuel and construction material for communities living nearby, and there are also pressures to use the land mangroves grow on for salt production and rice farming. Many interventions have been tried to protect mangroves, but these can have far-reaching consequences for people and the environment, and create novel mangrove landscapes which may not protect communities in the same way as natural mangroves. This project will generate new knowledge about the feedbacks from different interventions and the effectiveness of different mangrove landscapes at protecting communities, and use this to support communities in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to design solutions to protect and restore mangroves, and protect themselves from climate change risks. We will build on the knowledge communities have of mangroves, their changes and their relationship with people, and work with communities to imagine different ways of living with mangroves. We will then collect the evidence needed to evaluate these different scenarios. This includes making measurements and models of how different mangrove landscapes protect communities from flooding, looking at how sensitive this protection is to processes such as mining or forest loss along the rivers upstream of the mangroves, and seeing whether different strategies to protect mangroves affect some people more than others. We will examine these results with communities, refining scenarios and models to arrive at co-designed solutions. We will then work with communities to identify whether they have the power to implement these solutions, and identify how governments and other organisations can help support communities to protect and restore mangroves. We will assess whether the suitability of different approaches for protecting and restoring mangroves depends on the environment or on social factors. For example, some rivers carry a lot of sediment which could be trapped by small areas of mangroves, while other rivers have less sediment which may not be effectively trapped by small patches of mangroves. Likewise, options for people to switch from cutting mangroves to getting wood from alternative sources will depend on how close other forests are, the amount of land available for planting new trees, and the ease of bringing wood in from further afield. We will work in six different river catchments in three countries in West Africa, which differ in many environmental and social characteristics including how close they are to urban areas where products can be easily bought or sold, the amount of forest loss along the rivers and experience of past civil conflicts. We will work with communities in three areas within each catchment, allowing us to see the effect of differences in livelihoods and customs on possible solutions. These lessons learnt about the importance of context will be valuable for informing efforts to protect and restore mangroves across the region.
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