WRI Indonesia : Call for Research Proposal - Peatland Monitoring in Southeast Asia

 CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Sustainable Peatland Management in ASEAN Countries

January 2021

 

 

WRI Indonesia, as part of the People For Peat Coalition, seeks to commission support of individual consultants to carry out research on specific topics on sustainable peatland management in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR under the European Union supported Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA) program.

 A total award of EUR 50,112 is available for conducting research under the SUPA program on the subject:

 

Peatland Monitoring in Southeast Asia (Three research proposals will be selected)

Maximum grant: EUR 16,704/research project(*)

Sub-topics:

1.     Peat fire monitoring and prevention

Possible Approaches

      Combination of remote sensing and citizen science

      Real-time alert systems aimed at key stakeholders for fire control

Priority countries: Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia

2.    Groundwater Level (GWL) monitoring

      Cost-effective systems that require low technical knowledge and minimal maintenance

Priority countries: Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand

 

(*) subject to applicable taxes as regulated by both Indonesia and the applicant’s country of origin

WRI Indonesia expects the work to commence starting in April 2021, for the maximum period of 8 months for each research. The applicants are strongly recommended to choose one of the sub-topics based on the priority country as mentioned above.

 

About the World Resources Institute

Founded in 1982, The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future.

 

About WRI Indonesia

WRI Indonesia is a national entity (Yayasan) associated with the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. WRI works with various stakeholders in the natural resources sector to support policy and management that are both profitable and sustainable. WRI has worked with leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 30 years, with offices in the United States, Brazil, China, Europe, India, and Indonesia. Launched in early 2014, WRI Indonesia builds on WRI’s 10-year history in the country, focusing on forests and land-use governance and strengthening our impact on the ground. In the short-to-medium-term, WRI Indonesia aims to expand its presence and portfolio to include climate, energy, as well as cities, transportation, and peatlands restoration programs.

 

About People For Peat and the EU-SUPA Component 2 project

The European Union (EU) has awarded a coalition People For Peat (PFP), consisting of the World Resources Institute (WRI), Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre (TRCRC), and Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau (IDH) a grant to mitigate haze within ASEAN by enhancing sustainable use of peatlands (SUPA). The project consists of two components, the first one will work with State Actors and the second component, which will be implemented by the coalition, will focus on encouraging non-state actor (NSA) participation in sustainable management and use of peatlands through collective actions. The direct targets of the second component include village communities, Civil Society Organizations, academicians, researchers, private sectors, and financial institutions. The three-year grant (October 2019 – October 2022) will result in:

 

·         The increase of knowledge about sustainable peatlands management among NSAs;

·         The availability of an innovative business hub to facilitate collaborative business development in peatlands;

·         The increase in awareness and capacity among NSAs to manage the peatlands sustainably.

 

PFP has conducted discussions and consultations with key experts from eight targeted countries, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lao PDR, to get insight on sustainable peatland management in each country. Through a series of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Conferences of Parties (COPs) from March to December 2020, PFP has identified knowledge gaps on peatland management in the eight countries mentioned above. The call for eleven research consultancy services are expected to contribute to filling up knowledge gaps which will serve as an important reference for better management of peatland within the framework of the SUPA.

 

OBJECTIVE

The overall objective of this call for research proposals is to improve the understanding of peatlands towards sustainable peatland management by providing scientific-based evidence related to peatland monitoring.  The targeted countries are Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lao PDR.

 

SCOPE OF WORK

To fill the existing gap regarding sustainable peatland management in each country, we are looking to support  researchers to conduct research based on predetermined topics. We encourage the researchers to choose research titles in accordance with the sub-topics that have been determined. In addition, we encourage researchers to choose research sites where research with similar topics have never previously been conducted.

 

The primary role of the researcher is to:

1.        Ensure an appropriate and robust methodology for the research that is crucial to be conducted to fill the gaps on sustainable peatland management;

2.       Conduct the research well based on the research design that is developed by the researcher;

3.       Develop the final research report with the summary of research results;

4.       Write the scientific paper to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

 

It is important that the researcher must be familiar with sustainable peatland management issues in the targeted countries.

 

OUTPUT/DELIVERABLE(S)

1.        A final research report containing the data and analysis results from the research activities, conclusion, and recommendation

2.       A summary of research results

3.       A scientific journal publication

 

TIMING

The selected winners are expected to provide the services described under “Scope of Work” from

April 1st to November 30th for a maximum period

 

WHO CAN APPLY?

Eligible

1.        Individual and/or team of researchers who are not currently employed by or under contractual work with state agencies and institutes, including state universities and (government/state) research centers.

2.       Nationality of one of the eight countries of the research location

3.       Nationality other than the eight countries but currently residing or working in the eight countries during the period of the research consultancy

Ineligible

1.        Civil Servants and other state agencies employees

2.       Nationality other than the eight ASEAN countries of the research locations and currently not residing in the eight countries during the period of research consultancy

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS

Applicants must demonstrate:

·         Knowledge of peatlands context

·         Sound knowledge of research methods and a flexible approach to data collection

·         Previous experience conducting primary research individually or in a team

·         Strong quantitative data collection and analysis skills

·         Experience working in the field

·         Good written and verbal communication skills in English

·         Good understanding of the ethical issues of carrying out research

 

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

The research proposal will not exceed ten pages. It should address the following questions:

·         Issue: Describe the larger context. What will scientific problems be addressed?

·         Research questions: What questions are the Applicant asking and investigating?

·         Hypothesis: What debates, experiences, concepts, readings, etc., influenced or motivated this inquiry? How are these questions linked to the research agenda?

·         Research design: How will the Applicant conduct the research? This section includes the conceptual/theoretical framework, method, data collection, and analysis procedures.

·         Timeline: What will happen during this research and when? When does the research begin and end? Statement of significance: How does this research contribute to the larger knowledge base on the peatland issue?  How will it influence the legal framework development? How does it benefit learners and other key stakeholders?

·         Scientific paper writing: PFP requests the selected Applicant to publish the research results in scientific journals, which is decided by the PFP once the Applicant has selected. However, the PFP needs to understand also what other ideas does the Applicant have for presenting and/or sharing the research results?

Additional questions:

The following questions are in addition to the research proposal. The answers from the Applicant should be clear and succinct.

·         Selected References: An extensive reference list is not required; please provide enough to demonstrate appropriate background knowledge for conceptual/theoretical framework and design, but no more than ten sources.

·         Budget: Applicants are required to include a budget outlining each item and a rationale for each expenditure.

 

TIMELINE FOR SELECTION PROCESS

1.       The deadline for research proposal submission is 1st March 2021

2.      Interview process (2nd March – 17th March 2021)

3.       The selected candidates will be announced on  18th March 2021

4.       The research period is a maximum of eight months

 

Upon selection process, the selected researcher is requested to give a presentation to the PFP coalition, outlining:

·         Preliminary presentation before the research begin

·         Middle term presentation, after the data collection has been completed

·         The final presentation, after the data analysis has been done

 

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST, DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS, AND PROPOSAL

Upon submitting your interest to the WRI job portal: https://jobs.jobvite.com/wri/job/oCEAefwO applicant must submit the proposal by 1st March 2021, 17:00 (GMT+7) to the following detail. Answers to the questions will be shared with all parties who have asked questions or otherwise expressed interest.

 

WRI Indonesia Contact Name                     : Satya Budi Utama

Title                                                                    : EU-SUPA Project Lead                   

Email addresses                                               satya.utama@wri.org (primary)

                                                                                Cc to: eli.sari@wri.org

 

SELECTION PROCESS

No proposal development costs shall be charged to WRI Indonesia, and all expenses are to be borne by the bidders. WRI may award to the bidder offering the best value without discussions. However, WRI reserves the right to seek bidder clarifications and to negotiate with those bidders deemed to be within a competitive range.

 

WRI may, at its discretion and without explanation to the prospective vendors, etc., choose to discontinue this RFP without obligation to such prospective vendors or make multiple awards under this RFP. As part of the selection process, selected bidders could be invited to present their proposal to the WRI Indonesia procurement team

 

DATA SHARING PROTOCOL

The sharing of data generated by these research activities is an essential part of PFP. PFP would wish to make the research results available both to PFP and the researcher, with the following condition:

1.        The raw data generated from this research activity belongs to PFP and the researcher

2.       The PFP may use this data for PFP purposes without the consent of the researcher

3.       The researcher can use this data for the researcher purposes without the consent of the PFP

4.       If there is a third party, either from the PFP side or the researcher side, who will utilize this research data, then there must be approval both from the PFP and the researcher

5.       Any violations committed in connection with the use of this data will be subject to sanctions