Irish Aid SDG Challenge for Sustainable Solutions

Are you a team of researchers whose goal is to develop transformative and sustainable solutions that addresses development challenges? Do your goals also align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in countries where Irish Aid operates? Then, the Irish Aid SDG Challenge is for you.

The Irish Aid SDG Challenge is one that aims to support transdisciplinary teams in developing sustainable solutions that will help to tackle development challenges. Benefits abound when your team participates in this challenge.

Do check below for more details:

Key Requirements

• Eligibility: Open to collaborative research teams based in eligible research institutions in Ireland and partner countries. Applicants can also include broader opportunities where solutions may have wider impact and may encourage learning for regional and sub-regional use.
• Team Composition: Teams must include a range of technical and non-technical skills, and represent collaborative and equitable partnerships between researchers in Ireland and the partner country. At least two academic researchers must be part of the core team, with at least one from a relevant STEM discipline.
• Solution Impact: Solutions should demonstrate context-specific expected impact in one of Irish Aid’s partner countries, with potential for broader regional and sub-regional applicability.

Funding and Phases

Successful teams will receive up to €300k in funding, progressing through three distinct phases to develop their ideas, with a total prize award of €1M for the team showing the highest potential for transformative impact.

• Concept Phase: This phase provides direct funding of €50k and lasts for 6 months.
• Seed Phase: In this phase, teams receive €250k in direct funding, with a duration of 12 months.
• Prize Award: The final phase awards €1M and spans 24 months.

Funding should be appropriately allocated to reflect the various contributions of the team members, including the Team Lead/Team Co-Lead based in an eligible Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Ireland and the Partner Country Team Co-Lead based in the partner country. Detailed information on eligible costs and funding levels is available in the call document.

Application Deadline: 8 October, 2024

For more details and to apply, please visit the Official Webpage of the Irish Aid SDG Challenge.