Tag: development cooperation

DevRes 2022 – Transforming Development Research for Sustainability

April 25, 2022 | News
Summer valley.

The upcoming DevRes conference will be held on August 22-24, 2022 and will be hosted by GlobeLife, a joint initiative of Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet. The conference will offer both onsite participation as well as digital live-streaming and chat functions. The 1st day of the conference will be at Uppsala University, the 2nd day fully online and the 3rd day at Karolinska Institutet.

SweDev at DevRes2022

More details will follow.

  • ‘Bridging research and policymaking in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda’: 13:30-14:30 on 22 August in Uppsala. Onsite participation only.
  • ‘Planetary health: the role of coastal ecosystems’: 11:00-12:00 on 22 August in Uppsala. Hybrid: onsite and online participation.
  • SweDev annual assembly: 23 August, 16:15-17:30 CEST. Mingle at 17:30-18.30. Learn more about SweDev, influence the workplan and meet SweDev’s secretariat and Steering Committee. The SweDev assembly is open to all. Join us online or in Uppsala. Registration is required. We invite all participants to a mingle after the event.

Transforming Development Research for Sustainability

The theme for the upcoming conference is ‘Transforming development research for sustainability, as It is becoming increasingly clear that sustainability is the key to our planet and the future of humanity. We must make haste at achieving this before 2030, estimated as the climate’s ‘tipping point’, which could lead to unpredictable consequences.

A major part of the conference will focus on how we can achieve sustainability in health for both humans and our planet. This requires that we look at transforming large parts of our society and restructuring systems within our society such as food and energy production, urban planning, digitization, education, preventive health work as well as health and social care.

In order to achieve this globally for all people and not just individual countries, we need to explore both new forms of cooperation and the generation of new knowledge. Here, research is absolutely essential if we are to discover novel systems that will ensure the longevity of our society.

About DevRes

The Development Research Conference (DevRes) was founded in 2016 as a multi-disciplinary forum for researchers working in fields linked to development and sustainability.

The conference aims to promote networking and collaboration between researchers, public agencies, policymakers, organisations and practitioners, in order to find solutions for poverty and develop strategies for the future of sustainable development.

Full programme
Register

New EBA call for project proposals

April 21, 2022 | News
Turbid waters spill out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Are you a development researcher based in Sweden with expertise in poverty issues, environment and climate or the steering of Swedish aid? Do you have an idea that is of relevance to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sida and other Swedish development cooperation actors?

The Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA) has decided to allocate funds for studies within any of its prioritised areas (poverty and its drivers; environment and climate; steering of Swedish aid). Funds are available for researchers active at institutions based in Sweden in order to conduct studies of direct relevance for the MFA, Sida and/or other Swedish development cooperation actors.

Find out more

The application is made in two separate steps. In a first round a project idea is briefly presented. Final day for project ideas is Sunday 22 May, 2022.

A review committee invites, after selection, short-listed applicants to provide a full application by 22 June, 2022. Final date to provide full applications is 14 August, 2022.

Call for papers: Up-scaling co-benefits of sustainable consumption for development

April 11, 2022 | Conference calls, News

Environmentally sustainable consumption is now high on the agenda of researchers and policymakers in rich countries. In low and middle-income countries, sustainable consumption is de facto already practised in various contexts, for instance when it comes to energy saving, shared mobility, decentral digital markets, (informal) repair and recycling services or innovative plastic re-use start-ups. Yet, such practices are often realized in settings of poverty, precarious working conditions and environmental hazards.

About the conference

This conference discusses the challenge of how to chart a pathway to sustainable consumption that is aligned with the economic aspirations of growing urbanizing middle classes, and at the same time creates economic benefits in terms of viable business innovations, decent work and good health conditions. Put differently: To unleash a virtuous cycle in which sustainable consumption and production reinforce each other and improve well-being.

The conference is jointly organized by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) and the Climate Change Center Berlin Brandenburg. The conference is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The conference addresses academics, policymakers, donor organisations and other non-governmental organisations interested in designing demand-side policies and programmes for a green transition.

Submission procedure and target journals

Interested applicants should send their paper title and abstract (max 600 words) to
with the subject line ”Conference co-benefits of sustainable
consumption”. DIE aims to publish the most interesting papers of the conference in a special issue. Target journals are Ecological Economics, the Journal of Cleaner Production or Global Environmental Change. Editors of the journal will be contacted before the workshop with a preliminary list of papers/authors after abstract selection.

Extended deadlines: 24 April 2022

More information
Learn about the conference

Senior researcher at the Folke Bernadotte Academy

March 22, 2022 | Jobs within the network

Do you want to be involved in and contribute to international peace, security and development? Do you want a meaningful and developing job where you make a difference? Apply for the role as senior researcher at the Folke Bernadotte Academy!

About the role

As senior researcher, you play a central role in the FBA’s mission to promote and conduct research aimed at the effective implementation of international peace efforts. You work with two areas of activity: own basic research (50% of working hours) and activities that aim to promote research and research application (50% of working hours).

As a senior researcher, you are the scientific engine in the program for research, development and evidence. You conduct empirical, context-based basic research of direct relevance to FBA’s areas of expertise, preferably based on fieldwork in conflict or post-conflict countries. You publish your research results in internationally reviewed journals and book series. Through your research, you also contribute to the FBA’s thematic development. The research is funded as a basic principle by FBA’s administrative grants. FBA can also be a fund manager for externally funded research projects, but then it is required that the research is judged to be of direct relevance to FBA’s areas of expertise.

An essential part of the activities that the program for research, development and evidence conducts consists of knowledge transfer and the promotion of dialogue between researchers, decision-makers and practitioners in the field of peace, security and development. As a senior researcher, you have a leading role in this work and your tasks therefore also include national and international seminar activities as well as other activities that can contribute to making research results visible and available. You fulfil an advisory function within FBA in the work of promoting research integration and an evidence-based approach. Your duties also include evaluating research applications, working with FBA’s own publications and representing the program for research, development and evidence internally and externally.

You collaborate closely and unpretentiously with your colleagues on the research, development and evidence program. Under the direction of the head of research, you work independently in all areas of activity and guide your administrative colleagues in the research-promoting work. Many tasks have an international dimension, which can involve daily international contacts.

Requirements

  • Doctoral degree in peace and conflict research or equivalent social science specialization that FBA deems equivalent
  • Documented deep experience of planning and leading independent efforts in empirical, scientific research regarding peace, security and development, preferably based on fieldwork in conflict or post-conflict environments. You prove your scientific skills by means of an attached list of your internationally reviewed scientific publications, popular science publications and other scientific merits. FBA assesses scientific merits in accordance with the principles for merit evaluation applied at Swedish higher education institutions.
  • Experience of communicating and translating research results into advisory or capacity-building activities.
  • Experience of planning, implementing and following up projects that require a developed social ability.
  • Documented good analytical, written and communicative ability.
  • Basic knowledge of Swedish.
  • Very good knowledge of English. You are expected to be able to publish in English without extensive language review.

FBA strives for a staff composition that reflects the diversity of society. We will attach great importance to your personal qualities which, together with previous experience, must be able to be verified when taking a reference.

About the Folke Bernadotte Academy

Folke Bernadotte Academy is the Swedish government agency for peace, security and development. As part of Sweden’s international development aid, we promote peace in conflict-affected countries.

FBA has over 150 employees in Sweden. The authority has offices on Drottning Kristina’s väg in Stockholm and on Sandö in Kramfors municipality.

Learn more and apply here
Working at FBA

Sida course on Results-Based Management (RBM)

March 8, 2022 | Education

Registration deadline: March 27

This Sida basic course improves the ability to apply Results-Based Management in projects and programs in development cooperation, such as planning, implementation and reporting of results. To be eligible for the course applicants are required to submit an ongoing or planned project/programme, in order to work with throughout the course.

After completing the course, you will be able to:

  • explain the logic of theory of change and its underlying assumptions;
  • sketch theories of change, stakeholder analyses and risk analyses based on own examples;
  • discuss how the different dimensions of poverty relates to and affects your own case/example;
  • improve the plan for monitoring of own case/example, taking into consideration qualitative as well as quantitative aspects; and
  • apply Results-Based Management in a given context and select relevant tools and methods.

Purpose

To strengthen the capacity of development actors to plan, implement, monitor and follow up programs and projects focusing on results and effects rather than activities. 

Target Group

Program/project managers within Swedish government agencies, civil society organisations, universities and the private sector involved in Swedish development cooperation or Swedish humanitarian assistance.

This course is primarily designed as a basic RBM course but it is also helpful for people with some previous experience and knowledge of the RBM approach. Each participant/organisation should bring a specific project/program to work with throughout the course.

If you are working for a non-Swedish organisation you need to be recommended by your Swedish partner organisation. The training is not targeted at private individuals.

Application

Sida encourages several participants (e.g. 2-4) from the same organisation to attend the course together, as this increases the probability that what you have learned during the course will have an impact on your organisation. You may also want to consider attending the course together with your international partners. 

Since sustainable change work requires a certain amount of time investment, it is essential that the participants are willing and have their manager’s permission to set aside time for development work even after the course days. Sida reserves the right to select participants with regards to group composition. 

Venue and additonal information

Sida Partnership Forum, Härnösand. Sida covers training costs, accommodation and meals. Participants only need to cover their travel costs. The course will be held in English.

Course Manager

Semira Osmanovic, Sida Partnership Forum 

Should you have any practical questions or concerns, please contact Therese Mattsson, Sida Partnership Forum.

Visit the official call
Apply here