The global change organisation SysTem for Analysis, Research, and Training (START) is calling for pre-proposals for grants in support of one year of research related to global environmental change in Africa. START seeks pre-proposals from African scientists for one-year projects.

The pre-proposal must provide specific information on how the proposed research will contribute to:

• Improving knowledge of the Earth’s changing climate and environment, including its natural variability, and/or how the research will improve understanding of the causes of observed variability and change.
• Improving quantification of the driving forces of changes in the Earth’s climate and systems.
• Reducing uncertainty in projections of how the Earth’s climate and related systems may change in the future.
• Understanding the sensitivity and adaptability of different natural and managed ecosystems and human systems to climate and related global changes.
• Assessing impacts, adaptation, and risk management strategies related to climate variability and change.

The deadline for application is August 15 2008.

The pre-proposal may draw upon various science plans including the Plan of the African Network for Earth System Science (AfricanNESS), the Plans of the International Council for Science Regional Office for Africa (ICSU RoA), and other relevant documents from intergovernmental and multi-lateral organisations.

Specific information should be provided on how the proposed research may:

• contribute to global change science knowledge in Africa;
• create long-term, collaborative research partnerships among African scientists and scientists in developed countries;
• enhance the understanding of the impacts and consequences of global changes in Africa;
• provide outreach to scientists, policy makers, and the general public; and
• encourage participation of African researchers in international global change research programmes.

Click here to download the application form for pre-proposals in MS Word format. Email the form to start-proposals@agu.org