Application Submission Guidelines for
ProSPER.Net Joint Research Project 2023-2024
I. Background and Objectives
The 2021 synthesis report by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
identified the urgent need to enhance the capacities of State Parties, particularly developing countries,
in the areas of methodology and tools, data and information and institutional arrangements related tothe measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) and transparency responses to climate change1. To
address such capacity gaps, State Parties emphasized the pivotal role of climate education measures,among others, such as updating formal, informal and non-formal education curricula and programmesin accordance with the Action for Climate Empowerment denoted in the Paris Agreement2. Further
elaborated was the importance of capacity-building, including technical capacity, as a prerequisite forthe implementation of each State Party’s Nationally Determined Contribution.
As COP26 brought world leaders to agree on a new 10-year Work Programme on Action for Climate
Empowerment to promote climate education, youth engagement and public participation3, concretemechanisms and their implementation must be accelerated to achieve the Paris Agreement goal oflimiting global warming below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. In response to the strong need todevelop higher education mechanisms in addressing the global climate crisis, UNU-IAS is establishinga new postgraduate programme on the Specialisation on the Paris Agreement (SPA). The SPA course,which is planned to be launched in September 2023 as part of the master’s or doctoral degree
programme in UNU-IAS, aims to hone future leaders of practitioners and government officials withinstitutional and technical capacities to implement and accelerate climate action in their homecountries and beyond.
Underlining the critical role of higher education and research institutions in advancing climate change
education, UNU-IAS also intends to utilize its existing research and educational networks andprogrammes including engaging ProSPER.Net members to produce joint research collaborations tocontribute to climate action. In particular, member institutions are encouraged to develop courses
anchored in the implementation of the Paris Agreement through ProSPER.Net’s Joint Research Project
platform.
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Capitalizing on the synergies and successful partnerships in the ProSPER.Net, the Joint Research Projectin 2023-2024 is aimed at developing postgraduate-level courses that are aligned with the key
competencies for the implementation and reinforcement of the Paris Agreement. Its objectives are thefollowing:1.

To identify key competencies for the effective implementation and reinforcement of the ParisAgreement based on research and scientific literature; and2.

To design postgraduate-level courses based on these identified competencies for coimplementation within (and beyond) the member institutions of the project proponent team.

II. Course Design Expectations
Course topics of the submitted proposals are not specified by the ProSPER.Net Secretariat but must
adhere to the objectives of the Joint Research Project. No limitations are set as to the number ofcourses in the submission, and regular courses and/or practicums for either master or doctoral degreelevel may be proposed.
The subject and learning objectives of each proposed course must be research-supported and oriented
towards developing specific competencies for the implementation and reinforcement of the ParisAgreement. Course topics may include, but are not limited to, Climate change and SDGs synergy, Foodsystem, biodiversity and nature-based solutions for climate change, Governance for climate policy, andEnhancing MRV and transparency system. No requirement is specified as to the methods of teaching,class offering and learning assessment tools. Each course may also be designed in a modular fashion
with several shorter and focused components (modular courses).
The project proponents are encouraged to design courses suitable for co-implementation among thepartner universities involved and adopt an appropriate course modality for a wider reach of students.
Pilot implementation within the partner institutions and evaluation of the courses are recommended.

III. Outcome
The built courses with topics specialised on the critical aspects laid out in the Paris Agreement areexpected to provide students with climate-informed knowledge and practices necessary for theimplementation and achievement of Nationally Determined Contributions including climate datacollection and management, climate data interpretation, analysis and translation, and sustaining andimprovement of MRV and transparency mechanisms (SDG 13 Target 13.3, 13.b). In addition, the course
development based on the Paris Agreement implementation will advance the contribution of2

educational institutions for climate action and emphasize the importance of climate change education
as an integral part of education for sustainable development (SDG 4 Target 4.7). Attaining the network’scommitment to promote sustainability in postgraduate education, the joint research proposals willfurther contribute to the strengthening of alliance within the ProSPER.Net in catalyzing climate action
for its broader role in achieving the sustainable development agenda (SDG 17 Target 17.16).

IV. Selection Process1.

Proposals shall comply with the submission guidelines specified herewith by the ProSPER.Net
Secretariat and shall follow the format in Annex 1: Application Template.

2.

Each proposal shall be prepared by a project proponent team with at least three ProSPER.Netmember institutions. Each team shall designate a Leading Institution where the project
Principal Investigator is affiliated.

3.

Applications shall be submitted to the ProSPER.Net Secretariat responsible for screening andsubmitting the applications to the ProSPER.Net Expert Advisory Panels which will examineand evaluate the received proposals according to the criteria described in V. Evaluation
Criteria. A representative from a member institution of the shortlisted proposals will berequired to make a short presentation at the Board Meeting for final evaluation in October
2022.

4.

The Expert Advisory Panels shall make recommendations to the Director of UNU-IAS throughthe Secretariat regarding all aspects of the project, based on the evaluation criteria andapproval conditions.

Successful proposals are expected to commence their research activities in January 2023 and becompleted within one year in accordance with the contract to be prepared. The funding amount
per approved project will be up to 25,000 USD.

V. Evaluation Criteriaa) Project rationale – Background and objectives of the proposed courses shall be based on
identified needs related to the implementation and reinforcement of the Paris Agreement suchas technical, policy and institutional capacity gaps justified through review of research andscientific literature.
b) Strength of methodology – Logic of the research outputs and activities, and approaches tocarry out each research activity such as course design, pilot testing and course evaluationconsidering the roles of the project members and the relationships with other stakeholders
shall be described justly and thoroughly.
3c) Transdisciplinarity – Contents of the developed courses shall cross many disciplinary
boundaries to synergize and create a holistic outcome.
d) Extent of participation – A minimum of three ProSPER.Net members is required to participate
in the development and implementation stages of the project.
e) Project sustainability – Joint Research Project fundings are seed funds that shall help
institutions initiate a project and therefore, sustainability of the project in the long term shallbe demonstrated, in a way that continuity of activities and adoptability of the developed
courses to benefit all ProSPER.Net members and beyond are ensured.
f)Innovation and agility – Given the increasing uncertainties and challenges in conducting anddisseminating research activities and outputs under the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed
research shall demonstrate innovative and agile approaches to identifying research topics ofemerging needs and facilitating the timely delivery of the research outputs.

VI. Other Considerations
1. For proponents•

Proponents of completed ProSPER.Net joint research projects in the previous years areencouraged to submit new applications based on the outcomes of their completed jointresearch.

•The course topics in the proposal covering the intersecting aspects of the Paris Agreement may
be designed based on the combination of the three ProSPER.Net thematic areas: Planet:
Climate change; Prosperity: Circular economy; and People: Equity and inclusivity.

2. For successful applications•The disbursement of the funding amount shall be divided into three stages: initial, mid-term,and final. The project team shall advance their own funding and reimbursement of funds shalltake place only after formal conditions are met, according to the agreed terms andrequirements stipulated in the contract to be prepared. Please note that UNU-IAS can only payfor expenditures occurred during the contract period. The Leading Institution of the project
shall be responsible for project fund management.

•For projects that receive or require additional funding external to the amount provided byProSPER.Net, the funding amount shall be reported in the Budget Sheet (See 8. Finance andCost Estimates) and the interests of external donors shall be considered accordingly by theSecretariat.

•Approved joint projects must also author three brief articles for the ProSPER.Net bulletin, 1) tointroduce the research project to the network, 2) to give a mid-term update on the project andwhat has been found, and 3) at the end of the project briefly communicating the results to the4

network and announcing other outputs.
•Mid-term and final reports are obligatory for ProSPER.Net joint projects, and both the midterm and final reports are separate documents than the other required outputs. The templates
for reporting can be found on the ProSPER.Net website.

•If successful proposals are deemed apt for integration into the SPA curriculum, attractive
mechanisms enabling the partner universities to confer joint diploma, recognize credit transfer
system or develop co-teaching procedures, among others, will be considered upon deliberationof academic rules and regulations of the involved institutions.

5References:
1) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. September 2021. Problems, constraints,
lessons learned and capacity-building needs in preparing national communications and biennial update
reports. Retrieved from: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/tp2021_02.pdf
2) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. September 2021. Nationally determined
contributions under the Paris – Synthesis Report by the Secretariat. Retrieved from:https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2021_08_adv_1.pdf
3) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. November 2021. COP26 The Glasgow
Climate Pact. Retrieved from: https://ukcop26.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/COP26-PresidencyOutcomes-The-Climate-Pact.pdf

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