Knowledge2Action Mobility Subsidy

Explore K2A’s latest mobility grant for early career researchers and senior researchers belonging to universities in Switzerland and South Asia. Applications will open on August 31 and must be submitted by 30 October 2023. The mobility will take place between January and December 2024.

 

The K2A mobility grant is available for early career researchers and senior researchers from the Cluster of Cooperation (CLOC) network universities in South Asia to pursue field work, research and or teaching at a university/institution in another South Asian country or at a Swiss university/institution. The purpose of travel could be for carrying out field visits, research collaborations, concrete implementation of research results and/or teaching initiatives. The fund awarded as part of the mobility grant will be dependent on the duration of the research stay.

The CLOC Knowledge2Action (K2A) has supported a wide range of projects on environmental sustainability and social wellbeing, and has led to the generation of contextualised scientific knowledge for the advancement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). More so, it sup- ports and encourages co-creation of knowledge with people and communities concerned with the changing reality imposed by the ongoing and expanding socio-environmental crisis.

Criteria

Umja Ambalal (right) and Praba Maya, both members of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), a trade union for poor, self-employed women in the informal sector, work at a factory that makes modular roofs for slum houses. They enjoy the supportive work environment of the factory, which collaborates with SEWA to train the women, and have more secure and steady daily incomes than when they worked as construction labourers.

• Applicants must choose a host institution for the entire period of the subsidy.
• Senior researchers must give one to three lectures, seminars or a workshop at the host university during the mobility subsidy period.
• Applicants must provide a support letter from the supervisor or collaborator of the host university which details the level of support given by them during the research stay. This invitation letter from the host university should specify the scope of research collaboration and the teaching/workshop/ lecture elements the visitor would be engaging in. Additionally, it should contain details on re- search infrastructure like desk space, access to research equipment and the research ecosystem like access to the local network, and access to knowledge resources (access to the library, journal access etc) during the research stay.

Funding amounts

The period of research stay must be a minimum of 3 weeks. The subsidy is available for
• South-South (Flight + 20 CHF per diem subsidy up to a total of 1000 CHF)
• South-North (Flight + 100 CHF per diem subsidy up to a total of 4200 CHF)
• North-South (Flight + 20 CHF per diem subsidy in up to a total of 1700 CHF)

The fund awarded as part of the mobility subsidy will be dependent on the duration of the research stay.

The applicant must demonstrate the capacity to co-finance the mobility either via the host institution or other research funding, including other grants. This can also include in-kind contributions like ac- commodation and food allowance.

For mobility within South Asia, the applicant or the host needs to be a member of the K2A network, while membership to K2A is not a criterion for mobility between South Asia and Switzerland.

Checklist

Applications must be submitted as a combined PDF file with the following mandatory documents:
– Letter of motivation
– Curriculum vitae
– A support letter from the supervisor or collaborator of the host university which details the level of support given by them during the research stay. It should specify the scope of research collaboration and the teaching/workshop/lecture elements the visitor would be engaging in. It should also contain details on access to research infrastructure (like desk space), access to research ecosystem such as connections to local networks, and access to knowledge resources (libraries, journal access etc) during the research stay.
– Action plan for the duration of stay
– Proposed budget for the research grant (including travel allowance and weekly expenditure)
The applications are open till 30 October 2023, and the mobility will take place between January and December 2024.

Apply here