Call for applications for Danida Fellows Networkers Grant 2024

Danida Fellowship Centre is pleased to announce a new call for Danida Fellows Networkers Grants.

Sharing knowledge, and transforming knowledge into action, is essential for finding sustainable solutions to the global challenges facing us today. However, this does not happen by itself. It requires a concerted effort and dedicated change makers to transform knowledge into action.

As a member of Danida Fellows Network, you are part of a unique global network of skilled professionals, who have either completed a Danida Fellowship Centre learning programme or been part of a DFC administered research project. Through these programmes and projects, you have gained skills and knowledge that can inform positive change across different actors and sectors. Especially when catalysed through collaboration and partnerships, this change can lead to meaningful action that holds the potential for leaving a significant impact on your professional field of expertise and beyond.

The Danida Fellows Networkers Grants provide funds for smaller scale initiatives that foster dialogue, collaboration and action across stakeholders within an organisation or across a sector.

What can be supported?

The Danida Fellows Networkers Grants provide funding for initiatives that aim to foster dialogue and collaboration within or across sectors, thereby convening relevant stakeholders from the public sector, academia, business and civil society.

The activity must have the following overall aims:

• Spreading new knowledge and fostering debate and change within a thematic area related to participation in a DFC activity.*
• Contribute to the further institutionalisation within organisations and sectors of new knowledge and skills derived from a DFC activity.
• Inspire joint formulation of concrete solutions or initiatives.

*A DFC activity could be a DFC funded learning programme, a DFC administered research project or other relevant DFC activities.

You can apply for a grant with financial support of up to 35.000 DKK for an activity or event with the following objectives:

1. Promoting knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration within or across sectors/disciplines.
2. Promote collaboration between stakeholders within a specific theme, for example Green Transition, Digitalization, Public Private Partnership, Climate Change or Health.
3. Strengthening your local alumni network and mobilising its membership and/or creating sub-networks within a thematic area (for example within Energy in a specific country amongst Danida Alumni)
4. Engaging a minimum of 50 people.

It should be observed that all Networkers Grants must target 1, 2 and 4 whereas 3 is optional. All proposals should clearly state the change the initiatives or participation would contribute to achieve and how, as well as the method for documenting the change. All recipients must commit to provide stories and documentation to this effect.

Who can apply?

Danida Fellowship Centre offers Networkers Grants to alumni, who are members of the global Danida Fellows Network. You are automatically a member if you have participated in a Danida Fellowship learning programme or a DFC administered research project (a DFC activity).

NOTE: DFC Fellows associated with DFC administered research projects that have previously received a Science Engagement Grant from DFC, or are planning to apply for one, are not eligible for this grant. However, researchers are highly encouraged to take part in – and contribute to – activities funded by Networkers Grants, regardless of whether their project has received additional financing through a DFC Science Engagement Grant.

When to apply?

The deadline for this call for proposals is Wednesday 13 March 2024 at 12:00 PM (noon) CET. Applications will be accepted only if submitted via the online application form.

Grant applicants will be informed of the outcome of their applications within four weeks of the application deadline.

The conditions for receiving a Networkers Grant

Before you finalise and submit your application

• Liaise, and plan, with the coordinating team of your local alumni network: If you have an idea for an activity or event, find out if there is a local alumni network in your country (find information here or contact nextstepnetworking@dfcentre.dk). If such a network exists, start by contacting the coordinator of the network in order to coordinate your activity with the wider alumni programme in your country. Please note that in the application form you will be asked to name the coordinator(s) with whom you have discussed your proposed activity.
• Incorporate the wider alumni network: Make a clear and realistic plan for engaging as many relevant Danida alumni as possible from the local area in your activity/event.
• Identify relevant DFC administered research projects: explore if there are any relevant DFC administered research projects in your country/region and consider the possibility of incorporating them into your event either as facilitators or participants. You can access the Danida Research Portal here.

Eligible costs & budget requirements

The amount applied for in DKK must be indicated in the application form and the costs must be broken down and quoted in the relevant budget lines. The grant must only be used to cover eligible costs included in the budget submitted with the application.

The budget may include

• Hire of venue(s) or professional online platform
• Refreshments (snacks and drinks)
• Supplies for the event (such as stationery, printing of training manuals or similar)
• Small payment to external (non-alumni) keynote speaker, lecturer, expert or similar
• Communications costs (such as graphic design, flyers, video, photography or similar)
• Logistical expenses (delivery costs for supplies, rental of additional equipment)
• Note that only 10% of the budget may be used for logistical expenses such as transport

Important: Accommodation costs are not eligible under this call.

Co-funding of the activity by other sources is strongly encouraged.

How are the grant applications assessed?

A Selection Committee at DFC will select the successful grant applications based on the following criteria:

• How well the activity responds to the objectives of this call, listed at the top of this document.
• Value for money, including the extent to which there are plans for reaching out to a broad number of participants
• Co-funding from other financial contributors (including alumni)

As part of the selection process, DFC reserves the right to consider a diverse selection of activities, and wide-ranging subject matter aimed at varied target groups in as many different countries/regions as possible.

What to do if the grant is awarded?

• Inform the Danish Embassy: You should inform the Danish Embassy or Consulate in your country in good time, possibly inviting a representative to attend the event.
• Inform the national alumni network (if there is one) in your country: Activities/events may or may not be open to the general public and include external partners and stakeholders. In any event, the national coordinating group must be informed in good time when and where the event takes place, so that that they may assist with e.g. contact to the Danish Embassy or sending out invitations to alumni.

• Publicise and communicate: It is the responsibility of the organising team to ensure that the activity is widely publicised for all relevant participants well ahead of the event. Furthermore, an invitation must be posted on the Danida Fellows Network Facebook page well in advance of the event. After the event, photos and videos, etc. must be shared on the same platforms. Note that in connection with all public communications concerning the event, it must be stated that the grant was provided by Danida Fellowship Centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Please send an e-mail to nextstepnetworking@dfcentre.dk to receive logos.

NOTE: It is the coordinating team’s responsibility to ensure that you get the consent of your participants and contributors to share any photos or film for wider communications purposes on social media and other online platforms.

• Respect the grant timeline: Your activity should not be scheduled to start earlier than eight weeks after the application deadline to allow time for the grant applications to be processed and grants to be confirmed. The activity must be implemented within six months from the award of a possible grant. DFC must be informed if a delay is anticipated.
• Complete grant reporting

What are the requirements to reporting and accounts?

The applicant will be responsible for managing the grant and must ensure the following:

• The approved activity is carried out within the agreed timeframe
• The outputs are achieved
• The grant is used exclusively for the approved activity and expenses
• The present grant guidelines are followed
• The deadlines and requirements for reporting and submitting accounts are met

Within one month of completing the activity, the following documentation has to be submitted electronically to DFC:

• Completion report/video (explaining how the activity has led to the anticipated outputs)
• Financial accounts, including scanned copies of vouchers/receipts specifying the use of funds, (unspent funds will have to be returned). The financial accounts must be signed by the coordinator of the activity. The coordinator must sign a declaration of the following: 1) I have diligently fulfilled the reporting requirements for both activity and grant expenditures, adhering to the specifications detailed in the grant call text; (2) I affirm that the attached receipts are original appendices and have not been, nor will be, utilised for seeking financial coverage or reimbursement elsewhere.
• Final programme
• List of participants
• High quality photos and (if relevant) videos from the event (for DFC communications purposes), with consent provided by those filmed/photographed that DFC can use the images/film(s) for its external communications purposes.

If the reporting and accounts are not submitted to DFC on time, it will be considered a violation of the grant conditions and the applicant may be requested to return the funds provided under the grant.

Financial accounts will be audited by the DFC auditor, and the coordinator of the activity must share all relevant information with the auditor upon request.

If you have any questions, please contact the DFC Network Team on nextstepnetworking@dfcentre.dk

 

* Through the Science Engagement Grants managed by the DFC Research Management Team, DFC also offers grants for researchers wishing to organise knowledge exchange between researchers, Danida alumni, and other relevant stakeholders, facilitate networks and collaborations within and across academia, policy makers and practitioners, or promote dissemination and outreach of research results for uptake and use.

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