The Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) is happy to announce the launch of its 11th Annual Call for Proposals for projects that use astronomy as a tool to address challenges related to sustainable development. The call for proposals is open to anyone from anywhere in the world. It is conducted in two stages, where OAD will invite a limited number of proposals from Stage 1 to submit a Stage 2 proposal. In addition, projects selected through this call will be implemented in 2023.
Note: A new theme included in this call is “Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development” because of the United Nations resolution recognising 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). Since basic sciences such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics are an essential part of astronomy, the OAD invites proposals for projects that use any field(s) of basic science(s) to pursue one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Grant Amount
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has earmarked EUR 120,000 for this 2022 call for proposals. In the past, individual project grants have ranged from EUR 1,000 to EUR 15,000, with an average grant of around EUR 5,000 per project.
Project Duration
Typically, OAD projects run for one year – beginning in January or February of the year following the call for proposals. For this call, OAD will select some projects which will start in January or February 2023 (the grant will be paid by that time) and be complete by January or February 2024. However, projects can request a no-cost extension if unavoidable circumstances cause delays.
The OAD also solicits proposals for multi-year projects (up to 3 years). By design, these are projects that need longer than a year for implementation. However, this does not apply to multiple implementations or replicating the same project idea in different years. So, for example, a project that plans to organise astronomy events or workshops cannot apply for a multi-year grant to host the same events for multiple years.
Multi-year proposals should address the entire duration of the project with a yearly breakdown of budget, timeline, and deliverables. Furthermore, OAD will release funds for these projects yearly, subject to a performance review by the OAD. Lastly, OAD will request annual reports for this purpose.
Important information
- The deadline for Stage 1 is May 31, 2022 (midnight UTC-12)
- More information and application form: http://www.astro4dev.org/cfp/
For any queries, email projects@astro4dev.org
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