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START Grants for GEC Research in Africa
Small research grants for African scientists engaged in Global Environmental Change research. 

START’s African GEC grants are provided to African scientists for one-year projects on global environmental change (GEC) in Africa.

Funded research must 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.
  

Scientists are encouraged to draw upon various GEC Science Plans including the Plan of the African Network for Earth System Science (AfricanNESS) ¹, the Plans of the International Council for Science Regional Office for Africa (ICSU RoA) ², and other relevant documents from intergovernmental and multi-lateral organizations.

The outcomes of the research conducted as part of this program must:

• 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 programs.
  

The START African Small Grants are provided only to African scientist who are associated with an African institution of higher learning or with an African non-governmental organization.  African scientists currently supported by any START grants program are not eligible for an African Small Grant.  Awards usually do not exceed US$15,000. Funding is provided by the US Climate Change Science Program, administered by US National Science Foundation.