Changing Water Cycle and South Asia
India workshop: call for participants
Closing date: 16:00 on 15 January 2010
To build partnerships and facilitate collaboration, the UK Changing Water Cycle Programme will hold a joint workshop with the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on 16-18 February 2010 to bring the communities together, with funding then available downstream for resulting projects.
For further information on the South Asia regional focus please see the programme science and implementation plans.
The Workshop coincides with the Science and Innovation Council Ministerial Meeting (13 February 2010) and, with ministerial presence, the NERC-MoES collaborative agreement will be signed at the Workshop.
In 2010 an Announcement of Opportunity will be made that invites projects to address the regional-focus of South Asia. Matched funding is being secured for activity directed at South Asia through RCUK India from MoES. RCUK India has issued a call for tenders for a short mapping project on water-related research in India. This will be delivered by Spring 2010 and will better inform the UK as to the relevant activities in India and where to go to pursue collaboration.
For the South Asia focussed funding stream within the Changing Water Cycle programme, partnerships with Indian researchers will be required. Projects will be expected to address regional issues (particularly those tackling issues directly relevant to the Indo-Gangetic Plain catchment) that fit within the programme's global context, whilst still addressing the CWC research themes; for example, projects reflecting the global research activity on monsoons (within CLIVAR and GEWEX), the need to understand the potential teleconnections of the Indian Monsoon and weather patterns in Northern Europe and the influence of Himalayan glacial meltwater variation on South Asian water supply.
Attendance at the workshop does not automatically enable project bids to be submitted or guarantee funding. Conversely, absence from the workshop does not preclude bidding into the subsequent round. The workshop will facilitate networking, relevant discussion and enable researchers to share ideas on key research questions relevant to both countries.
To attend the workshop the expression of interest form should be completed, in no more than 2-sides and sent back to Dr Sally Reid by Friday 15 January. Invited participants will be notified by Friday 22 January. Submission of an EoI will be taken to indicate availability on the dates of the workshop.
Expression of Interest form (37KB)
Applicants for the workshop should outline their relevant area of expertise, any current overseas collaborations and links, their personal rationale for being involved in the workshop and in what area they would submit a collaborative research proposal in line with the AO for collaborative research proposals.
All participants' expenses for the workshop will be covered by NERC.
Contact details
For further information please contact:
UK: Sasha Leigh
Tel: 01793 442634
India: Rita Sharma