CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Sustainable Peatland Management in ASEAN Countries
January 2021
WRI Indonesia, aspart of the People For Peat Coalition, seeks to commission
support ofindividual consultants to carry out research on specific topics on
sustainablepeatland management in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the
Philippines, Vietnam,Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR under the European Union
supported SustainableUse of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA)
program.
A total award ofEUR 50,112 is available for conducting research under the SUPA
program on thesubject:
Peatland Monitoring in Southeast Asia (Three research proposals will beselected)
Maximum grant:EUR 16,704/research project(*)
Sub-topics:
1. Peat fire monitoring and prevention
PossibleApproaches
● Combination of remote sensing and citizen science
● Real-time alert systems aimed at key stakeholders for fire control
Prioritycountries:Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia
2. Groundwater Level (GWL) monitoring
● Cost-effective systems that require low technical knowledge andminimal
maintenance
Prioritycountries:Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand
(*) subject to applicable taxes as regulated by both Indonesia and
theapplicant’s country of origin
WRI Indonesiaexpects the work to commence starting in April 2021, for the
maximum period of8 months for each research. The applicants are strongly
recommended to chooseone of the sub-topics based on the priority country as
mentioned above.
About the World Resources Institute
Founded in 1982,The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global environmental
think tank thatgoes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with
governments,companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent
environmentalchallenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth and
promote developmentbecause sustainability is essential to meeting human needs
and fulfilling humanaspirations in the future.
About WRI Indonesia
WRI Indonesia isa national entity (Yayasan) associated with the World Resources
Institute(WRI), a global environmental research organization that turns big
ideas intoaction at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human
well-being.WRI works with various stakeholders in the natural resources sector
to supportpolicy and management that are both profitable and sustainable. WRI
has workedwith leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 30 years, with
offices inthe United States, Brazil, China, Europe, India, and Indonesia.
Launched inearly 2014, WRI Indonesia builds on WRI’s 10-year history in the
country,focusing on forests and land-use governance and strengthening our
impact on theground. In the short-to-medium-term, WRI Indonesia aims to expand
its presenceand portfolio to include climate, energy, as well as cities,
transportation,and peatlands restoration programs.
About People For Peat and the EU-SUPAComponent 2 project
The EuropeanUnion (EU) has awarded a coalition People For Peat (PFP),
consisting of theWorld Resources Institute (WRI), Tropical Rainforest
Conservation &Research Centre (TRCRC), and Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau (IDH)
a grant tomitigate haze within ASEAN by enhancing sustainable use of peatlands
(SUPA).The project consists of two components, the first one will work with
StateActors and the second component, which will be implemented by the
coalition,will focus on encouraging non-state actor (NSA) participation in
sustainablemanagement and use of peatlands through collective actions. The
direct targetsof the second component include village communities, Civil
Society Organizations,academicians, researchers, private sectors, and financial
institutions. Thethree-year grant (October 2019 – October 2022) will result in:
· The increase of knowledge about sustainable peatlands management
amongNSAs;
· The availability of an innovative business hub to
facilitatecollaborative business development in peatlands;
· The increase in awareness and capacity among NSAs to manage the
peatlandssustainably.
PFP has conducteddiscussions and consultations with key experts from eight
targeted countries, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar,Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lao PDR, to get insight on sustainable
peatlandmanagement in each country. Through a series of Focus Group
Discussions(FGDs) and Conferences of Parties (COPs) fromMarch to December 2020,
PFP has identified knowledge gaps on peatlandmanagement in the eight countries
mentioned above. The call for eleven researchconsultancy services are expected
to contribute to filling up knowledge gapswhich will serve as an important
reference for better management of peatlandwithin the framework of the SUPA.
OBJECTIVE
The overallobjective of this call for research proposals is to improve the
understandingof peatlands towards sustainable peatland management by
providingscientific-based evidence related to peatland monitoring. The
targeted countries are Thailand, thePhilippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lao PDR.
SCOPE OF WORK
To fill the existing gap regardingsustainable peatland management in each
country, we are looking to support researchers to conduct research based
onpredetermined topics. We encourage the researchers to choose research titles
inaccordance with the sub-topics that have been determined. In addition,
weencourage researchers to choose research sites where research with
similartopics have never previously been conducted.
The primary role of the researcher is to:
1. Ensure an appropriate and robust methodology for theresearch that is
crucial to be conducted to fill the gaps on sustainablepeatland management;
2. Conduct the research well based on the research designthat is developed
by the researcher;
3. Develop the final research report with the summary ofresearch results;
4. Write the scientific paper to be published in apeer-reviewed journal.
It is important that the researcher mustbe familiar with sustainable peatland
management issues in the targetedcountries.
OUTPUT/DELIVERABLE(S)
1. A final research reportcontaining the data and analysis results from
the research activities,conclusion, and recommendation
2. A summary of research results
3. A scientific journal publication
TIMING
The selected winners are expected toprovide the services described under “Scope
of Work” from
April 1st to November 30thfor a maximum period
WHO CAN APPLY?
Eligible
1. Individual and/or team of researchers who are notcurrently employed by
or under contractual work with state agencies andinstitutes, including state
universities and (government/state) researchcenters.
2. Nationality of one of the eight countries of the researchlocation
3. Nationality other than the eight countries but currentlyresiding or
working in the eight countries during the period of the researchconsultancy
Ineligible
1. Civil Servants and other state agencies employees
2. Nationality other than the eight ASEAN countries of theresearch
locations and currently not residing in the eight countries during theperiod of
research consultancy
REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS
Applicants mustdemonstrate:
· Knowledge of peatlands context
· Sound knowledge of research methods and a flexibleapproach to data
collection
· Previous experience conducting primary researchindividually or in a
team
· Strong quantitative data collection and analysis skills
· Experience working in the field
· Good written and verbal communication skills in English
· Good understanding of the ethical issues of carrying outresearch
GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
The researchproposal will not exceed ten pages. It should address the following
questions:
· Issue: Describe the larger context. What will scientificproblems be
addressed?
· Research questions: What questions are the Applicantasking and
investigating?
· Hypothesis: What debates, experiences, concepts, readings,etc.,
influenced or motivated this inquiry? How are these questions linked tothe
research agenda?
· Research design: How will the Applicant conduct theresearch? This
section includes the conceptual/theoretical framework, method,data collection,
and analysis procedures.
· Timeline: What will happen during this research and when?When does the
research begin and end? Statement of significance: How does thisresearch
contribute to the larger knowledge base on the peatland issue? How will it
influence the legal frameworkdevelopment? How does it benefit learners and
other key stakeholders?
· Scientific paper writing: PFPrequests the selected Applicant to
publish the research results in scientificjournals, which is decided by the PFP
once the Applicant has selected. However,the PFP needs to understand also what
other ideas does the Applicant have forpresenting and/or sharing the research
results?
Additionalquestions:
The followingquestions are in addition to the research proposal. The answers
from theApplicant should be clear and succinct.
· Selected References: An extensive reference list is notrequired;
please provide enough to demonstrate appropriate background knowledgefor
conceptual/theoretical framework and design, but no more than ten sources.
· Budget: Applicants are required to include a budgetoutlining each item
and a rationale for each expenditure.
TIMELINE FOR SELECTION PROCESS
1. The deadline for researchproposal submission is 1st March 2021
2. Interview process (2ndMarch – 17th March 2021)
3. The selected candidates willbe announced on 18th March2021
4. The research period is amaximum of eight months
Upon selectionprocess, the selected researcher is requested to give a
presentation to the PFPcoalition, outlining:
· Preliminary presentation before the research begin
· Middle term presentation, after the data collection hasbeen completed
· The final presentation, after the data analysis has beendone
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST, DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS, AND PROPOSAL
Upon submittingyour interest to the WRI job portal:
https://jobs.jobvite.com/wri/job/oCEAefwO applicant must submit the proposal by ;
1stMarch 2021, 17:00 (GMT+7) to the following detail. Answers to the
questionswill be shared with all parties who have asked questions or otherwise
expressedinterest.
WRI Indonesia Contact Name :Satya Budi Utama
Title :
EU-SUPA ProjectLead
Emailaddresses :
satya.utama@xxxxxxx (primary)
Cc to: eli.sari@xxxxxxx
SELECTION PROCESS
No proposaldevelopment costs shall be charged to WRI Indonesia, and all
expenses are to beborne by the bidders. WRI may award to the bidder offering
the best valuewithout discussions. However, WRI reserves the right to seek
bidderclarifications and to negotiate with those bidders deemed to be within
acompetitive range.
WRI may, at itsdiscretion and without explanation to the prospective vendors,
etc., choose todiscontinue this RFP without obligation to such prospective
vendors or makemultiple awards under this RFP. As part of the selection
process, selectedbidders could be invited to present their proposal to the WRI
Indonesiaprocurement team
DATA SHARING PROTOCOL
The sharing ofdata generated by these research activities is an essential part
of PFP. PFPwould wish to make the research results available both to PFP and
theresearcher, with the following condition:
1. The raw data generated from this research activity belongsto PFP and
the researcher
2. The PFP may use this data for PFP purposes without theconsent of the
researcher
3. The researcher can use this data for the researcherpurposes without the
consent of the PFP
4. If there is a third party, either from the PFP side or theresearcher
side, who will utilize this research data, then there must beapproval both from
the PFP and the researcher
5. Any violations committed in connection with the use ofthis data will be
subject to sanctions
