Impact Funding Resources
Southeast Asia is home to many researchers and scientists whose work contribute to sustaining transformation of Southeast Asian agricultural systems through innovation is often stalled by limited start-up funding, which hinders the translation of promising research and training into scientific outputs that could be applied to promote agricultural development. SEARCA's Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT) aims to bridge this gap.
Start Date01 Sep 2025 End Date31 Oct 2025 Funding AmountUpto USD 15k Funding Resource TypeGrant
Funding ProviderSEARCA
Grant
SEARCA
Objectives
• Provide start-up funds to Southeast Asian researchers and scientists who can make significant contributions to the development of the region but lack the funds to carry out their projects.
• Build grantees' capacity to develop research proposals and manage projects.
• Expand SEARCA's reach in terms of research, capacity building, and contributions to regional agricultural and rural development (ARD) knowledge.
Eligibility Guidelines
All proponents must:
1. Be a Southeast Asian national with at least a four-year degree and limited research start-up funds
Priority 1: SEARCA alumni, University Consortium faculty/staff, and SEARCA IDA participants
Priority 2: Staff of government or nonprofit development agencies, and agricultural university faculty outside the Consortium
Former SFRT grantees may re-apply if their previous grant concluded more than two years prior to their new application.
2. Propose a project that will strategically contribute to any of the following outcomes:
• Increased farmers' income
• Improved food security and nutrition
• Greater climate resilience of agricultural systems
• Empowered farmers, farmer groups, and agricultural stakeholders and their institutions
3. Submit a project proposal that
a. Is an innovative concept accompanied by an appropriate plan for developing it into a potentially large-scale research/training program greatly relevant to the ARD needs of the region
b. Can be completed in one year or less
c. Shows a detailed plan for securing long-term funding
d. Has high potential to attract significant follow-on support
e. Specifies a strategy for disseminating results and policy recommendations to various stakeholders in appropriate modes
4. Submit the following as part of the project outputs:
a. At least one policy brief (following the prescribed format)
b. Final research report that can be published as a technical paper, as determined by the technical reviewer
c. Presentation of research results in at least one scientific forum/conference, whenever possible
