A joint initiative of NASA, USAID, and leading geospatial organizations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, SERVIR partners with countries in these regions to address critical challenges in climate change, food security, water and related disasters, land use, and air quality. Using satellite data and geospatial technology, SERVIR co-develops innovative solutions through a network of regional hubs to improve resilience and sustainable resource management at local, national, and regional scales.

SERVIR emphasizes the use of Earth observations, environmental monitoring, and visualization tools to fill key information gaps in data-scarce, developing countries. While SERVIR draws from cutting-edge science and technology, the programme focuses on development impact and enabling countries to manage risks independently, helping partner countries advance in their journeys to self-reliance.

Implemented by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) as a regional hub, SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya (SERVIR-HKH) focuses on four of ICIMOD’s Regional Member Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Please visit servir.icimod.org to learn more about SERVIR-HKH.

The entire call is available on our website here.
https://servir.icimod.org-small-grants-programme/

This grant is open only for organizations, not for individuals.

All interested and qualified organizations have a fair opportunity to submit applications for funding. Eligible organizations must be located within the SERVIR-HKH focused countries – Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. Eligible organizations include governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, research institutions, universities, private organizations, international non-governmental organizations, registered foundations and professional associations, and consortiums of the above. ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH encourages an approach that establishes partnerships with several partner organizations and focuses on long-term project sustainability in the future on their own. 

In addition, applicants should: 

• Be legally recognized and registered. Registration documents and statutes must be submitted 

• Not be affiliated with a political party nor engaged in any political activity or activities 

• Not be focused solely on religious activities 

• Accept the financial compliance and grants procedure of ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH 

• Provide further legal documents/tax clearance documents, where applicable during the course of the contract award 

Due diligence will be conducted for the successful organization before awarding contracts. 

The concept paper must be submitted in Times New Roman, 12-point font and must include page numbers. Each page must be marked with the RFP number and the name of the organization (in the footer).
Applicants must prepare the application for the concept paper according to the structural format set forth below:
1) Cover page [no more than one (1) page] to be included with the application. The cover page must include: 

• The RFP number and title of the project 

• Name and address of organization (including website) 

• Type of organization (e.g., for-profit, non-profit, university, etc.) 

• Major functional areas of the organization 

• Contact point (lead contact name; relevant telephone, fax, e-mail information) 

• Names of other organizations to which you are submitting and/or have submitted the application and/or who are funding the proposed activity 

• Signature of the authorized representative of the applicant. 

2) Technical approach [no more than three (3) pages]: This section should address the programme summary and selected objectives in Section I of this document and should include: 

• Concise title and project summary 

• Problem statement, objectives, and methodology 

• Discussion of the objectives, methodology; description of software, hardware, and data to be used; amount of effort to be employed; and anticipated results. 

• Discussion of how the work will help accomplish ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH’s goal of promoting sustainable development through the use of geospatial tools and information dissemination, including how the proposed work will leverage and/or extend existing services to address current development limitations. 

• Type of support the applicant requests from ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH (funds, facilities, equipment, materials, personnel resources). 

3) The concept paper should depict a clear description of final output/deliverables [no more than one (1) page].
Depending on the type of project, the output and deliverables can also vary. Project deliverables can be a combination of the following example outputs/deliverables: 

• Final report (mandatory) 

• Web-based GIS applications demonstrating decision support on the topics of the example thematic areas given in this RFP 

• Scientific article/report, such as, in the case of geospatial tools-based analysis, an article on using various GIS and remote sensing data and revealing interesting and useful findings. The deliverables should also include all the GIS maps, graphs, and data used in the analysis, and a clear description of the steps and methods used in the analysis, etc. 

• ArcGIS online story maps, Google Earth KML, Google Earth Movie or similar products 

• Videos 

• Presentations 

• Innovative tools and technologies supporting Earth observation and geospatial technologies 

• Impact stories 

4) Supporting information (no more than (1) page):
Proposed total estimated cost; brief cost breakdown (e.g., salaries, travel, etc.); proposed optional amount of the applicant’s financial as well as in-kind participation, if applicable; proposed amount of prospective or existing partners’ financial as well as in-kind participation, if applicable; proposed timeline of the activity; and brief description of applicant, as well as prospective or existing partners’ previous work/experience.

5) CVs of the team members and institutional profile to be included in an annex.

ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH will contact the selected applicants to request a full proposal based on the evaluation of the concept paper.

Yes, two or more organizations can jointly apply for a grant. However, the principal entity should be legally recognized and registered in Bangladesh, Nepal, or Pakistan. Other collaborating entities could be registered outside of the target countries. However, the principal entity will be solely responsible for all reporting requirements and financial compliance.

Yes, an organization may submit more than one concept paper.

Yes, the expert/principal investigator can be part of multiple concept notes.

Since this is a competitive process, we cannot provide feedback on all concept notes received. An evaluation committee will review and evaluate all concept notes received as per our grant cycle.

This RFP invites concept papers to explore innovative approaches and thinking to help relevant organizations speed their transition to climate-resilient, sustainable economic growth through improved policy and practice. Currently, SERVIR-HKH has active services in agriculture and food security, land cover and land use change and ecosystems, water resources and hydro-climatic disasters, weather and climate and air quality. The Regional Drought Monitoring And Outlook System provides current conditions and seasonal outlook of drought to support cropping practices and food security management. The crop mapping service develops in-season crop area assessment for major crops in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. On disaster risk reduction, SERVIR-HKH has active services to provide riverine and flash flood early warning, extreme weather forecasting, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite-based flood inundation monitoring. SERVIR-HKH is also working to develop flood inundation forecasting and crop yield forecasting services. 

The SERVIR-HKH programme seeks to broaden its network of organizations that work with geospatial tools and information by funding proposals that can enhance the existing services and focus on the last-mile connectivity of the services. Proposals that leverage existing services to address current development limitations are encouraged. Innovative ideas to extend SERVIR services to integrate socio-economic data to support damage and/or risk assessments would be encouraged. 

The proposed project needs to be within the framework of the following themes (Table-1) and must confirm the ‘programme objectives’ written below: 

Programme objectives 

The objective of the SERVIR-HKH grants programme is to help grow the network of government agencies, universities, and institutions in the HKH region that utilize geospatial tools and information to improve decision-making related to sustainable mountain development with a special focus on climate change and adaptation, vulnerability, or mitigation in relation with agriculture, food security, and disaster risk reduction. The anticipated outcome of the grant activities is to stimulate the innovative use of geospatial tools and information to translate science into decision support systems and practice that addresses the development challenges posed by climate stresses and their impact in the HKH region. 

Table 1: Thematic areas and topics for the grants programme 

Individual grants will not exceed USD 30,000. There are no such limitations on budget headings. Based on the nature of the concept note, organizations may allocate budgets as per the appropriate category within the maximum budget ceiling.

No. All costs including applicable taxes should be planned as part of directly attributable costs to the activities budget.

Yes, in-kind contribution can be counted towards cost sharing.

The tentative dates for programme implementation are provided under Section 2 – Award and administration information.  

ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH may choose to fully fund or incrementally fund the chosen application(s). SERVIR-HKH expects to award 4-5 grants. Individual grants will not exceed USD 30,000. Applicant(s) are encouraged to reflect in-kind or cash contributions to the project implementation. The number of awards and amount of available funding are subject to change and SERVIR-HKH reserves the right to make no awards. 

For this call, applications will be accepted from institutions based in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to manage grants or projects in the proposed focus country or region, as well as succeed in addressing the SERVIR-HKH programme’s development goals.