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The Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network program aims to work with knowledge-based policy influence organizations in the Mekong Region. The three-year program will develop clear and actionable evidence-based solutions to water, energy, and development challenges in the Mekong Region to bring about positive changes in policy and practice.
2023–2026
The Mekong Region has faced sustainability challenges related to water, energy, and changing climate. There are also inequities in the rapid development of the subregion, in which local communities have benefited little from this development. The poorest and most vulnerable bear the brunt of these changes due to their close connection to, and dependency on, natural resources. In addressing these inequities and ensuring that no one is left behind, there is a need for clear and actionable evidence-based development options along with tangible solutions that would support positive changes in policy and practice for sustainable futures for all.
The Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network Program aims to work with national and regional knowledge-based policy influence organizations (KBPIOs), including think tanks, to enhance their effectiveness and inclusiveness in policy engagement. This will be combined with communications based on high-quality research, practical advice generated by the program, cross-learning among relevant organizations in the subregion, and drawing upon relevant Australian and other expertise and experiences in water security, energy security, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Mekong Think Tanks program aims to work with national and regional knowledge-based policy influence organizations (KBPIOs), including think tanks, to enhance their effectiveness and inclusiveness in policy engagement. This will be combined with communications based on high-quality research, practical advice generated by the program, and cross-learning among relevant organizations in the region as well as drawing upon relevant Australian and other expertise and experiences in water security, energy security, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Mekong Think Tanks program will achieve this through supporting and facilitating evidence-based research and analysis, engagement with regional and national KBPIOs, effective dialogue with decision-makers, and professional development for agents of change in the Mekong Region.
The program will deliver high-quality, inclusive research and policy advice on governance, socio-economic values, benefits, and risks associated with water, energy and the environment to achieve resilience to future climates at the regional and national levels. This research will also strive to address gender and social inclusion in all research projects while providing gender support and capacity development to all research teams. This is aimed at enhancing the inclusiveness of the research and policy advice created by the program.
This program will create opportunities for KBPIOs to engage with policy stakeholders by organizing regional and national policy forums. These forums will be the platforms for KBPIOs to deliberate high-level issues around governance, development and equity in water resources, energy and the environment within the context of climate change, utilizing the research supported by the program.
Knowledge-based policy influence organizations (KBPIOs) are entities and organizations that generate evidence-based knowledge, comment, analyse or propose policies that aim to influence policy processes at various levels. We will expand our work with KBPIOs to include a range of entities and organizations that generate evidence-based knowledge, comment, analyse or propose policies that aim to influence policy processes.
The three-year Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network program aims to work with knowledge-based policy influence organizations in the Mekong Region. We will develop clear and actionable evidence-based solutions to water, energy, and development challenges in the Mekong Region to bring about positive changes in policy and practice. Please see this short video that illustrates what we aim to achieve and how we will get there.
To contribute to improved and more equitable water and energy security, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change in the Mekong Subregion to benefit all, especially the marginalized, vulnerable, and at-risk communities.
Water, energy, and climate research and policy interfaces are robust and more inclusive, resulting in more effective and equitable policies, which are cross-sectoral, informed by evidence, and respond to vulnerable groups’ needs.
The Program is governed through the Program Steering Committee, the Program Secretariat, and Program Advisors. These bodies contribute to ensuring effective, efficient, and accountable implementation of the Program.
The program partnership comprises 25 organizations, including 8 consortium members, that not only help to ensure technical competency across the water, energy and climate domain but also draw upon critical insights and connections.
The program also has 17 counterparts: UNSW, RUPP, ITC, IFReDI, NAFRI, NAFC, NERI, GMS Centre of MSU, MFU, SET of AIT, ERI, SPP of CMU, VNMC, Viet Insight, WASI, MRCS, WWF Regional Asia-Pacific Office from four Mekong countries and Australia to support the implementation of the program activities.
Flagship studies are one of the critical activities of the MTT Program aiming to enhance evidence-based understanding of the Water-Energy-Climate (WEC) nexus, including through the lens of gender and social equity. The work motivates the application of this knowledge to practical, robust, and equitable policy solutions to persistent and emerging issues and challenges.
For more details about each project, please download the document below:
Rapid response projects are one of the critical knowledge-generating activities of the MTT Program. These are more flexible than the flagship projects and aim to support focused interdisciplinary research that seeks practical solutions to urgent or emerging challenges in the water-energy-climate nexus.
For more details about each project, please download the document below:
Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network Program (MTT), hosted by SEI Asia, is providing six media-research collaboration fellowships (media fellowships) to selected journalists in the Mekong Region. Each fellowship is worth up to AUD 5,000 (~ USD 3,300) for activities to be undertaken from October 2024 to May 2025.
The media fellowship aims to produce and publish impactful stories highlighting critical environmental sustainability issues related to the MTT program’s research activities. The media fellowships aim to support MTT’s granted projects in the Mekong Region (four flagship studies and seven rapid response projects) to better communicate our science to the public for enhanced visibility and policy impacts.
Application deadline: 15 September 2024, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time)
Submissions of applications will only be accepted through the online submission platform: https://sei.submittable.com/submit/301218/mekong-thought-leadership-and-think-tanks-network-program-mtt-media-fellowship
The purpose of the MTE is to take stock of program progress and evaluate where the program stands against its set targets in terms of expected outcomes, outputs, and planned activities. The MTE serves as a guide for all parties concerned (DFAT, MTT Program Secretariat hosted in SEI Asia, MTT Program Steering Committee, and key partners) to help improve the implementation for the remaining period. The MTE shall include initial recommendations for enhancing the impact and sustainability of MTT Program outcomes, beyond its current period of implementation (2022-2025). Relevant stakeholders will consider these recommendations to conceptualise and design any follow-up investments and programs.
Funding: The total amount of the MTE will not exceed AUD25,000.00 (~USD 16,300.00), including personnel costs, travel/site visit costs (if any), etc.
Application deadline: 15 May 2024, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time)
For more details of this Midterm Evaluation proposals call, please click to download this pdf.
This call seeks to award 12 entry- or mid-level professionals.
Timeline: Available to commit to a 1-year full-time or 1-year part-time fellowship.
Application deadline: 14 April 2024, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time)
For more details of this fellowship call, please click to download this pdf.
The program views that investing in diverse entry- or mid-level professionals of all genders working in research and policy engagement is essential to enhance their capacity to produce and promote practical and sustainable solutions. The program will spearhead capacity building for entry- or mid-level professionals through fellowships and trainings.
The first round of fellowships, launched in April 2023, successfully awarded seven fellows. This call is seeking to recruit at least 13 high-quality fellows.
Timeline: Available to commit to a 12-month fellowship full-time or a maximum of 17 months part-time to end no later than June 2025.
Application deadline: 30 September 2023, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time)
For more details of this fellowship call, please click to download this pdf.
The Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network Program (MTT) is opening calls for research-to-policy proposals that seek practical solutions to urgent or emerging challenges in the water-energy-climate nexus.
Funding: Total grants of AUD 1,000,000 (~USD 652,000) are available to award up to 4 research projects. Support will not exceed 250,000 AUD (~USD 163,000) per research project.
Timeline: Work to be completed within 1.5 years (18 months) from contract signing or agreed upon start date.
Application deadline: 1 October 2023, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time)
Flagship studies are one of the key activities of the MTT Program that aim to enhance evidence-based understanding of the Water-Energy-Climate (WEC) nexus, including through the lens of gender and social equity. The work motivates the application of this knowledge to practical, robust, and equitable policy solutions to persistent and emerging issues and challenges.
For more details of this flagship study call, please click to download this pdf.
Funding: Total grants of AUD 350,000 (~USD 230,000) are available to award up to seven research projects. Support will not exceed 50,000 AUD (~USD 33,000) per rapid response project project.
Timeline: Work to be completed be completed within one year (12 months) from contract signing or agreed upon start date.
Application deadline: 1 October 2023, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time)
Rapid response grants are one of the key knowledge-generating activities of the MTT Program. These are more flexible grants than the flagship grants and aim to support focused interdisciplinary research projects that seek practical solutions to urgent or emerging challenges in the water-energy-climate nexus.
For more details of this rapid responses grant call, please click to download this pdf.
Past event / The event will gather researchers, development partners, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and explore collaboration on critical environmental issues.
07 October 2024 / About Adaptation, Climate services, Disaster Risk, Finance and Renewables
Past event / Share knowledge and perspectives and explore avenues for collaboration on critical water, energy, and climate issues in the Mekong Region.
13 September 2023 / About Adaptation, Disaster Risk, Finance, Mitigation and Water resources
10th Floor, Kasem Uttayanin Building, 254 Chulalongkorn University
Henri Dunant Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
Program / SUMERNET brings together research and policy partners to engage with water insecurity in the Mekong Region.
2019 - 2028 / About Climate policy, Forests, Geopolitics, Water resources and Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Press release / The Mekong Environmental Resilience Week will bring together leading voices in research, policy and development to shape the future of the Mekong subregion.
1 October 2024 / About Adaptation, Climate policy, Energy access, Finance and Water resources
Perspective / Chea Sameang and Ridhi Saluja share perspectives on how water storage mechanisms in the Mekong Region can be more equitable and inclusive.
12 September 2024 / About Disaster Risk, Food and agriculture, Participation and Water resources
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