Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/R005478/1
The Climate Services Academy and Training (CSAT)
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor RJ Cornforth, University of Reading, Walker Institute
- Grant held at:
- University of Reading, Walker Institute
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Atmospheric
- ENRIs:
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Climate change
- Agricultural systems
- Climate change
- Earth & environmental
- Human health impacts
- Climate & Climate Change
- Warning systems
- Regional & Extreme Weather
- Rural Livelihoods
- Nat Resources, Env & Rural Dev
- Abstract:
- The Climate Services Academy and Training (CSAT) at the Walker Institute aims to train PGR students at the point of submission in Evidence Synthesis, to inform policy and business decision-making. Climate change is already affecting the decisions of millions of farmers in developing countries. However, whilst climate science, agronomy, and social science are generating new insights and data streams, there are currently no training courses which build capacity to connect these in practical, policy focused ways. CSAT will encompass a programme of training, immersive placement and legacy through a knowledge exchange network, to enable students to gain a practical real-world experience of the synthesis of research into evidence to inform decisionmaking. The format of the course, provides a unique opportunity for the students to experience first-hand the environments in which key decisions are made, and how evidence is utilised by different stakeholder groups. A leader in interdisciplinary research for climate resilience, the Walker Institute focuses on the operationalisation of research findings for transformative impact on people's lives. By developing resilience through evidence-based preparedness, response, adaption and mitigation efforts, Walker is supporting scientific development of technologies and capacity of national actors to use data driven metrics to respond and adapt to climate-induced vulnerability at a national, community and household level. Specially designed interactive training will be delivered by the Walker Institute and the co-located NGO, Evidence for Development. Placements will take place in Ghana, Senegal, Uganda and Malawi - four African countries where the Walker Institute has strong existing partnerships. The impact of the programme will be enhanced by the combination of training with practical experience: the UK based training provides the tools and knowledge, the immersive experience enables students to apply these in real situations, to gain first hand insight into the challenges of translating synthesised knowledge into evidence-based practice, and to reflect on strategies they might adopt in their professional careers to address these challenges. The focus of this training will be on the synthesis, and interpretation of climate information to strengthen resilience and reduce the risk of extreme events on food production and food security. This programme will support 8 PGR in the UK, with two students travelling to each of the four countries. Each PGR will be partnered with 2 PGR/ECR in their placement country, so they can benefit from shared-learning experiences and widen their networks. Each UK student, and their 2 in-country peers will spend 1 week in each of an identified Business and Government user-organisation. Both elements of this programme are designed to individually enhance the skills of the participants, however joining them together will provide an unrivaled experience, which will completely change the future practice of those involved. This will increase the capacity for evidence synthesis by this group of PGRs, and equip them with transferrable skills which can make a tangible difference in a rapidly changing global development context. By the end of the programme, participants will have developed skills surrounding communication of technical climate information to facilitate collaboration with professionals in other fields to promote policy objectives including resilience to climate change. Importantly, participants will be exposed to, and involved in, knowledge exchange throughout this process, and addressing the issues surrounding this will inform their future professional practice.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/R005478/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Evidence Synthesis
This training grant award has a total value of £103,915
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs |
|---|
| £103,915 |
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