2022 Second Call

for Proposals

YOUNG
RESEARCHER
GRANTS
Health, Food Security
and Education
(24th April 2022 – 23rd June 2022)
 The new KFAS 2022-2024 strategy is focused on funding research projects that
address key, national priority areas, through collaborative, interdisciplinary, and
intersectoral applied and basic research projects. These key priority areas are
Health, Education, Energy, Environment, Water, Food Security, and Digital
Transformation. The goal is to not only expand and build a growing body of
knowledge in each key area, but also to ensure the translation and adoption of
research outcomes from these research grants, as a means to foster and advance
social and economic growth nationally, as well as contribute to scientific
advancement globally.
The 2022 Second Call for Research Proposals will focus on the domains of
Health, Food Security and Education for basic and applied research proposals.
The call will also include Policy Research Grants and Young Researcher Grants
(see below). The Policy Research Grants will embody the same domains as the
applied and basic research proposals, directed towards providing a unique
approach to examining and analyzing the impact of policy issues through
research, data analysis and systematic collection and presentation of information
to provide evidence necessary to justify public decision-making and shape policy
development. The Young Researcher Grants will involve all topics related to
Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), with priority given to proposals in the
Health, Food Security and Education domains.

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 TYPES OF
RESEARCH GRANTS
The following are the research grants that applicants can apply for in
this call:
• Basic Research Grants: Research that focuses on the advancement
of knowledge, increasing understanding in fundamental principles,
and is not directed towards immediate practical solutions or
commercial objectives.
• Applied Research Grants: Research directed towards creating
practical solutions to specific problems for specific end-
users/stakeholders through innovation in practice, products, or
procedures. Proposal should include concrete plans for
implementation, engagement, and real-world impact. This includes,
but is not limited to:
o Research in which outcomes may lead to commercialization of
products, generation of patents, or the potential to produce a
relevant policy engaging stakeholders, policy makers and
interest groups.
o Translational Medical research directed towards translation
into clinical applications or practice, implementation into health
services, or population level outcomes and prevention research.
• Policy Research Grants: Types of research can include program
evaluation, cost-benefit, and cost analysis, needs assessment,
single-subject or case studies, surveys, secondary data analysis,
implementation studies, and outcome studies. It is expected that
these research studies would include, as a result of the research,
potential policy recommendations and/or policy drafts for
stakeholder consideration and implementation.
• Young Researcher Grants: Young Researcher Grants are aimed to
promote and support students, working professionals and
researchers (without Ph.D. degrees) under the age of 33 who are
interested in leading research projects to help foster their research
careers. These grants should be implemented at local research or
academic institutions or entities, and the researchers awarded
these grants will be under the supervision of a qualified mentor at
these institutions or entities. A budget of up to K.D. 5000 will be
granted for applied and basic non-applied research for topics
relevant to the priority focus areas announced in the KFAS Call for
Proposals.
Final grant awards and names of awarded institutions and grantees will
be published on KFAS website and official media outlets.

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 YOUNG RESEARCHER GRANTS
For the 2022 First Call for Proposals, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences
(KFAS) invites competitive research proposals from all topics within Science, Technology, and
Innovation (STI), with priority proposals in the Health, Food Security and Education domains.
The specific areas of research in this call are the result of a recent analysis conducted by KFAS of
national priorities and the challenges that lend themselves to focused, interdisciplinary,
intersectoral, analytic, empirical, and prescriptive research, with a focus on problem-solving.
Research proposals with topics that overlap with Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI) Strategic
Initiatives 2018-2023 will not be considered in the call (i.e., diabetes, obesity, etc.).
Young Researcher Grant: A budget of up to K.D. 5,000 will be supported for applied and basic
non-applied research for topics relevant to the focus areas if the applicant is a Young Researcher.
We define Young Researchers (YR) as students and scholars who are less than 33 years old who
have not received a PhD (or equivalent).

Please note that proposals will be accepted through the KFAS Grant Management System
starting 24th April 2022. No manual submissions will be accepted.

General Eligibility for Proposal Submissions:

• Researchers and scientists from the following sectors are eligible to apply:
o Research & Higher Education sector
o Public/Governmental sector
o Private Sector: Kuwaiti Shareholding Companies (KSC)
o Civil Social Organizations
• Researchers and scientists from international academic and research institutes may apply for
research grants only through a Kuwaiti institution, and the project must demonstrate
substantial collaboration with a Kuwait-based research team.
Other eligibility criteria for the specific grant type covered in this call may be found in the relevant
section below. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review all criteria and ensure eligibility,
prior to proposal submission.

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 FOCUS AREAS
A. Health Domain
The research proposal should address original and/or new and innovative approaches to
practical solutions for national challenges as follows (research proposals with topics that
overlap with Dasman Diabetes Institute Strategic Initiatives 2018-2023 will not be
considered in the call i.e., diabetes, obesity, etc.):
1. Public Health research through evaluation and/or pilot studies that address issues of
strategic public health importance and can have a significant impact on Kuwait, and are
centered around prevention, control efforts, sustainability, and value to society.
2. Research that considers the implications, benefits, and challenges in the digitization of
healthcare, with an emphasis on digital tools and platforms for fostering and delivering
quality healthcare.
3. Research that focuses on the pathophysiology and epidemiology of major:
a. Non communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney
disease, lung/respiratory diseases, etc. (excluding diabetes and obesity) in Kuwait.
The focus is on implementation/translational research that can lead to solutions
and interventions that enhance treatment, prevention, and management of these
diseases.
b. Infectious diseases, with an emphasis on diagnosis and interventions for infectious
diseases of national significance. The focus should also be on the recovery from the
implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as in relation to mental health and
wellbeing.
4. Emergency medicine and innovative evidence-based research to address the challenges
of emergency medicine, emergency preparedness and response, and other related fields,
especially towards improving care and outcomes for patients.

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 FOOD SECURITY
DOMAIN
The research proposals should address original and
new or innovative approaches leading to practical
solutions for the following:
1. Impact of international and regional man-made
and natural disasters (pandemics, droughts,
climate changes, wars and conflicts, etc.) on food
production and security in Kuwait and the GCC
region, with an emphasis on innovative and
technological solutions to address the challenges.
2. Mitigating the impact of international and regional
factors on the stability of food systems, especially
in relation to supply chain and the sustainability of
agricultural systems.
3. Energy-Water-Food nexus: Energy and water
efficient technologies and innovative solutions in
farming systems for agricultural diversification,
food sustainability and security, such as vertical
and precision farming, smart greenhouses, efficient
fish farming etc.

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 EDUCATION
DOMAIN
The research proposals should address original and new or innovative approaches leading to
practical solutions for the following:
1. The role of innovative efficient technologies, such as Education Technology (e.g., virtual
reality, clickers technology, etc.) and the use of open access resources, to improve the
quality and accessibility to education locally and regionally.
2. Improving the motivation, knowledge and skill set of students, teachers, and administration
on the use of emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning and
robotics) for enhancing the educational curricula, especially in relation to data management,
professional development, and personalized learning.
3. Development of educational databases with data and statistics related to education,
schools, teachers, etc. (e.g., student: teacher ratio; numbers of schools; numbers of teachers
and students within schools; pass/fail ratios; funding for districts; MAP (Measure of
Academic Progress) testing, education evaluation process, etc.)
4. Assessing and improving educational evaluation processes and interventions locally to
inform policies for educational reform and evidence-based decision making, including
student training, standardized testing, and program development.
5. Post-pandemic recovery and implications on the national education ecosystem, including
loss of educational instruction due to the pandemic, the effect of online learning, lack of
practical training, etc.

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 REQUIREMENTS
FOR PROPOSAL
SUBMISSION
All details, conditions and information on the scope of
funding and proposal requirements can be found in the
KFAS Research Grant Manual. We request that all
applicants read the manual before you submit your
application. In addition, please note the following:
1. The proposal must explain clearly how the proposed
objectives meets the goals of this call. The proposals
should also specify the research methodology and/or
experimental design, the anticipated research outcomes,
the technical approach to the proposed objectives, and
the methods of assessing the outcomes of the research
project.
2. The following documents should be included with the
proposal:
a. Data Management Plan
b. Contingency and Risk Management Plans, if applicable
c. Ethical forms, if applicable
3. The project must involve supervision from a qualified
mentor within the home institution or another local
entity, who will be responsible for overseeing the
implementation of the project. The mentor can play
several roles:
a. Serve in an advisory or guidance, when solicited, or
provide oversight on the use of facilities or space.
b. Contribute intellectually to the project design and
implementation as a Co-investigator (Co-I)
a. Provide services or consultations for a fee
throughout the duration of the project (no more
than 20% of the budget)
4. The project proposal should be written and submitted by
the Young Researcher under the supervision of the
mentor.
In addition to the proposal submission, applicants will also be
required to submit the following:
Letter of intent, which should be submitted through the
institute/organization to which the applicant is affiliated
indicating the approval of the higher management of the
applicant's institute.

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 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
· Please note the following changes to our calls:
- Requests for grants to build infrastructure and laboratories are not accepted as part of this call.
- Maximum accepted duration for executing research project will be 1-year.

PRIORITY CRITERIA FOR

EVALUATION AND
FUNDING OF PROPOSALS
In addition to meeting the announced focus area, the following criteria will be used to assign priority in the
evaluation and funding of proposals received. Priority will be given to:
• Applied Research: Applied research with clear translational objective (clear potential to lead to
commercial or non-commercial innovations in practice, products, policies, or procedures for a specified
end-user), concrete plans for implementation and clear engagement of stakeholders.
• Local Collaborations: Collaborative research with local entities or research/academic institutions.
Letters of support from relevant local entities and/or end-user stakeholders for the research proposal
are required.
• Intersectoral Collaborations: Collaborative research between private and public sectors, such as those
between academic/research institutions and governmental agencies, civil society organizations, NGOs,
and corporate or Kuwaiti Shareholding companies.
• Interdisciplinary Research: Interdisciplinary research topics will be prioritized.
• Commitment to dissemination outputs: proposals that include plans for publications (particularly
Open Access), public events, stakeholder and international engagements, translation between Arabic
and English, will be prioritized.

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 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
OF APPLICANTS AND
APPLICANT INSTITUTIONS
The endorsement of the authorities from the institution on the grant application signifies the following:
• The applicant and mentor, and their institutions fully agree to comply with KFAS's rules and
regulations associated with awarding research funding, including regulations that govern KFAS's
Intellectual Property (as defined in the manual),
• The applicant and mentor, and their institutions agree to utilize the funding granted to promote the
quality and integrity of the research outcomes.
• The applicant and mentor institutions are committed to supporting the applicant and research team in
maintaining data confidentiality.
• The applicant and mentor institutions are committed to provide an environment that upholds research
ethics of transparency, accountability and auditability, as stipulated in the KFAS Code of Research
Conduct and in KFAS Guidelines on Authorship for Scientific Publications Resulting from KFAS Funded
Research.
• The applicant and research team, as well as their institutes, are accountable for compliance with
KFAS's defined policies regarding research practice and ethics.
• The applicant and research team are accountable for obtaining any necessary ethical review approvals
and permits. This includes research involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, sensitive data,
biosafety, or environmental hazards.

It is the responsibility of the

applicant and mentor, and their
institutions to ensure that they
read, understand, and adhere to
the application requirements
and all KFAS Guidelines. Failure
or suspected failure to comply
may result in noncompliance
consequences for both the
applicants and their
institutions, including the
declining of proposal funding,
as well as negatively impacting
any future funding requests.

09 YOUNG RESEARCHER GRANTS

 REVIEW
PROCESS
All submitted Young Researcher proposals will be
evaluated by external peer reviewers as follows:
•
· Proposals will be subject to one external peer
review.
· Proposals undergo a binary review (decline or
approve).
· Funding approval may be subject to further
conditions prior to the finalization of
contracts.
· The award decisions are planned to be
announced on KFAS's website and public and
social media.

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