Call for Expressions of Interest: Rapid Response Grants under SUMERNET PLUS Programme

CALL SUMMARY

Launch of the call: 17 March 2026 

Deadline for submission of EoI: 5 April 2026, 23:59 (Bangkok/Indochina time) 

Submissions of EoI will ONLY BE ACCEPTED through the online submission platform: 

APPLICATION LINK

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All partners and potential applicants are invited to join  

SUMERNET PLUS: Rapid Response 

GRANT INFORMATION SESSION 

Time: 15:00 – 16:30 (Bangkok/Indochina Time) 

Date: Thursday, 19 March 2026  

Meeting Link (Via Zoom) 

https://sei-org.zoom.us/j/64285800934?pwd=74vxFjb4c1LwlY9qkoOOUjjF2OmCVF.1 

Meeting ID: 642 8580 0934 

Passcode: 747607 

ABOUT THIS CALL 

The Applications should emphasise concise research that presents a logical summary of the design, methodology, and outputs, based on the research question and context proposed. We welcome applications with involvement of researchers, policymakers and planners, practitioners, private sector, and marginalized women and men are particularly encouraged, as are those led or co-led by women and/or members of indigenous communities in the Mekong region.  

SUMERNET under this call will support three types of rapid response grants as per below: 

1. Capacity Development Grants (Capacity Grants) 

These Grants will strengthen the capacities, skills, networks, and collaborative systems of knowledge producers, policy influencers, and young professionals to advance credible, solution-oriented climate resilience action. The grants should aim to support research capacity development, long-term leadership, inclusive collaboration, and the sustainability of knowledge ecosystems in the Mekong Region.  

Priority beneficiaries must include some of these groups: 

• Early-career researchers and young professionals 

• Women researchers, leaders and grassroots organizers 

• Community researchers and practitioners 

• Government officials and planners 

• Journalists and communicators 

• Civil society and Indigenous leaders 

Priority Capacity Areas 

Proposals may address capacities related to the following: 

• Academic writing, research, quantitative and qualitative analysis  

• Participatory, feminist, and community-based research methods 

• Climate risk and vulnerability assessment 

• Policy analysis, advocacy, and engagement 

• Knowledge translation, storytelling, research communications 

• Digital tools and data visualization 

• Proposal writing and fundraising  

• Integrating Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and human rights based approach into research  

• Other topics identified by members.  

Learning and Collaboration Approaches 

Supported approaches may include mentorship and fellowship programmes, communities of practice and peer learning; co-learning and innovation labs; training-of-trainers models, series of training workshops, among others.  

Expected Outcomes 

Proposals must demonstrate long-term capacity outcomes beyond short-term training activities. This call encourages proposals that may identify outcomes linked to increased research publication, improved technical, leadership, and engagement skills; Increased participation of women and youth in research and policy spaces; Integration of new capacities into partner institutions; Strengthened multi-stakeholder networks; Sustainable learning mechanisms and alumni networks, additional funding secured for future research and activities among others.  

2. Strengthening Research, Policy and Practice for Climate Resilience Impact Grants (Impact Grants) 

Impact Grants support initiatives that leverage existing research, partnerships, and field experience to advance knowledge, policy development, implementation, and institutional practice for equitable climate resilience. The grants are designed to accelerate the uptake and execution of policy solutions, institutional reforms, and governance improvements at local, national, and regional levels, grounded in evidence-based decision-making. 

Priority Areas 

In keeping with programmatic priority areas, Proposals may focus on the broad thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation, Water-energy-food nexus, agriculture and food systems, forests and environmental degradation, and women, youth, and climate action.  

Target users of the grant results include the following groups: 

• Regional level: Mekong River Commission, Mekong Institute, and ADB Greater Mekong Subregion, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and relevant working groups of ASEAN.  

• National level: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Office of the National Water Resources   

• Sub-national level: local governments and civil society organizations  

• Other relevant agencies to be identified.  

Expected Activities: Supported activities may include some of the following 

• Research to address policy questions or practical problems 

• Demonstration of interventions/solutions on ground  

• Development of policy briefs, guidelines, and technical tools 

• Policy dialogues and stakeholder consultations 

• Technical support to regional, national and subnational planning processes 

• Institutional capacity strengthening for policy uptake 

Expected Outcomes: Proposals should demonstrate clear pathways to the following 

• New knowledge and solutions jointly produced with the boundary partners  

• Improved capacity of the institutions for policy uptake  

• Improved policies, regulations, or implementation mechanisms 

• Strengthened coordination among government agencies 

• Increased allocation of public resources for resilience 

• Adoption of inclusive and evidence-based practices 

• Enhanced participation of women, youth/young professionals, people with disability and other marginalised groups in decision-making 

Priority will be given to proposals with strong institutional partners and measurable policy or practice outcomes. 

3. Piloting and Scaling Climate-Resilient Solutions with the Private Sector (Innovation Grants)  

These Grants will support the piloting, testing, and scaling of climate-resilient solutions in collaboration with private sector actors, grounded in evidence from solution-oriented knowledge co-production. The grants aim to catalyse inclusive, environmentally responsible, and financially viable innovations that benefit vulnerable communities in the Mekong Region with support from the private sector and other stakeholders in adopting just, equitable and sustainable practices.  

The grantees are expected to engage with the following groups as boundary partners or strategic partners.   

• Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) 

• Market and value chain intermediaries 

• Industry associations and business networks 

• Financial sector actors 

Priority Innovation Themes 

Proposals may focus on: 

• Climate-resilient agricultural and aquaculture value chains 

• Nature-based solutions, and ecosystem restoration 

• Water-energy efficient, water-energy saving and climate-smart technologies 

• Community-based early warning systems  

• Any Other relevant innovations  

Eligible Innovation Types 

Supported innovations may include: 

• New or adapted products and services 

• Business and delivery models 

• Public–private partnership approaches 

• Market access and value-chain solutions 

Expected Outcomes 

• All applicants are encouraged to outline Scaling Pathways and to include policy and regulatory enablers, partnership development pathways, and long-term sustainability and exit strategies. 

• All proposals must ensure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) where applicable; Fair benefit-sharing mechanisms and Local ownership and participation. Priority will be given to innovations demonstrating strong social inclusion, environmental integrity, and realistic scaling potential. 

Cross-Cutting Requirements (All Grant Types) 

All proposals, regardless of grant type, must demonstrate clear relevance with Mekong climate resilience priorities; advance Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion, include robust gender and social inclusion analysis, participation targets, and leadership roles for women and Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs); promote Knowledge Sharing and Learning and commit to open-access knowledge products, learning briefs, and regional dissemination activities; strengthen Partnerships by demonstrating meaningful collaboration among research institutions, communities, policymakers, civil society, and private sector actors; and integrate Monitoring, Learning, and Adaptation, including adaptive management approaches, learning questions, and reflection mechanisms. 

For more details of the call, please download the attached pdf.

All documents should be submitted online at the following link:  

https://sei.submittable.com/submit/351621/sumernet-plus-call-for-eoi-rapid-response-grants by 31 March 2026.  

For any inquiries related to this call, please contact:

Senior Research Fellow, Sushmita Mandal (sushmita.mandal@sei.org).

Programme Manager, Vo Tran Trung Nhan (nhan.vo@sei.org).