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Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament Working Group (NPNDWG) and the Global Consortium on Security Transformation (GCST)

2nd Small Grants Call on Non-proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament

(October 2011 – April 2012)

1. Summary

The goal of this Small Grants Initiative is to promote new foci and outlooks on Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament, as well as to open spaces and link new actors to the debate, reflection, and research on the subject.

This initiative is directed at researchers who want to contribute to the debate through the production of working papers, policy briefs and academic research on subjects related to the processes of nuclear security, preventing nuclear terrorism, enhancing global military denuclearization and promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy. With this initiative, we aim to foment a global and interdisciplinary community that stimulates a new way of thinking about security, non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. These scholarships are aimed at professionals and academic researchers from universities, institutes, research centers, NGOs and think-tanks.

For the purposes of this call, nuclear non-proliferation specialists are asked to provide a reflection on international nuclear security, the minimization of terrorist threats and nuclear conflict contention. Three grants will be awarded.

2. Application Process and Selection

2.1. Selection Criteria

The Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament Working Group (NPNDWG) and the Global Consortium on Security Transformation (GCST) are looking for research proposals that address the following issues:

Objectives, projections and implementation of United Nations Resolution 1540.
The role of international agreements on non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament processes (i.e. NTP, Tlatelolco, Antartico, Pelindaba, Rarotonga, CTBT, Outer Space, Mongolia, Semipalatinsk, Bangkok, CTBT, Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty).
The outcome and projection of the 8th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; thinking and envisaging the 9th Review Conference.
Objectives and projections of the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea.
The analysis and impact of the “comprehensive action agenda”: short-term (2012), medium-term (2025) and long-term (beyond 2025) action.
The role and impact of civil society and NGOs on the nuclear non-proliferation and global zero objectives.
The perceptions and demands of nuclear security: controlling terrorist threats and securing vulnerable Fissile Material.
The effect of the nuclear “holdout-states” on non-proliferation and disarmament.
The impact of Latin-America in global nuclear security, non-proliferation and disarmament processes.
The role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in nonproliferation and/or nuclear security.
Bridging the divide between Western and non-Western countries on nuclear issues.
Why states choose to pursue nuclear weapons and/or abandon their nuclear weapons programs.
Next steps in global disarmament: Russia, the United States, and other nuclear powers.

Special attention will be given to analyses that incorporate the Latin American perspective. Although it is not a requisite, the GCST will pay special attention to those proposals whose authors are natives of the countries or regions on which their studies are based.

2.2. Requisites for Applicants

All researchers and professionals with a degree or professional qualification in the Social Sciences (International Security, Law, Economics, Humanities) are invited to apply for a scholarship. Activists or practitioners working in civil society organizations (universities, institutes, research centers, NGOs and think-tanks) are encouraged to apply.

The age limit to apply for a Small Grant is 45 years old.

2.3. Required Information

Application Form (download it here)
Curriculum Vitae
Research proposal (1,500 words maximum)
The research proposal should indicate clearly: theoretical or empirical justification of the subject (importance); general and specific objectives, methodology, and a brief bibliography.
Recommendation letter
This letter should speak of the qualities of the applicant in professional, intellectual, and personal terms. It should be signed, scanned and sent personally and directly by the recommender via e-mail only. Please note that any letter sent directly by the applicant will not be taken into consideration.
Letter of institutional support
The letter of institutional support should indicate the type of link the organization shares with the applicant and the institutional motives or interests for supporting the applicant’s candidacy. It should be signed and sent personally and directly by the institutional authority or representative via e-mail only. Please notice that any letter sent directly by the applicant will not be taken into consideration..

The application must be completed in English or Spanish.

2.4. Final Selection procedure

The Non-proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament Working Group (NPNDWG) will review all application materials and make a final decision. Only recipients of the grants will be contacted by the NPNDWG once the decisions are made.

The names of the recipients will also be published on the NPNDWG webpage

Please notice that, due to the high volume of e-mails, the GCST will not provide any personal feedback on the reasons for disqualifying a specific candidate, nor will it give any kind of advice on how to submit a good application. Candidates will only receive a confirmation e-mail once their application is complete. Only candidates who fulfill all the requisites will be taken into consideration.

The candidates are also required to send all the pieces of their application (form, CV, and research proposal) only once, in a single e-mail. Any incomplete application will be immediately ruled out.

3. Conditions of the Scholarship

The research must be completed in no more than 6 months (October 03, 2011 – April 03, 2012.
Upon completing the research, the grant recipient must submit to the GCST: 1 brief report of activities undertaken and 1 final working paper with the main findings and conclusions. The GCST will revise the documents within one week of submission by the beneficiary, after which it will proceed with the payment.
Documents that contain information that is not authorized by another author or documents that are suspected or confirmed as unauthorized reproductions will be rejected, and the grant will be cancelled.

4. Benefits

The Small Grant amounts to US$2,500, which will be transferred to the personal account of the grantee.

Please note that the GCST and the NPNDWG declines all responsibility for any bank transfer fee that may be charged to the recipient’s account for this transaction.

5. Dissemination and Publication of Working Papers

The working documents will be published, in a uniform format, on the NPNDWG webpage.
The working papers should incorporate the main findings and results of the research undertaken. The length of these documents should be between 10,000 (minimum) and 12,000 words (maximum).
The digital publication does not impede the author of the text from presenting a printed version of the publication in other academic publications (scientific journals, referenced books, etc.)

6. Call for Proposals and Application Timeline

The deadline for submitting applications is September 23, 2011. All applications must be sent by e-mail to rodrigo@securitytransformation.org

SECRETARIAT:
Corporación Proyectamerica
Los Araucanos 2689, Providencia, Santiago de Chile
Email: info@securitytransformation.org

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