For Applicants | Focus Areas | Cambodia/ Investigator Development Awards: Multiple Sectors Applicant Resources Apply Application Process Eligibility Focus Areas Find a USG-Supported Partner Frequently Asked Questions Eligible Country: Cambodia Additional Criteria for Applicants: Please see Section V of the Solicitation for General Eligibility requirements. In addition to the standard list of U.S. Government (USG)-supported partners found here, U.S. researchers supported by one of USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF) Innovations Labs are also eligible to serve as USG-supported partners for this focus area only. In addition, for this focus area only, applicants may submit pre-proposals without having a USG-supported partner. If the pre-proposal is selected to proceed to the full proposal phase of the review process, the applicant will have time to find a partner while preparing the full proposal for submission.  Projects submitted under this focus area should be designed to last no more than two years with a combined budget of no more than $30,000. Applicants based in Cambodia who are interested in carrying out larger projects are also welcome to submit a pre-proposal under the Multiple Countries/ Open Call or the Multiple Countries/ Family Planning and Reproductive Health focus areas instead. Each individual applicant can submit no more than one pre-proposal in this cycle, however. There are no limits on the number of pre-proposals that can be submitted from any one institution. Objectives: USAID seeks to support the capacity of Cambodian researchers to design and implement competitive research awards that address critical development issues. PEER will support small awards to Cambodian researchers working in partnership with a USG-supported partner or USAID-supported FtF partner. Research proposals should address one of the topics listed below while also providing opportunities to train and mentor students. Social science research on societal barriers to food security and adequate child nutrition Research projects that incorporate the use of big data, elements of digitally-enabled precision agriculture, and/or GIS or remote sensing-based products Use of information and communications technology (ICT) data on crop yield, nutrition outcomes, agriculture economic data, etc. to inform future program design; design programs for scale; or evaluate program efficacy Rapid field analysis to understand the relationship between improving rice field-fisheries systems and enriching fish diversity in the Great Lake (Tonle Sap) Rapid analysis to understand overuse of pesticides in agriculture production; and barriers and opportunities to decrease indiscriminate use of pesticides A comparative study on the concentration/levels of pesticide trace elements found in fish species inside the Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) and outside CFRs and the extent to which this poses an unintended risk to health of consumers Implementation research projects that promote uptake and adoption of known agricultural innovations (such as those produced by USAID-funded Innovation Labs) or food security research, through targeted field research and user-centered market analysis Cambodia’s rich biodiversity, forests, and water assets have both national and regional importance and affect global stocks of unique species and valuable resources. As outlined in USAID/Cambodia’s CDCS, the environmental costs of deforestation and wildlife trafficking will have direct financial impacts on people and markets. PEER seeks to fund research that analyzes the barriers and opportunities to better wildlife and land management using a community-based approach. Potential research topics include: Innovative approaches to promoting greater civil society participation in the administration and monitoring of land, forests, and protected areas, including the promotion of community rights to manage these resources Improved approaches to curbing wildlife trade and better monitoring of trafficked goods Identification of the past, current, and future benefits of Prey Lang Forest on communities’ livelihoods, besides timber Assessment of the drivers of illegal poaching of wildlife using snares, particularly in the Eastern Plains protected areas Determination of the top reasons why poachers are using snares (for money, for bushmeat, for export, because it's easy?) and identification of the species they are trying to catch Development of recommendations on incentives that would convince poachers to stop (for example, more enforcement, better awareness of risks to endangered species, economic incentives, social stigma, or shaming)