Writing Pre-Proposals for the Biosafety Research in Bangladesh Grants Program (BRBGP)-2021

Background

The successful development and deployment of agricultural biotechnology for the benefit of farmers and consumers depends on proper compliance with biosafety regulations throughout the development process, in addition to assessment and science-based decision-making related to the final products. Bangladesh has been engaged in crop biotechnological research for more than two decades. To support such research and development, Bangladesh has also established biosafety guidelines, rules, and protocols, etc.

To enable local researchers to produce and disseminate locally derived information in support of biosafety regulation, and at the same time, to strengthen the capacity of researchers for generating biosafety data and build a community of practice that enhances expertise in this area, the Biosafety Research in Bangladesh Grants Program (BRBGP) was established. This grant program is managed by the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute (AFSI) as part of the USAID-funded South Asia Biosafety Program (SABP). The aims of this grant program is to support research projects designed to improve understanding of the interactions between genetically engineered crops, agricultural production, and the environment in Bangladesh, as it relates to environmental risk assessment and the conservation of biodiversity. This grant program also supports generation of relevant baseline information about the agro-ecology of the concerned environment, which is a pre-requisite for proper assessment.

In 2019, BRBGP grants were awarded to three scientists:

• Dr. Muhammad Shahidul Haque, Bangladesh Agricultural University
• Dr. Abdun Noor Muhammad Iftekhar Alam, National Institute of Biotechnology
• Dr. Mohammad Zabed Hossain, University of Dhaka.

In 2020, the following scientists received BRBGP awards:

• Dr. Abu Shamim Mohammad Nahiyan, ASRBC, ACI Agribusinesses, ACI Ltd.
• Dr. Md. Fuad Mondal, Sylhet Agricultural University

In 2021, the third phase of the grant program BRBGP 2021 was announced in February. The review process began with submissions of pre-proposals that were screened for broad conformity with the scope of the grants program. The pre-proposal submission deadline was March 31, 2021, and only selected pre-proposals were invited to prepare and submit a full proposal.

Overview

To encourage potential researchers and share information and requirements on writing pre-proposals for the grant program, SABP organized the virtual workshop Writing Pre-Proposals for the Biosafety Research in Bangladesh Grants Program (BRBGP)-2021 on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 7:00 pm (BST). The webinar’s objectives were to discuss the overall context of the grant program, with emphasis on research areas, the application and selection process, the intended outcome, and how it would recognize the need for biosafety research as part of a broader effort to support science-based decision-making and policy development.

To learn more about the Biosafety Research in Bangladesh Grants Program, please email: biosafetyofficedhaka@gmail.com