On 11 December 2019, the ‘network-of-networks’ in the Latin American region Conéctate-A+ -  the Cluster of Cooperation (CLOC) in the Tropical Andes-Central America region (Andes+) - held its second meeting to put forward a roadmap for collaboration, as well as coordinate a plan to implement key activities and milestones to be reached in 2020, including a call for grant proposals in early February. 

Key Meeting Outcomes

Representatives from eight of the twelve partner organizations affiliated with Conéctate-A+ participated in a virtual meeting held on 11 December 2019, with representatives joining from Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Switzerland to discuss and reach important agreements that will orient the main activities this network will implement during 2020. During the meeting, four main agenda items were discussed: the evaluation of the activities implemented in 2019; the review of the first draft of the CLOC´s concept note; the CLOC’s web platform design process; key elements to be incorporated into a virtual workshop series for CLOC partners and other interested parties; and the terms and process for an open call for grant proposals.

The CLOC partners highlighted an urgent need to mobilize research collaboration and action on the topics prioritized and promoted via Conéctate-A+, particularly given the current environmental and socio-political context experienced in Latin America. As a result, the CLOC’s draft concept note motivated an active discussion on the key conceptual and methodological challenges that need to be addressed to better understand the conditions that could contribute to an effective implementation of sustainability-oriented policies in the region. 

Another key agenda item was the design considerations for a virtual platform for the network, which will incorporate the specific communication needs of its partners, and others associated with the CLOC, into its design. The virtual platform will also host a document repository which will include high quality publications from within and outside the Andes+ region, as well as a monthly newsletter that will inform about the network’s activities, funding, and other collaboration opportunities, as well as progress with the network development in the region. Other envisaged activities include a virtual workshop series on topics promoted by Conéctate-A+ in order to facilitate an interactive discussion and foster collaboration in the region.

Pre-announcement – Call for Research Collaboration Proposals

As a key outcome of the meeting, Conéctate-A+ partners also agreed on the terms and process for a call for grant proposals to support research activities and collaboration among researchers in the Andes+ region. The call will invite proposals from the Andes+ research community for research activities, with grants of up to USD 12,000 per successful project. Projects can include collaborative synthesis workshops and resulting publications, comparative case studies, and/or meta-analyses that, adopting an eminently interdisciplinary approach, explore the contemporary challenges for effective and equitable science-based decision-making in the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Andes+ region.

Full call details and eligibility criteria will be published in early February, with the deadline for proposals submissions expected in mid-March 2020. More information will be shared via MRI and CLOC partner communication channels in early February.

More Information

For more information regarding Conéctate-A+ and the call for proposals expected in February, please contact Gustavo Valdivia at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Conéctate-A+ is supported by

Photo by Polski