The CLARE programme’s 2022 open call for proposals received a strong global response, attracting 1,661 applications from nearly 70 countries. This widespread participation highlighted both the diversity of organisations working on climate adaptation and the growing demand for inclusive, practical, and action-oriented research, particularly across the Global South.
A new report by Transitions Research, commissioned by the CLARE programme, examines the strengths and limitations of the 2022 funding call to draw lessons for future adaptation research funding. The analysis focuses on improving funding design, accessibility, equity in selection processes, and the overall effectiveness of global adaptation research systems.
The findings identify five key factors that distinguished successful proposals: strong coherence and feasibility of project design, methodological rigour, meaningful integration of gender equality and inclusion, equitable partnerships with leadership from the Global South, and clear pathways from research to real-world impact. In contrast, weaker proposals were often overly ambitious, lacked clear methodologies, treated gender and inclusion superficially, or had unclear governance and resource-sharing arrangements.
The report also reflects on the design features of the CLARE call that were positively received by applicants, including detailed application guidance, the availability of both small and large grant funding windows, and a strong framework for gender equality and inclusion. These elements were seen as supporting broader participation and improving proposal quality.
At the same time, the analysis identifies areas for improvement, such as expanding language accessibility, providing more targeted support for early-career and first-time applicants, and strengthening reviewer training and scoring consistency to improve fairness and transparency in selection processes.
Overall, the report provides a phased set of recommendations aimed at improving future funding rounds and strengthening the global adaptation research ecosystem, with a particular focus on making locally led adaptation research more fundable at scale and improving participation from organisations in the Global South.
