What is CARP?
CARP provides impact-driven and locally applied research funds and complementary networking and training opportunities to young and early career scholars at higher education institutions in the Global South. These researchers conduct climate adaptation research with a focus on its impacts and implications for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policies and strategies. Research supported by CARP in the regions of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Western Pacific, and the Pacific Islands will inform localized humanitarian assistance and DRR policy and practice.
Activities
Research Fund
Support a new generation of young and early career researchers with research grants at local universities in the Global South around the themes of climate change adaptation related to DRR.
Research Outputs
Produce relevant research outputs and strategic insights for national and local decision-makers that focus on impact-driven and applied problem solving to localized issues of climate adaptation and its implications for DRR in select regions.
Institutional Capacities
Strengthen the capacities of higher education institutions to host the essential teaching and learning opportunities as a sustained foundation for conducting applied research on localized issues of climate adaptation for DRR.
Community
Assemble an active and dynamic community of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers at the regional and global scales to address the urgent and immediate challenges of climate change adaptation, such as mitigating damages, lost lives, and human suffering.
Background of CARP
CARP was originally launched in the fall of 2022 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) as part of the University of Arizona’s Humanitarian Assistance Technical Support (HATS) project (2019-present). HATS is designed to build the institutional capacity of the University of Arizona to research, teach, and contribute to the urgent challenges of global disaster and humanitarian assistance. By engaging faculty and students across campus, HATS has helped establish the University of Arizona as a center of learning, knowledge production, and problem-solving for addressing global challenges to disasters and promoting resilience among the most vulnerable populations. HATS is situated in the Bureau for Applied Research in Anthropology as part of the University of Arizona’s School of Anthropology.
The first year of CARP focused on establishing a collaborative partnership between the University of Arizona and Stellenbosch University, which serves as the secretariat for an established partnership of 12 higher education institutions across Africa, called the Partners for Enhancing Resilience for People Exposed to Risk (PERIPERI-U) network. In 2023, CARP launched the funding of its first cohort of scholars with research funding for 33 projects across 10 African countries. Additional webinars, in-person workshops, and networking activities have also shaped the first year of CARP.
Later in 2023, the CARP received further USAID funding for five years (2023-2028) from the BHA to support and expand partnerships between the University of Arizona, Stellenbosch University, Auckland University of Technology, and the Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano.
Together, this partnership will build on the first year of the CARP program and support researchers in regions of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Western Pacific, and the Pacific Islands. The expanded CARP is situated in the Arizona Institute for Resilience as part of the International Resilience Lab.