Call summary :

Climate change poses threats to human health across a wide range of illnesses and injuries. Under-resourced and marginalized populations, especially those in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are at higher risk of climate change consequences. A variety of climate change adaptation strategies have been and continue to be developed to prepare for, and adjust to, both the current and projected impacts of climate change. However, the scientific evidence base for many of these strategies is limited, particularly regarding their impact on health.

Case study collection

As part of the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative, the Fogarty Center for Global Health Studies (CGHS) is inviting submissions for a collection of case studies on adaptation strategies that respond to the impact of climate change on public health. While many climate adaptation strategies are being developed and deployed globally, few directly address health outcomes. This collection aims to address current gaps in climate science literature regarding the impact of climate change adaptation on health. The goal of this collection is to identify and understand current or historical adaptation strategies that can be better harnessed to address deteriorating health outcomes using relevant and appropriate research approaches and methodologies. When complete, the collection will strengthen the evidence base around climate change adaptation and help identify research priorities and future research needs in this area.

Call for proposals

Researchers and practitioners from any country, especially LMICs, are encouraged to submit a short, two-page proposal describing a case study that they would like to write. The project’s steering committee, composed of global climate and health scientists, will review proposals and select eight to 12 to develop into full case studies, which may be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Limited financial support is available for compilation of data, analysis, and preparation of the initial manuscript. In addition, publication and open access fees will be fully covered by NIH.

Selection process and criteria

Applications will be distributed to the Steering Committee and reviewed based on the following criteria:
1. Scientific and public health relevance of the case study.
2. Innovative and scientific approach used to develop the case study.
3. Case study location (preference will be given to locations that are underrepresented in the literature, e.g., LMICs).
4. Extent to which the proposal discusses specific health impacts associated with the adaptation strategy.
5. Focus on underrepresented, under-resourced, marginalized, and at-risk populations.
6. Extent to which the case study discusses a specific climate change adaptation measure(s) or strategy addressing a specific climate hazard.
7. Relevance of case study to future research and priority areas within the climate change and health landscape.
8. Diversity of the submitting authors in terms of geographic locations, interdisciplinarity of teams, areas of expertise (preference will be given to authors under-represented in the field, e.g., authors from LMICs).

Financial support

Limited support is available for costs associated with compilation of data, analysis, and preparation of the initial manuscript. Use of funds are subject to NIH approval and cannot be used for primary data collection or human subjects research. Eligible costs include part-time salary support for a research assistant (e.g., an intern, student, or analyst) and/or limited travel for interviews with relevant stakeholders. We anticipate that these costs will vary and that not every case study will require support. Maximum costs that can be requested per case study are $15,000, inclusive of indirect costs. All publication costs, including open access fees, will be separately covered by NIH.