FCFA Programme Rationale, Structure and Scientific Focus

Abstract

Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) is an international research programme jointly funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The programme will fund world-leading interdisciplinary research to enhance scientific understanding on climate variability and change across sub-Saharan Africa. It focusses on advancing scientific knowledge, understanding and prediction of African climate variability and change, together with interdisciplinary research and user engagement to support better integration of science into medium-term decision making (multi-annual to multi-decadal or approximately 5 to 40 years), such as infrastructure investments, urban development plans, landuse planning and national-scale policy initiatives (e.g. Poverty Reduction Strategies or social protection systems). The programme will be delivered through collaborative, interdisciplinary partnerships of the world’s best researchers, selected through a rigorous competitive call process. A range of projects will fall under the FCFA programme including large, regionally-focussed research programme consortia, a global model development consortium, smaller targeted supporting projects and cross programme research, knowledge exchange and capacity building activities through the Coordination, Capacity Development and Knowledge Exchange (CCKE) Unit. The programme’s success will be measured by the way that its research contributes knowledge and evidence to enhance the resilience of African people to climate variability and change and through this help to improve the lives of poor people in sub-Saharan Africa