Alumni research grants scheme drives solutions to Cambodia’s emerging challenges

Australia Awards Cambodia’s Alumni Research Grants (ARG) scheme supports Cambodian alumni in researching pressing issues, including in relation to economic development, climate change, and other emerging challenges. The grants provide up to USD 10,000 for individual or group projects, with an additional USD 2,000 available for projects involving an Australian partner.

The ARG scheme:

• provides alumni with opportunities to enhance and use their knowledge and skills
• develops, maintains and strengthens professional linkages and partnerships between alumni and the Australian Government, Australian businesses, public and private organisations and educational institutions
• connects alumni to each other across disciplines and professions, organisations and institutions, and geographic areas to share good practice and create opportunities for collaboration, and
• showcases Australia’s excellence as a global provider of high-quality education and research.

By participating in these research grants, alumni grantees:

• generate research that will inform policy development and decision-making on relevant issues
• contribute to the existing body of knowledge and scientific literature in the Cambodian context.
• help predict and respond to current development challenges in Cambodia and in vulnerable sectors of society.

Through regular Dissemination Workshops, alumni researchers share their findings with policymakers, academics, and the public. Through these workshops, the scheme supports policy development and professional networking and encourages public discussion about issues that matter to Cambodia.

The ARG scheme, which has so far supported five rounds of research, is open to Cambodian nationals who have graduated from an Australian university or vocational training centre either in Australia, online or in another country, and includes all self-funded and scholarship recipients and participants in Short-Term awards – both Short Courses and Informal Learning Opportunities.

Explore the findings from each round of ARG-funded research below:

• Research Grants Scheme Round 1

1. An assessment of impacts of COVID-19 on micro, small, and medium enterprises and employees in the tourism sector in Cambodia
2. Early grade reading ability trend among students from indigenous communities in Cambodia during COVID-19 pandemic

• Research Grants Scheme Round 2

1. Understanding Cambodian provincial university students’ perspectives on Cambodia’s vision to become a knowledge-based society
2. Leveraging Industry 4.0: Digitalising on-demand services and promoting sustainable transport in urban Cambodia
3. Care-giving and care-seeking behaviour for people with communication disability within Cambodian communities
4. Quality of life of people with Type 2 Diabetes
5. Mental health provision for university students in Phnom Penh
6. Social inclusion in commune land use planning in Cambodia, a case study of O’Krieng Commune, Kratie Province

• Research Grants Scheme Round 3

1. Socio-economic benefits of natural resources: a perspective of the members of the local protected areas in northern Cambodia
2. Multidrug resistant bacteria in Mekong River, Tonle Sap, Bassac River and sewage water
3. Digital transformation strategies for learning loss recovery, improved resilience, and inclusivity in Cambodian higher education
4. The voice of indigenous people in collective land titling, a case study of Pu Trom community, Mondul Kiri
5. A climate-smart agriculture practice in Cambodia: Smallholders’ uptake of intercropping and food security
6. Experience of healthcare professionals delivering care to persons with spinal cord injury in Cambodia
7. Senior medical students’ knowledge, attitude, and perception concerning antibiotic use and resistance in Cambodia
8. How do Cambodian secondary schools meet minimum standards of school effectiveness through application of managerial and transformational leadership models?

• Research Grants Scheme Round 4

1. Addressing water scarcity: Rainwater harvesting in Kampot Province
2. Agricultural residue open burning, air pollution, and health impact assessment in the context of climate change in Cambodia
3. Environmental social governance adoption among SMEs: Trends, challenges and insights from Cambodian agro- processing SMEs
4. Using participatory research to understand the health impacts of climate change from the perspectives of communities and health systems: A case study from Battambang
5. Impact, adaptability, and scalability of a community-based antiretroviral therapy delivery model for people living with HIV in Cambodia: A post-intervention qualitative study
6. Women’s perceptions on climate change impact on their livelihoods: Preparedness strategy for climate change adaptation
7. Adaptive strategies of small-scale farmers to cope with water shortages due to climate change: A comparative study between the Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River areas

• Research Grants Scheme Round 5

1. The readiness of Cambodia’s TVET system for green jobs: Challenges, opportunities, and career prospects for young people in Battambang
2. The role of digital financial literacy in facilitating climate-smart agriculture adoption and enhancing food security: Evidence from a repeat cross-sectional household survey in Cambodia
3. Climate Variability and Child Undernutrition in Cambodia: A Spatial Analysis Using Demographic and Health Survey 2021–2022 and Climate Satellite-Derived Data 2020
4. Climate Variables and Dengue Incidence in Three Cambodian Provinces: A Longitudinal Observational Study Comparing Centralized and Localized Meteorological Data
5. Banteay Chhmar’s Stung Teuk Chum catchment profile
6. Unlocking new sources of agricultural growth: Assessing the role of finance in modern agriculture
7. Research on socioeconomic incentives for unpaid care work at the household level in Cambodia: Needs, challenges, and opportunities