Grant No. OPP1119939:
Equipment and health and safety modifications required for developing the capacity
to support grantees field-testing in Durban, SA
November 2014 – October 2017
Partner Organisations: eThekwini Water and Sanitation
Project Description:
In November 2014, A Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant was awarded to the PRG in order to increase the capacity of the PRG to provide support to sanitation practitioners working in the field of faecal sludge management. This included covering the cost of upgrading the laboratory to increase health and safety (improved extraction, storage etc.), provide more space for visiting researchers, and to purchase analytical equipment to increase the range of tests that can be undertaken. In addition, the PRG offers training support to other laboratories wishing to undertake similar analyses.
This grant runs until the end of October 2017.
Goal(s):
- To augment the services provided to transformative technology grantees and sanitation practitioners wishing to demonstrate their technologies in Eastern Africa
- To provide laboratory and testing services to SteP (Sanitation Technology Evaluation Programme) in which prototypes developed by the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge and other initiatives are operated in a realistic environments (Senegal, Durban and Coimbatore)
- To provide laboratory, and field testing support services to faecal sludge researchers
- To have a laboratory, field testing and office facilities available for use by faecal sludge researchers
- Increase the chemical, physical and microbiological data available of relevance to faecal sludge researchers
- PRG staff time (i.e. labour costs) to undertake analyses, train researchers, undertake modifications to equipment, and consult on FS aspects
- Capital cost of some equipment
- PRG staff time to apply for necessary import/export permits, preparation of contracts and application for ethical clearance (as required)
- Hosting of visitors to PRG (researchers, post grad students etc.)
- Office space, lan, photocopiers (access only)
- Laboratory and pilot area space and services
- Admin assistance
- Workshop assistance
Objectives:
What is covered by the Grant (subject to availability):
What you (the researcher requesting assistance) needs to pay for:
Laboratory consumables and chemicals for the requested analyses at discounted rates until end October 2017 (see laboratory costing sheet)
- Out of Durban travel and subsistence costs of the PRG staff (air travel, car hire, accommodation, meals etc.)
- Workshop consumables for equipment building / modification etc.
- Any additional labour requirements over and above the PRG staff (i.e. if additional staff is hired to assist in undertaking the analyses)
Publications and Posters
Posters
Provision of laboratory and field support to foundation grantees and 3rd party sanitation practitioners in the development of faecal sludge management systems; presented at the Transformative Technology 5yr Review Workshop, Seattle, August 2016
Conference Papers and Presentations
Reports and other
PRG Costing_July 2016
Facilities offered by the Pollution Research Group to Support Faecal Sludge Research