The Global Engagement Network on Internal Displacement in Africa (GENIDA) brings together academics, policy-makers and civil society to address two major development problems: (i) the paucity of research on internal displacement in sub-Saharan Africa; and (ii) the inadequate response to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in law, policy and practice in these countries. Internal displacement is a major cross-cutting development challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017 alone, in sub-Saharan Africa, over 5 million people were internally displaced by conflict and another 2.5 million by disasters linked to natural hazards. Its impact is felt in the losses and livelihood and reintegration challenges experienced by IDPs, disruption of social fabric and distortion of local economies and politics. Yet, despite a humanitarian stop-gap response in some countries, longer-term innovative solutions to situations on the ground are needed. The first initiative of its kind, the GENIDA project aims to: (i) promote high-quality interdisciplinary research on IDPs by building and supporting research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa; and (ii) facilitate evidence-based policy change and innovative solutions in DAC-list countries in this region. The project adds real value to current research. Firstly, it will connect existing IDP researchers in universities and civil society groups to build a robust research community on this challenge. Secondly, it will promote research on IDPs among outstanding researchers in African universities not yet working in that field, supporting them within this community. Thirdly, by reaching out to a range of disciplines, it will promote interdisciplinary engagement on IDPs. Fourthly, through the work of this research community, it will develop innovative solutions to the IDP challenge in Africa. It also feeds directly into policy/practice. Firstly, it will create a policy forum to bring in policy-makers from selected national governments and international agencies. Secondly, it will build capacity and work with these stakeholders to identify key internal displacement challenges in practice. Thirdly, through researcher/practitioner exchange, it will develop innovative and practice-oriented solutions to IDP challenges and action plans to address them. Fourthly, it will provide technical support to these policy-makers in adopting and implementing the action plans and on any IDP-related query where they seek expert input from GENIDA members. The project is an international collaboration between Centre for Human Rights at University of Pretoria, South Africa, and Refugee Law Initiative at School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. The expertise and networks of these two specialised research centres underpin the success of this open network, which will draw in researchers from universities, research institutions and civil society across Africa, as well as key development policy-makers from countries affected by serious dynamics of internal displacement. It facilitates co-production of knowledge in this area through such activities as: - 2019 Online training programme for network members - 2020 Policymaker workshop on identifying key IDP challenges - 2020 Researcher workshop on building interdisciplinary research - 2020 Joint work on developing solutions to respond to key IDP challenges - 2020 Joint workshop to develop action plans to implement solutions identified - 2020 Policymaker activities for adoption of actions plans at national level - 2020 Researcher activities to integrate IDPs on university/research agendas - 2021 Final interdisciplinary conference and publications - Ongoing expert technical advice to policymakers Alongside the academic benefits, the project will generate user impact by improving law, policy and practice on IDPs in African States and promoting informed public debate, as well as giving international visibility to Africa/UK academic-practitioner research.

Violent confrontations between rival groups have arisen throughout human history but this is not a uniquely human phenomenon: conflict between groups occurs in all animal taxa, from ants to primates, and is a powerful evolutionary force. We now know a great deal about what happens during contests (e.g., who participates and what determines who wins) and, increasingly, about the consequences for behaviour and survival in the aftermath. However, a fundamental gap in our understanding is how non-human animals might act strategically in preparation for potential future contests. In this project, we will identify pre-emptive behaviours that could optimise intergroup encounters (balancing the risks of potential territory loss against those arising from engaging with rivals of different strengths) and maximise the likelihood of winning any contests that do arise. To do so, we will combine cutting-edge spatial mapping and movement modelling with long-term behavioural data and field experiments on a tractable wild population of dwarf mongooses. Dwarf mongooses, Africa's smallest carnivore, are ideal for this study for several reasons. Groups comprise 5-30 individuals who sleep in a burrow, forage and travel together within a shared territory that they collectively defend against rivals. Territorial behaviour involves scent-marking at communal latrines near borders and physical defence when rivals are encountered. We have studied these charismatic mini-beasts for 10 years (Dwarf Mongoose Research Project), so have large datasets (from 73 group-years) on group movements (from GPS tracking) and a variety of behaviours, including latrine-marking, sleeping-burrow choice, within-group affiliation and sentinel activity. Moreover, we have habituated the study population to our close presence, enabling collection of body-mass data and experimental manipulations in natural conditions. We will use existing and new data to tackle three objectives. First, we will use novel spatial modelling coupled with long-term movement and behaviour data to determine how territorial space use and defensive actions vary in a landscape of intergroup conflict. We will assess the importance of relative group size as well as historic and current rival-group activity in predicting how the mongooses exploit their environment and minimise intergroup risk. Second, we will use detailed long-term observations and a field manipulation of spatial threat level to determine how behaviour changes strategically when there is the prospect of an imminent intergroup contest. We will identify how different individuals enhance information gathering, group cohesion and the likelihood of groupmate participation in later contests, and assess the consequences for body-mass gains. Third, we will manipulate aggression and affiliation between selected groupmates to test experimentally how pre-emptive within-group behaviour affects subsequent contributions to intergroup interactions. We will therefore generate the first detailed and experimental datasets investigating the use of strategic pre-emptive behaviour by non-human animals in an intergroup context. As such, our work will be of relevance to biologists studying group living, conflict, territoriality, cooperation, social evolution and future planning. Moreover, our use of novel analytical models that quantify the encounter probability of rival groups in a heterogeneous landscape will be of benefit to spatial and movement ecologists. Since the management and consequences of conflict have interdisciplinary implications, our research will complement that by anthropologists, psychologists, and social and political scientists. Finally, because conflict is common in our own lives, from disputes among family members to wars between nations, we will use a programme of outreach and public engagement activities to enthuse and inform a wider audience about our research on social evolution and the importance of blue-skies research.

The trading of goods and services is a fundamental component of human societies, but we are not unique: throughout the animal world, individuals exchange cooperative acts in 'biological markets'. There are lots of examples of non-human animals trading a commodity for itself (e.g., grooming for grooming) or trading one commodity for another (e.g., grooming for help in fights with others). However, our understanding of this market trading has been limited in two main ways. First, by a focus on situations where just one individual receives a benefit (like when someone carries the shopping of a friend). In reality, many cooperative behaviours have multiple beneficiaries (like when someone picks litter in a park). So-called 'public goods' have profoundly different effects on others and so influence relationships between group members in very different ways. The second limitation is a paucity of experiments in natural conditions, which are crucial to avoid measuring odd effects of captive living and to determine exactly how one behaviour influences another (i.e., causality). In this project, we will investigate social factors driving variation in the provision and value of public goods in biological markets. To do so, we will generate new theory from computational modelling and test the predictions using the cross-commodity trading of sentinel behaviour (acting as a raised look-out) and grooming in a tractable wild population of dwarf mongooses. New theory is needed because existing models of biological markets have generally focused on exclusive partnerships in large populations and the trading of single commodities with individual recipients. We will use cutting-edge methods to model the more common scenario where different commodities (including public goods) are exchanged in small family groups where groupmates with non-exclusive friendships repeatedly interact with one another. Dwarf mongooses, Africa's smallest carnivore, are ideal for the testing of our predictions for several reasons. Groups comprise 5-30 individuals who sleep in a burrow, forage and travel together within a shared territory. Throughout the day, all adults act as sentinels - a cooperative act of public good because the individual suspends foraging, adopts a raised position to scan for danger and provides vocal information about danger to all groupmates - and then groupmates groom one another at the burrow before bedtime. Grooming is important both to reduce ectoparasites living in their fur and to maintain social relationships. We have studied these charismatic creatures for over a decade, so have huge amounts of data (from 81 group-years) on sentinel contributions, grooming patterns and the lives of over 200 individuals. Moreover, we have habituated the study population to our close presence, which enables us to collect body-mass data and run experiments (e.g., manipulations of grooming, perceived sentinel contributions and predation risk) in natural conditions. By developing and testing new theory with both long-term data and the results of field experiments, we will determine how (a) the provision of public goods is influenced by receipt of a different commodity and competition among providers, and (b) the value of public goods is affected by their supply and demand. In doing so, we will deepen our understanding of biological markets, group dynamics, cooperation and social evolution, which are topics of interest to a wide range of biologists. Since cooperation and market trading have major interdisciplinary implications, our research will also complement that of anthropologists, psychologists, economists and social scientists. Finally, because helping others is a trait that we admire in family, friends and colleagues, we will use a programme of public engagement activities to enthuse and inform a wider audience about our research on social interactions and the importance of understanding the natural world through blue-skies research.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

SUCSESS project’s focus is on strengthening the relations between universities and the wider economic and social environment in South Africa. The topics in the project are knowledge triangle (student - teacher - enterprise) that deepens university business cooperation, and inclusive regional and community development.SUCSESS project supports South African universities with models of cooperation between universities and businesses and pedagogical practices and tools to introduce the cooperation at course level. When the cooperation is taken at the course level, it is easier to include, engage and empower also students to the development work with businesses. The enhancement of knowledge triangle (student-teacher-enterprise) is important in SUCSESS project.