ESRC-DFID Joint fund for poverty alleviation research 2013

This call is now closed. The following is for information only.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) are pleased to announce a call for three large and exciting Research Programmes of work under Phase 3 of the ESRC-DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research. Both funders are committed to commissioning world class research and ensuring the results are available for policy makers and development workers worldwide. 

The aim is to provide funding for new research on critical but relatively under-researched themes. The Research Programmes will undertake work in three areas:

Funding is available for one Research Programme of work of up to £2 million under this stream. Researchers are invited to develop research programme proposals which will examine the specific barriers to inclusion facing disabled people in low income country settings. The key research question is “What are the specific barriers to inclusion facing disabled children and adults in accessing health, education, social protection and labour market services, and how can these barriers be overcome in sustainable and cost-effective ways?”

Funding is available for one Research Programme of work of up to £2 million under this stream. Researchers are invited to develop research programme proposals which will examine how urban spaces are changing and what the emerging challenges for tackling urban poverty reduction are. This will include an understanding of towns and peri-urban areas, and work on new interventions that can tackle urban poverty at scale in low income countries.

Funding is available for one Research Programme of work up to £3.3 million to address evidence gaps around urbanisation and risk in an African context. Researchers applying under this stream are invited to develop research programme proposals which will map and measure the different dimensions of risk in urban Africa and produce policy-relevant evidence that can inform efforts by national, regional and municipal/city governments, multilateral agencies, NGOs and humanitarian donors to build urban resilience and manage risk and uncertainty. 

Applications are sought from across the social sciences and interdisciplinary research, both within and beyond the social sciences, is welcomed. However, applicants should note that it is a requirement of this call that all Research Programme applications must be a minimum of 50 per cent social science.

Applicants must ensure the proposed research will be carried out to a high ethical standard and must ensure that any potential ethical issues have been considered and explain how these will be addressed. The ESRCs Framework for Research Ethics contains a full explanation of our approach and includes guidance for applicants.

Deadline for applications closed 16.00 UK time, 10 September 2013.

Email: DFID@esrc.ac.ukLauren Watters
Telephone: +44 (0) 1793 413047Lyndy Griffin
Telephone: +44 (0) 1793 413135

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ESRC-DFID Development Frontiers research fund

ESRC and DFID are pleased to announce a third phase of the ESRC-DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research.

In this third phase, we are launching a call for Development Frontiers Research.

Development Frontiers research can be broadly defined as involving pioneering theoretical and methodological innovation, and/or research based on the engagement of a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives including new links across disciplines that do not usually work together and across non-traditional partnerships. The expectation is that this research will provide a major stimulus to new and novel streams of enquiry or practice.

Characteristics of Development Frontiers research will include the following:

Results that will radically change accepted thinkingThe outcome may be uncertain and the research could lead to unexpected insightsThe research is potentially higher-risk/higher-rewardThe research will produce a broad base of knowledge and new thinking/insights likely to contribute towards the solution of recognised or expected current or future problems or possibilitiesThe research is not incremental

Development Frontiers research might also include:

Radical ways of giving voices to the poorNovel forms of South-South partnershipEarly entrant research on emerging issues.

Applications which are not deemed to have the characteristics outlined in the scope of the call will be rejected. Projects with developing country leads and developing country partners are strongly encouraged.

There will be a stage-gating process for the Development Frontiers Research Fund. Projects will initially be funded for 18 months with a stage one budget of up to £100,000. At the end of year one, projects will be invited to bid for a further 18 months of funding up to £200,000 to continue their research.

Initial applications are invited for projects with a FEC value of up to £100,000 and a duration of 18 months.

Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time on 29 November 2012 

Any applicant(s) and their institutions intending to apply to this call must ensure they are registered with the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S). It is essential to allow sufficient time to secure Je-S registration – we strongly recommend that applicants register with Je-S at least four weeks prior to the call deadline, as no exceptions can be made for late submission of applications.

If you and your research organisation are already registered for Je-S, electronic applications can be accessed via the Je-S website.

See the application instructions for call guidance and details on how to apply.

Please send email queries to dfid@esrc.ac.uk or telephone:

Mary Day +44 (0)1793 413078Lyndy Griffin +44 (0)1793 413135or +44 (0)1793 413125

We also have a call for outline research grants of between £100,000 to £500,000.

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ESRC-DFID joint fund for poverty alleviation research - phase 3 full proposals

A call for outline proposals was issued in October 2012. The call is now open for those who have been invited to submit a full proposal.

Grants will be for a maximum of three years and up to £500,000 at 100 per cent Full Economic Cost (fEC).

The full specification document and other relevant documents can be found below.

Deadline for applications: 16.00 (UK time) on 2 May 2013.

Important reminder: Any UK and non-UK applicant(s) and their institutions intending to apply to this call must ensure they are registered with the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S). It is essential to allow sufficient time to secure Je-S registration – we strongly recommend that applicants register with Je-S at least four weeks prior to the call deadline, as no exceptions can be made for late submission of applications.

If you and your research organisation are already registered for Je-S, electronic applications can be submitted via the Je-S website.

Please send email queries to dfid@esrc.ac.uk or telephone:

Lauren Watters: +44 (0) 1793 413047Lyndy Griffin: +44 (0) 1793 413135

View the original article here

ESRC-DFID joint fund for poverty alleviation research - phase 3, outline applications

ESRC and DFID are pleased to announce funding for a third phase of the ESRC-DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research.

Outline applications are invited for projects with a Full Economic Cost (FEC) value of between £100,000 and £500,000. The duration of projects should range from a minimum of one year up to a maximum of three years. UK based researchers will be funded at 80 per cent FEC, whilst non-UK researchers will receive 100 per cent of the direct costs of the research, plus a variable overhead. The total budget for this call will be £5.3 million. Two further calls are planned in 2013 and 2014.

Research under this call should address one or more of three overarching questions:

What approaches are most effective in enabling the poorest to exit and stay out of poverty, and under what conditions can such approaches be replicated elsewhere and at scale?What political and institutional conditions are associated with effective poverty reduction and  development, and what can domestic and external actors do to promote these conditions?What measures can be taken to reduce the risks and impact of violence and instability on the poorest and increase the effectiveness of peacebuilding, statebuilding and wider development interventions in fragile and conflict-affected situations?

Applications which are not deemed to be within the scope of the call will be rejected.

Two key cross-cutting issues are relevant to all of these overarching questions:

Structural inequalities including those based on gender, age, disability, ethnicity, race, religion, class, educational status and spatial factorsMeasurement and metrics

The full specification and other documents can be found on the application instructions page.

Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time on 29 November 2012

Any applicant(s) and their institutions intending to apply to this call must ensure they are registered with the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S). It is essential to allow sufficient time to secure Je-S registration - we strongly recommend that applicants register with Je-S at least four weeks prior to the call deadline, as no exceptions can be made for late submission of applications.

If you and your research organisation are already registered for Je-S, electronic applications can be submitted via the Je-S website.

The application instructions give more guidance for the call and details on how to apply.

Please send email queries to dfid@esrc.ac.uk or telephone:

Mary Day +44 (0)1793 413078Lyndy Griffin +44 (0)1793 413135or +44 (0)1793 413125

We are also launching a Development Frontiers research fund which will fund high-risk/high-reward research involving ideas, discoveries or tools that radically change our understanding of important existing development concepts or practices, or which lead to completely new thinking.

View the original article here