Call for proposals – Major Grants
Deadline for Applications: 4 March 2013 17:00 GMT
CEPR announces a call for proposals for the 2nd round of its Major Grants Research Programme under the CEPR – DFID research initiative on private enterprise development in low-income countries.
The Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries (PEDL) programme pursues a research agenda that aims to better understand what determines the strength of market forces driving efficiency in Low-Income Countries (LICs). Existing research suggests that the private sector in LICs faces a multitude of constraints that act upon each other. What is needed is research that allows us to understand how these constraints interact.
An important criterion for funding of PEDL grant proposals is their relevance to policy in Low-Income Countries (LICs) and other eligible countries, as defined by the PEDL programme. (See the list of LICs and other eligible countries here; additional information is also available via our FAQ pages.)
PEDL will support approaches that promise to produce credible research results that will be relevant for policy-making. It will promote research related to private enterprises of all sizes. PEDL will initially focus on four research themes, and research proposals should focus on one or more of these themes:
- Modelling market frictions in LICs using newly available data
- Micro-foundations of aggregate private sector performance
- The dynamics of SMEs: Informality and entrepreneurship
- The role of export-oriented industries in driving growth
PEDL also encourages proposals that address relevant cross-cutting issues such as:
- Fragile and conflict affected states
- Gender
- Climate, environment and social compliance
The call for Major Research Grants will open on Monday 7th January 2013.
The deadline for the submission is 4 March 2013 at 17:00 GMT. These grants will be awarded primarily to researchers in order to support:
- data collection and new surveys in low-income countries
- research assistance
- teaching buyouts for the principal investigator
Major Research Grants are expected to involve projects with budgets above £100,000. There is no upper limit, but CEPR expects to make as many as 10 awards averaging £300,000. Value for money will be a guiding evaluation criterion. The grants are designed to provide financial support for the individuals undertaking the research and to cover reasonable associated costs that are directly related to the proposed research project.
Who is eligible?
Grants will be awarded on an institutional basis involving primarily researchers from academia, the non-profit sector, think-tanks and research centres, etc.
How do I apply?
Applications must be submitted online at the PEDL website. Applicants must submit a proposal summary, a full proposal, the CVs of the Scientific Coordinator and those of other Lead Scientists, as well as a detailed project budget.
We expect to inform applicants whether the proposal has been approved by around 31 July 2013. Proposals should not include funding for activities beginning earlier than 1 August 2013. CEPR may ask applicants to provide additional information in support of their application during this period. The Evaluation Committee may also request applicants to submit revised proposals should they consider that the proposal has sufficient potential.
