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Research Programme Funding Opportunity

The ESRC and 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:

Disability, Inequality and Poverty

Funding is available for a Research Programme of work of up to £2 million under this stream. Researchers will be invited to develop programme proposals which will provide insights into the specific barriers to inclusion facing disabled people in low income country settings, access to health care, education, social protection and labour market services, and to consider how these barriers can be overcome in sustainable and cost-effective ways.

Poverty in Urban Spaces

Funding is available for a Research Programme of work of up to £2 million under this stream. Researchers will be invited to develop programme proposals which will examine how urban spaces are changing and the emerging challenges for tackling urban poverty reduction. 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.

Urbanisation and Risk in Africa

Funding is available for a 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 will be invited to develop 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.

Full details of these three funding streams will be available when the call is launched.

We intend to launch the call for proposals 10 June 2013. This pre-call is being announced to allow interested researchers to begin discussions with potential research partners and research users in advance of the formal call. Applications will be through the Research Councils’ Joint Electronic Submissions system (Je-S). Detailed guidance about how to apply will be provided with the call for proposals.

Research Programme awards are large investments which will tackle more complex questions, across a number of contexts, and with larger teams. Successful awards will drive forward innovations in theory, methods or application; form a hub of research excellence in the area of study; and make a significant contribution to scientific, economic and/or social impact.

ESRC will administer the call and the Research Programmes on behalf of the co-funders.

Application Process and Timetable

The Research Programme call will be for Full Proposals. The deadline for applications will be 10 September 2013. Following preliminary checks, proposals will go to peer review and all applicants will be given the opportunity to respond to reviewer comments. Proposals will then be assessed by commissioning panel members. A short-list of applicants will invited for interview in March 2014. All applicants will be notified of the outcome in April. Successful Research Programmes may start from July 2014.

A full commissioning timetable will be provided with the call documentation.

Further Information

ESRC and DFID are currently in the process of finalising the call specification and associated documentation which will be available when the call for proposals is launched 10 June 2013.

If you have any questions about this competition please contact dfid@esrc.ac.uk.