ESRC and DFID are pleased to announce a third funding call under the Growth Research Programme, focusing on Financial Sector Development and Growth.

Deadline for proposals: 16.00 BST 2 July 2015

This £20.9 million programme is focused on economic growth and related issues in Low Income Countries (LICs); in this context, economic growth is defined as sustained increase in the quantity and quality of goods and services produced per person, providing the basis for increased national income and living standards. Since its inception in 2011, DEGRP has facilitated cutting-edge social science research, with large potential for impact on policy and practice.

The 2015 call is focused on the theme of financial sector development and growth. We are pleased to invite proposals to establish a single programme that will produce excellent research on financial sector development and growth in LICs. The funding aims to create a core of research excellence, strengthen evidence-based policymaking and build research capacity.

We expect to fund one research programme under this call with a total of up to £2 million available for proposals to this call. Proposals are invited for projects with a full economic cost (fEC) value of between £1.5 million and £2 million. Proposals outside this value range will not be accepted. This budget limit refers to the total cost of the project, not the contribution paid by the ESRC and DFID. Projects may be for a maximum of four years in duration.

Proposals are sought from across the social sciences and may be for fundamental or more applied research topics, as long as the policy relevance is clearly stated. There are no geographic restrictions on who may apply for this funding opportunity. Researchers from developing and developed countries can work together in any configuration of their choosing, and principal investigators can be from anywhere in the world.

Click here for further details from the funder’s website