The Centre for Economic Policy Research and the Department for International Development, through their private enterprise development in low-income countries initiative, invite applications for their exploratory research grants. These enable researchers to explore new approaches to the study of firms in low-income countries and develop new or existing sources of data on these firms. Research may relate to private enterprises of all sizes and should produce results that will be useful for policy-making. Proposals should address the following themes:

•modelling market frictions in low-income countries using newly available data;

•understanding how constraints interact using micro-founded macro models;

•the dynamics of SMEs – informality and entrepreneurship;

•the role of export-oriented industries in driving growth.

The initiative in particular seeks proposals that address the following cross-cutting issues: fragile and conflict-affected states, gender, and climate, environment and social compliance.

Only individuals, or teams with an individual representative, may apply.

Grants are worth between £10,000 and £35,000 over 12 months.

Link to funder’s website

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:

Disability, Inequality and Poverty

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?”

Poverty in Urban Spaces

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.

Urbanisation and Risk in Africa

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.

Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time, 10 September 2013

Link to the funder’s webpage

The National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences solicits proposals under its economics programme. The programme funds research designed to improve the understanding of the processes and institutions of the US economy and of the world system of which it is a part. Support is given to both empirical and theoretical analysis as well as methods for rigourous research on economic behaviour. Research may be in almost every area of economics, including econometrics, economic history, environmental economics, finance, industrial organisation, international economics, labour economics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and public finance. Proposals may be for individual or multi-investigator research projects, conferences, workshops, symposia, experimental research, data collection and dissemination or computer equipment and other instrumentation. Interdisciplinary research that strengthens links between economics and other social and behavioural sciences as well as mathematics and statistics is supported. A high priority is given to interdisciplinary research. PD 98-1320.

• Closing date 18 Aug 13
• Deadlines on: 18 August 2013, 18 January 2014, and repeated annually.
• Award type Hosting conferences; Directed grants to institutions, research groups etc

Link to the funder’s webpage