Deadline: 18-Jun-2025
The Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development is a competitive research grant programme under the umbrella of the Global Development Awards Competition (GDAC), administered by GDN, funded under the Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD) trust fund managed by the World Bank, and generously supported by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan.
This award programme identifies and funds outstanding research proposals in low- or middle-income countries with high potential for excellence in research and clear policy implications for addressing development issues.
Theme
- Digital Transformation for Universal Health Coverage
Prize Information
- The first prize winner will receive a grant of US$ 30,000. The second prize and third prize winners will receive a grant of US$ 20,000 and US$ 10,000, respectively.
Eligibility Criteria
- Geographical scope: Eligible countries for the ORD competition are those classified by the World Bank as low-income or middle-income countries. The competition is open only to researchers who are citizens or permanent residents of these countries. The applicants (including team members) can be asked to submit proof of their citizenship and residency through documents with legal standing at any point during the competition. The information on the Identity Card will remain strictly confidential with GDN.
- Citizens of eligible countries currently residing in a non-eligible country are allowed to apply only if they have been living in the non-eligible country for no more than five years as of January 1, 2026. This should be clearly shown, as in the CV, and personal information should be provided. In case any information is found to be incorrect, the proposal iss liable for disqualification during any stage of the competition, including after the grant has been conferred.
- Age limit: The upper age limit for all applicants is 45 years by the end of 2025. Individuals above 45 years of age as of January 1, 2026 are not eligible to apply.
- External funding: The proposal should not be receiving or scheduled to receive funds from other sources to be eligible. However, this would be allowed if it is clearly explained how the additional funds would reinforce the successful completion of the research.
- Employment: Staff members of multilateral and bilateral organisations (The World Bank, IMF, IADB, UN agencies, UKAid, etc.) are not eligible to apply. Previous and current employees of GDN or its Regional Network Partners are not eligible to apply for up to 5 years from the completion of their tenure. Previous GDN Board Members, project mentors and members of evaluation teams are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit GDN.