Applications open for STEG PhD Research Grant Program

The STEG PhD Research Grant Program provides funding of up to £15,000 to PhD students conducting research on structural transformation, economic growth, labour markets, productivity, and related policy challenges in low- and middle-income countries. The program particularly encourages early-career researchers and studies with strong policy relevance, especially research focused on sub-Saharan Africa.

What Is the STEG PhD Research Grant Program?

The Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG) PhD Research Grant Program supports doctoral researchers whose work can improve understanding of how low- and middle-income countries can achieve sustainable economic transformation and growth.

The program is designed to help PhD students conduct high-quality empirical or theoretical research addressing important development and economic policy questions.

Research may examine issues affecting:

• Economic growth and structural transformation
• Agricultural and industrial productivity
• Labour markets and households
• Firms and industrial policy
• Trade and spatial frictions
• Public-sector performance
• Data and economic measurement
• Gender and inequality
• Climate change and the environment
• Inclusion and informality
• Domestic revenue mobilisation
• Artificial intelligence and automation

Particular attention is given to research that can generate evidence relevant to policymaking in low-income countries, with a strong interest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Grant Amount and Eligible Costs

Successful PhD researchers can receive up to £15,000 for their research project.

The funding may support reasonable research-related costs, including:

• Research assistance
• Data collection
• Purchase or acquisition of research data
• Data harmonisation and curation
• Research stipends
• Fieldwork
• Travel to research or field sites
• Other eligible research expenses

Stipend Limits

The grant includes specific limits on student stipends:

• Students in high-income countries: up to £12,000 for stipends.
• Students in low- and middle-income countries: the equivalent amount based on purchasing power parity (PPP).

The grant is intended to facilitate research activities rather than provide unrestricted financial support.

Key Research Themes

Data and Measurement

STEG encourages research that improves the availability and quality of economic data.

Projects may involve:

• Collecting new macroeconomic data
• Harmonising existing datasets
• Developing new measurement approaches
• Curating datasets relevant to structural transformation
• Improving evidence available to policymakers

Firms and Industrial Policy

Research can examine how firms contribute to productivity growth and economic transformation.

Possible areas include:

• Industrial policy
• Firm productivity
• Business development
• Technology adoption
• Manufacturing
• Enterprise growth
• Constraints affecting firms

Labour and Households

Projects may investigate how economic transformation affects workers and households.

Relevant topics include:

• Employment
• Labour-market transitions
• Household economic decisions
• Informality
• Skills
• Wages
• Gender differences in Employment

Agricultural Productivity

Agriculture remains an important component of structural transformation in many low-income economies.

Research may examine:

• Agricultural productivity
• Technology adoption
• Rural labour markets
• Farm-level constraints
• Agricultural commercialisation
• Links between agriculture and broader economic transformation

Trade and Spatial Frictions

STEG also supports research into the barriers that influence trade, market access, and economic activity across geographic areas.

Research could address:

• International trade
• Domestic trade
• Transportation costs
• Market access
• Geographic constraints
• Spatial inequality
• Regional economic development

Public Sector

Research may also focus on how governments influence economic transformation and development.

Topics can include:

• Public-sector capacity
• Government effectiveness
• Public finance
• Domestic revenue mobilisation
• Policy implementation
• Public institutions

Cross-Cutting Research Priorities

STEG welcomes research that incorporates broader development challenges into studies of structural transformation.

Important cross-cutting priorities include:

• Gender: examining gender differences in economic opportunities and structural transformation.
• Climate and environment: understanding how climate change and environmental pressures affect economic development.
• Inequality: studying the distributional consequences of economic transformation.
• Inclusion: examining whether growth and structural transformation benefit disadvantaged populations.
• Informality: understanding informal firms, workers, and economic activity.

Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Automation

Research on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced automation is particularly encouraged where it addresses their implications for low-income economies.

Potential research questions could examine:

• How AI affects labour markets
• Whether automation changes demand for different skills
• The effects of AI adoption on productivity
• How automation may influence economic growth
• Whether technological change could increase or reduce inequality
• Opportunities and risks associated with AI in low-income countries

Projects should connect these technological questions to broader issues of economic transformation and development.

Who Is Eligible?

The STEG PhD Research Grant is primarily intended for currently enrolled PhD students.

Applicants must:

• Be currently enrolled in a PhD program.
• Conduct research relevant to structural transformation or economic growth.
• Address a policy-relevant question for low-income countries.
• Obtain a letter of support from their PhD supervisor.
• Demonstrate that the proposed research has empirical or theoretical value.
• Explain the relevance of the research to development and economic policy.

Particular consideration is given to PhD researchers who are from or based in low-income countries.

Geographic Focus

STEG supports research relevant to low- and middle-income countries, with particular interest in sub-Saharan Africa.

The research does not necessarily have to focus on a single country. Comparative studies and broader cross-country research can also be relevant when they address important questions about structural transformation and economic growth.

However, research focused solely on India is not eligible under this call.

Who Should Apply?

The opportunity is particularly suitable for PhD researchers working on topics such as:

• Development economics
• Economic growth
• Structural transformation
• Labour economics
• Agricultural economics
• Industrial development
• Trade economics
• Public economics
• Environmental economics
• Gender and development
• Technology and automation
• Economic data and measurement

Early-career researchers are especially encouraged to apply when their research addresses significant policy challenges in low-income countries.

How the STEG PhD Research Grant Works

Applicants should develop a research proposal that clearly connects their doctoral research with the program’s objectives.

Step 1: Develop a Policy-Relevant Research Question

Identify a specific economic or development problem affecting a low-income or lower-middle-income country.

The research question should be precise and capable of generating evidence that can inform policy.

Step 2: Explain the Contribution

Applicants should clearly explain:

• What the research will investigate.
• Why the question matters.
• What existing research does not adequately explain.
• How the proposed work will contribute new evidence or analysis.
• Why the findings could be relevant to policymakers.

Step 3: Develop the Research Methodology

Describe how the research will be conducted.

Depending on the project, this could include:

• Econometric analysis
• Field experiments
• Surveys
• Administrative data analysis
• Qualitative evidence combined with quantitative methods
• Theoretical modelling
• Primary data collection
• Secondary-data analysis

Step 4: Prepare a Detailed Budget

The proposed budget should explain how the requested funding will be used.

Eligible expenses may include:

• Research assistants
• Data collection
• Data purchases
• Research stipends
• Fieldwork
• Travel
• Other justified research expenses

The budget should be directly connected to the proposed research activities.

Step 5: Obtain Supervisor Support

Applicants must provide a letter of support from their PhD supervisor.

The supervisor’s letter should demonstrate support for the proposed research and confirm the applicant’s doctoral status and research plans.

Step 6: Submit the Application

Applicants should submit the required application materials according to the STEG grant guidelines and ensure that all eligibility and documentation requirements are satisfied before the deadline.

What Makes a Strong Proposal?

A competitive proposal should demonstrate a clear connection between the research question and structural transformation or economic growth.

Strong proposals typically have:

• A clearly defined research question.
• Strong theoretical or empirical foundations.
• A credible methodology.
• Clear policy relevance.
• A realistic research timeline.
• A well-justified budget.
• Potential to generate new evidence.
• Relevance to low-income countries.
• A clear explanation of the expected contribution.

Research involving new data collection, data harmonisation, macro-relevant datasets, AI, automation, gender, informality, or climate-related economic transformation may be particularly relevant to the program’s stated priorities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Proposing research with weak links to structural transformation.
• Failing to explain the policy implications.
• Submitting a research question that is too broad.
• Providing an unrealistic research methodology.
• Requesting funding without explaining each expense.
• Exceeding the applicable stipend limit.
• Failing to obtain the required supervisor support letter.
• Proposing research focused solely on India.
• Treating the grant as general educational funding rather than research funding.

Why This Grant Matters

PhD researchers often have strong research ideas but lack sufficient resources for data collection, fieldwork, research assistance, or specialised datasets.

The STEG PhD Research Grant can help researchers turn these ideas into rigorous research projects that generate evidence for economic policy.

The program is particularly important for research on low-income countries, where gaps in data and evidence can make it difficult for policymakers to design effective economic development strategies.

By supporting doctoral researchers, the program also contributes to the development of the next generation of economists and development researchers.

Key Grant Facts

• Program: STEG PhD Research Grant Program
• Maximum funding: Up to £15,000
• Primary beneficiaries: PhD students and early-career researchers
• Geographic relevance: Low- and middle-income countries
• Priority region: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Required status: Currently enrolled PhD student
• Supervisor support: Required
• Research focus: Structural transformation and economic growth
• Eligible expenses: Research assistance, data, stipends, fieldwork and travel
• India restriction: Research focused solely on India is not eligible
• Special interests: AI, advanced automation, gender, climate, inequality, inclusion, informality and data

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the STEG PhD Research Grant?

The STEG PhD Research Grant provides up to £15,000 to currently enrolled PhD students conducting policy-relevant research on structural transformation and economic growth in low- and middle-income countries.

Who can apply for the STEG PhD Research Grant?

Currently enrolled PhD students can apply. Applicants must have research relevant to policy challenges in low-income countries and must provide a letter of support from their PhD supervisor.

How much funding is available?

Applicants can request up to £15,000. The grant can support research assistance, data collection or purchase, stipends, fieldwork, travel and other eligible research expenses.

Can the grant pay for a PhD student’s stipend?

Yes. Stipends are eligible, but limits apply. Students in high-income countries can receive up to £12,000, while students in low- and middle-income countries are subject to the equivalent PPP-based limit.

What research topics does STEG support?

STEG supports research on data and measurement, firms and industrial policy, labour and households, agricultural productivity, trade and spatial frictions, and the public sector. Cross-cutting areas include gender, climate change, environment, inequality and inclusion.

Does STEG support research on artificial intelligence?

Yes. The program particularly encourages research examining the effects of AI and advanced automation on labour markets and economic growth in low-income countries.

Can research focus only on India?

No. Research focused solely on India is not eligible under this PhD Research Grant call. Projects should have relevance to low-income countries more broadly, with particular consideration for research related to sub-Saharan Africa.

Conclusion

The STEG PhD Research Grant Program offers up to £15,000 to support doctoral research addressing major questions around structural transformation, productivity, labour markets and economic growth in low- and middle-income countries. Researchers with strong policy-oriented projects—particularly those involving sub-Saharan Africa, economic data, AI and automation, gender, climate, informality, inequality and inclusion—are encouraged to consider this funding opportunity.