Deadline: 24-Jun-2026
The TREES (Teaching and Researching Equitable Economics from the South) program supports advanced research on inequality and its multiple dimensions across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is designed to help researchers refine, finalize, and strengthen ongoing academic work through funding and peer feedback.
The initiative combines financial support with academic workshops to enhance research quality and regional knowledge production on inequality.
Programme Objectives
The program aims to:
- Advance understanding of inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Support research on economic, social, and cultural dimensions of inequality
- Promote empirical and conceptual studies on segregation and discrimination
- Strengthen research capacity in the Global South
- Improve measurement and conceptualization of inequality
- Foster academic exchange through peer-review workshops
- Support interdisciplinary approaches to inequality studies
Key Research Themes
Eligible research topics include:
- Income-based social segregation and inequality
- Economic and cultural impacts of segregation
- Gender and women’s participation in the economy (Global South context)
- Racial, cultural, and gender diversity
- Environmental justice and inequality
- Migration and social interaction patterns
- Stereotypes, discrimination, and exclusion
- Labor market inequality and segmentation
- Fiscal policy and inequality
- Formal and informal institutions shaping inequality
- State–citizen relations and inequality
- Teaching inequality across disciplines
- Non-economic dimensions of inequality
Research Types Supported
The program supports:
- Empirical quantitative or qualitative studies
- Conceptual research on inequality frameworks
- Historical analysis of inequality trends
- Measurement-focused research
- Interdisciplinary approaches to inequality
- Advanced-stage draft papers ready for refinement
Funding Details
- Grant amount: up to USD 5,000 per project
- Purpose: Research refinement and peer feedback support
- Stage: Advanced-stage research only
- Additional support: Peer-review workshop participation
Eligible Applicants
Applicants must:
- Be Principal Investigators (lead researchers)
- Be affiliated with a non-profit institution or academic organization
- Be based in Latin America or the Caribbean
- Be working on advanced-stage research projects
- Be willing to participate in peer-review workshop process
Institutional Requirements
- Host institution must be legally registered in Latin America or the Caribbean
- Institution must act as the administering body for the grant
- PI serves as sole communication link with TREES
- Institutional commitment required upon selection
Application Rules
- Lead PI may submit more than one Letter of Inquiry
- Only one grant may be awarded per lead PI
- Applications must represent advanced-stage research
- Projects must be suitable for peer review and refinement
Selection Process
The selection process occurs in two stages:
- Stage 1: Application Review
- Submission of research proposal or letter of inquiry
- Selection of candidates for peer-review workshop participation
- Stage 2: Peer-Review Workshop
- Presentation of research during academic workshop
- Evaluation by selection committee
- Assessment based on academic rigor, feasibility, and contribution
Evaluation Criteria
Projects are assessed based on:
- Academic rigor and methodological strength
- Contribution to inequality research
- Feasibility of completing and refining research
- Innovation in addressing inequality dimensions
- Interdisciplinary relevance
- Policy and academic relevance
Programme Priorities
The program prioritizes:
- Inequality research in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Interdisciplinary and multidimensional inequality studies
- Research on structural and systemic inequality
- Strong empirical and conceptual contributions
- Regional knowledge production from the Global South
- Collaborative academic peer engagement
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid:
- Submitting early-stage or undeveloped research
- Applying without Latin America or Caribbean institutional affiliation
- Lack of clear inequality-focused research question
- Weak methodological design or unclear feasibility
- Ignoring advanced-stage requirement
- Missing institutional commitment from host organization
Tips for a Strong Application
To improve success chances:
- Clearly define the inequality dimension being studied
- Emphasize policy or academic relevance
- Ensure research is near completion and ready for refinement
- Highlight interdisciplinary or innovative approaches
- Present strong methodology and data sources
- Align research with regional inequality challenges
- Prepare for peer-review feedback engagement
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the TREES research grant?
- It supports advanced-stage inequality research in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- It is an initiative of CEDE, Universidad de los Andes.
- It includes funding and peer-review workshops.
- How much funding is available?
- Up to USD 5,000 per project
- For research refinement and dissemination support
- Who can apply?
- Principal Investigators based in Latin America or the Caribbean
- Researchers affiliated with non-profit or academic institutions
- Advanced-stage research projects only
- What types of research are supported?
- Empirical and conceptual inequality studies
- Research on segregation, discrimination, and labor markets
- Measurement and historical analysis of inequality
- What is the selection process?
- Two-stage process including peer-review workshop participation
- Final selection based on academic evaluation
- Can a researcher submit multiple applications?
- Yes, multiple Letters of Inquiry are allowed
- Only one grant per Principal Investigator can be awarded
Conclusion
The TREES research grant strengthens inequality research in Latin America and the Caribbean by supporting advanced-stage academic work. Through funding and structured peer-review workshops, it enhances scholarly quality, fosters collaboration, and deepens understanding of inequality in its many social, economic, and cultural dimensions.
For more information, visit TREES.
