Deadline: 1-December-2025
The focus areas include data, measurement, and conceptual framing; firms, frictions and spillovers, and industrial policy; labour, home production, and structural transformation at the level of households; agricultural productivity and sectoral gaps; trade and spatial frictions; and the role of the public sector. Cross-cutting issues include gender, climate change and the environment, and inequality and inclusion.
These grants support PhD students by covering essential research costs and enabling travel to field sites, even when secondary data is used. Such travel allows valuable interactions with policymakers and local contexts, particularly for researchers with limited prior experience in the regions under study. Stipends are capped at £12,000 for PhD students in high-income countries, while equivalent PPP rates apply to those in low- and middle-income countries. The funding structure also accommodates researchers from the Global South with flexible stipend usage to enhance research capacity and focus.
The eligibility criteria specify that principal investigators must currently hold a PhD or be enrolled in a PhD programme. In exceptional circumstances, applicants without these qualifications may be considered if they demonstrate a strong record of high-quality academic or policy-relevant research. Co-investigators typically have similar qualifications, and the collective expertise of the team forms a critical part of the evaluation process. Due to current geopolitical circumstances, applications involving researchers based at Russian institutions are not being accepted.
For more information, visit Structural Transformation and Economic Growth.
