Deadline: 1-Oct-21
The Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries (PEDL) Program and CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution, are inviting expressions of interest for Major Research Grant projects on the role of development finance in stimulating private sector development.
CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are sponsoring this new research initiative aimed at understanding the impact of development finance on private sector development. Issues of interest include the effect of investment on private sector growth; the characteristics of high-growth firms and how they impact on their sectors and localities; supporting quality jobs, gender and climate finance; and production and distribution of broader inclusive products and services.
They highlight two topics of particular interest for this call. First, CDC is a founding member and leader of the 2XCollaborative, which aims to support women as entrepreneurs, leaders, employees, and consumers. They are particularly interested in projects that combine existing administrative data and new data collection to unpack the channels through which women’s leadership improves outcomes for firms in the African and South Asian context.
Funding Information
- MRGs are grants of £100,000 or more. There is no formal upper limit, but past MRGs have averaged around £300,000.
- MRG projects typically run for up to 36 months.
Country Criteria
Please note that an important criterion for funding of proposals is the relevance to understanding the impact of CDC’s investments. CDC Group’s current mandate is Africa and South Asia. Proposals for projects outside the focus countries should make a clear case for the relevance of the research to policy in lower-income countries, and also justify why the research is feasible only in non-target countries. Note that, at the moment, they are unable to fund projects located in Myanmar and Palestine.
Eligibility Criteria
They also invite expressions of interest on projects related to climate change and environmental compliance. CDC has a growing climate finance portfolio, guided by its climate strategy. They are interested in research improves their understanding of:
- Uptake of energy-saving innovations by private sector firms and consumers.
- How renewables and storage support the development of reliable electricity grids.
- The complementarity of investments that improve local environmental quality while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- How to stimulate private sector-led action in adaptation and resilience
- Sources of risk for private sector investment in renewables (e.g., Ryan 2021 on solar pricing in India).
For more information, visit https://pedl.cepr.org/content/2nd-cdc-mrg-call-development-finance