Deadline: 31-Aug-2025
The Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries (PEDL) is inviting applications from PhD students for the seventh round of its Special Exploratory Research Grant (ERG) call.
This programme aims to promote research on private enterprise development in low-income countries by supporting early-career scholars. Over 320 projects have already been funded through the ERG programme, many led by PhD students.
PEDL’s research agenda focuses on understanding the factors that shape market efficiency in low-income countries. The private sector in these regions often faces multiple, interconnected constraints, and PEDL seeks research that explores how these constraints interact.
The programme supports policy-oriented research capable of contributing to academic publications and informing policy dialogue. It is open to research across all areas of private sector development, especially within PEDL’s priority areas: Innovation, Organisations and Markets; Climate and Environment; and Finance and Entrepreneurship.
Funding can support a range of activities, including data acquisition, travel, research stipends, assistance, and other related expenses. Under the Finance and Entrepreneurship theme, PEDL is particularly interested in topics such as alternative financing for SMEs, currency risk, fintech models in Africa, climate finance for SMEs, and more.
PEDL also welcomes proposals addressing cross-cutting issues like gender, fragile and conflict-affected states, and scaling research into policy impact.
Each ERG provides between £10,000 and £40,000 in funding, and projects must be completed within 12 months. However, PEDL will not reimburse administrative overheads, indirect taxes, interest, provisions for future losses, exchange losses, excessive costs, transaction fees, or recruitment expenses.
This special call is exclusively for PhD students, aiming to increase their engagement with PEDL. Applicants must currently be enrolled in a PhD programme to be eligible for this opportunity.
For more information, visit PEDL.