1st Call for Proposal

Applicants are invited to consult the Digital Finance Retail Distribution Networks in Low- and Middle Income Countries: A Research Agenda to better understand the policy motivation and research questions acceptable for consideration under this scheme.”

ReFinD accepts proposals for the following funding categories:

• Proposal development: Proposal Development grants are intended to facilitate exploratory research. The expectation is that Proposal Development funds will be used to support costs related to developing a proposal for a pilot or full-scale randomized evaluation during a subsequent call for proposals. Proposal development grants may also be used for activities intended to facilitate access to administrative data for designing or conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Examples of these activities include, but are not limited to, negotiating data use agreements, conducting exploratory data analysis, and cleaning or setting up technical access mechanisms. The maximum award amount for this grant type is $ 5,000.
• Pilot: A pilot proposal should be at earlier stages of project development. Pilot proposals must clearly articulate what exactly the pilot will enable researchers to learn. Pilot studies should assess the feasibility of a full study by testing research protocols, determining sample size and detectable effects, and assessing implementation processes. The maximum award amount for this grant type is between $40,000 - $ 60,000
• Natural experiment: Researchers should take advantage of opportunities to employ a natural experiment. Significant consideration should be given to how exposure to a certain phenomenon replicates randomization and how such exposure would impact outcomes. The maximum award amount for this grant type is between $40,000 - $ 60,000
• Extension of existing research projects: Existing research projects may seek additional funding to scale up or augment aspects of the intervention and/or study. The status of the project and justification for additional funding should be made clear in the proposal. The maximum award amount for this grant type is between $100,000-$ 125,000

Greenfield project: Research projects need not be constrained to RCTs but may exploit rich supply-side data to advance other rigorous research designs.  Research projects will require a strong partnership commitment with implementing organizations, a fully developed method of randomization, clear outcome measures, power calculations, and a scale-up plan. The maximum award amount for this grant type is between $250,000 - $ 450,000

Application Materials and Submission

Below are proposal and budget templates to use to apply for funding through ReFinD:

Please submit your proposal to refind.isser@ug.edu.gh. The subject line of your email should read: “ReFinD Proposal 2022 [Project type: proposal development, pilot, natural experiment, extension, Greenfield]  [ResLastName] [PracOrg] [Country]”

Deadline for submission is 10th August 2022