DFID-ESRC China-Africa Research Programme

The call for proposals

Dr Dan Korbel | Senior Research Portfolio Manager for International Development

Links to key information

▶Call website (www.esrc.ac.uk/decarp)

▶Call specification

▶Guidance notes for applicants

▶ FAQ (continuously updated)

▶ ESRC impact toolkit

DECARP@esrc.ac.uk

Research projects will…

▶ Identify a developmental challenge facing Africa and

examine possible solutions linked to recent experience

from China’s own economic development

or

▶ Build our understanding of an aspect of China’s

engagement with Africa relevant to the continent’s

economic development

Areas of particular interest

▶ The role of local government in economic development

▶ China and infrastructure development in Africa

▶ China, FDI, technology transfer and productivity increase in

Africa

▶ China and agricultural development in Africa

▶ Natural resources and China’s investment-trade relationship with

Africa

▶ Global competitiveness, direct investment flows and special

economic zones

We encourage…

▶ Applicants to make credible partnerships with

Chinese as well as African expertise, as appropriate to

the intellectual challenge

▶ Experienced academics from Africa or China to lead

proposals

What we expect to fund in this call

▶ World class scientific research on economic

development with high potential for impact on policy

and practice relevant to low-income countries

▶ Research projects over up to four years and with a

value of between £200,000 and £2 million

▶ A mixed portfolio of small projects (£200,000-

£500,000) and larger projects (£500,000 and above)

▶ NO standalone studentships

Research projects are required to…

▶ Consist of at least 50% social science

▶ Generate new knowledge with significant potential to

benefit the lives of poor people in low-income countries

▶ Include non-academic stakeholders and involve them in

both design and conduct of the research

▶ Be aligned with the scope of the programme

▶ Address one or more of the call’s broad thematic areas

(or make a convincing case if going beyond them)

Indicative timeline

Call for proposals opens

Submission deadline

PI response to peer review Awards start

15 November 2013 June 2014

13 March 2014

16.00 UK time

Q4 2014

Funding decisions

communicated

August 2014

Assessment criteria

The Commissioning Panel will assess proposals in terms

of the following:

▶ Research agenda (intellectually innovative, well-focused,

clearly articulated and methodologically sound)

▶ Project management

▶ Capacity building

▶ Stakeholder engagement and potential impact

▶ Research partnerships and collaborations

▶ Value for money

Eligibility

▶ UK and non-UK research institutions, including not-for-profit

organisations with demonstrable research capacity should

be eligible to apply as host organisation*

▶ All investigators (PI and Co-Is) and their institutions must have

Je-S registration:

– RCUK-recognised UK institutions (e.g. UK HEIs)

– Je-S-registered overseas organisations

– ‘self-registered’ organisations

*please contact the ESRC secretariat (DECARP@esrc.ac.uk) to discuss this further

Your proposal will consist of…

▶ Online application form to be filled using our submission system

Je-S

▶ Full budget (in line with full economic cost funding model)

▶ Key attachments to include: – Case for support (£200k-£1 million: max. 6 sides; £1-2 million: max. 12 sides of A4)

– Justification of resources (max. 2 sides of A4)

– Pathways to Impact (max. 2 sides of A4)

– Data management plan (max. 3 sides of A4)

– CVs for named researchers (max. 2 sides of A4 each)

– Letters of support, where applicable

Case for support (length depending on amount requested)

In this attachment, you should discuss the following:

▶ Aims and objectives

▶ Academic, policy and practice background

▶ Research question(s)

▶ Relevance to the scope of the programme

▶ Proposed research methodology

▶ Analysis framework

▶ Details of any project-linked doctoral studentship(s)

▶ Ethical issues

https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/Handbook/pages/OutlineProposals/Attachments

ESRCSpecificGuidance.htm

Justification of resources (max. 2 sides of A4)

In this attachment, you should:

▶ Provide detail of resources required to undertake the

research

▶ Justify why the requested resources are required

▶ List the costs incurred by overseas institutions at 100%

full economic cost

https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/Handbook/pages/OutlineProposals/Attachments

ESRCSpecificGuidance.htm

Submission deadline

Applications must be submitted to Je-S*

by 4pm UK time on 13 March 2014

*if your institutions is not self-registered, make sure to forward your application to your

Research Office/submitter pool in good time (at least 48 hours before the deadline)

Do get in touch

DECARP secretariat Je-S Help

DECARP@esrc.ac.uk jeshelp@rcuk.ac.uk

+44 (0)179 344 4164

Petya Kangalova

+44 (0)179 341 3074

petya.kangalova@esrc.ac.uk

Lauren Watters

+44 (0)179 341 3047

lauren.watters@esrc.ac.uk

Thank you!