DFID-ESRC China and Africa Research Programme

Jan 23, 2014 | Economic and Social Research Council

The Department for International Development (DFID) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are pleased to announce a dedicated programme of research to investigate in comparative perspective the economic development impact of China's engagement in sub-Saharan Africa. The programme aims to critically evaluate what lessons China's own economic development transformation can offer other developing countries - in particular in low-income Africa.

We expect research projects under this call to either take as a starting point a developmental challenge facing Africa and examine possible solutions linked to recent experience from China's own economic development, or to build understanding of an aspect of China's engagement with Africa relevant to the continent’s economic development.

The programme encourages academics from developing and developed countries to work together in any configuration of their choosing, and principal investigators can be from anywhere in the world.

Grants will be for a maximum of four years and with a full Economic Cost (fEC) value of between £200,000 and £2 million. We expect to fund a mixed portfolio of small (in the region of £200,000 to £500,000) and larger (£500,000 and above) research projects under this call. UK-based researchers will be funded at 80 per cent fEC, whilst non-UK researchers will receive 100 per cent of the direct costs of the research, plus a variable overhead. The total budget for this call will be £4.5 million.

The full specification and other relevant documents can be found below. Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time, 13 March 2014.