ReCIPE's first call for PhD Research Grant proposals will open July 2025, with submissions due by 11:59pm BST on 11 August 2025.
PhD Research Grants of up to £15,000 are a key aspect of the ReCIPE programme.
Applicants to this call are strongly encouraged to read ReCIPE's Research Strategy before applying. Research may address conflict-related topics within one or more of ReCIPE’s nine research themes. ReCIPE will also give particular encouragement to proposals which address three cross-cutting development issues that are simultaneously related to conflict and economic performance. These issues are directly and indirectly connected to ReCIPE’s main research themes.
PhD Research Grants can fund research assistance, data collection and/or purchase, and potentially research stipends/teaching buyouts (if sufficiently justified). Grants can also support travel to field sites, even when secondary data is utilised. While we view this kind of travel (with the possibilities for field visits and conversations with policymakers) as particularly valuable for researchers who lack prior experience in the countries that they intend to study, applicants proposing in-country activities will need to strongly justify the activities and outline relevant security and safety considerations.
Please note that cost effectiveness and value for money are important evaluation criteria and submitted budgets must adhere to the PhD Budget Guidelines. When in-country activities or travel are part of the grant proposal, the researcher(s) may be required to sign an institutional rather than individual contract. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the specific country and circumstances.
Country and Policy Relevance
ReCIPE has a specific list of Focus Countries that make up the core of the programme. The list is available here.
Please note that a crucial criterion for funding of proposals is the relevance to policy in one or more of these countries, especially for Focus Countries that are low-income. Proposals outside the ReCIPE Focus Countries will need to make a strong and clear case for the relevance of the research to policy in one or more of the Focus Countries.
Please also note that research does not have to be at the national level. See the ReCIPE Research Strategy for more details.
All funded projects, regardless of location, will have to discuss within their final report and research summary the potential lessons for policymakers in Focus Countries.
Eligibility
We welcome applications to our PhD Research Grant calls from researchers all over the world, and encourage applications that propose collaboration between researchers from lower- and higher-income countries.
In view of the current political situation and the imposition of economic sanctions on various Russian entities by Western governments, we are not currently able to accept proposals for projects that include researchers or members of the research team who are based at Russian institutions.
In view of the nature of ReCIPE's research themes, we also strongly encourage applications from multidisciplinary teams.
Principal investigators applying to PhD Research Grant calls should already be enrolled in a PhD programme. Given the level of project insight and development expected in the application, successful applicants are more likely to be in their second year or beyond of their programme.
The PhD Research Grants are designed to support students as they pursue their own research and as such are typically submitted by either individual students or teams of students. Although there are no formal qualification requirements for co-investigators, co-investigators on ReCIPE-funded projects usually have a PhD or are enrolled in a PhD programme. The knowledge, expertise, and qualifications of the entire research team will be taken into account when evaluating the proposal.
PhD Letters of Support
For all PhD students acting as principal investigators, we require a letter of support from your PhD supervisor no later than two weeks after the deadline. A PDF of the letter can be sent to the ReCIPE Team at [email protected].
In-country Research
For research projects conducting in-country studies in conflict or post-conflict settings, additional restrictions may apply. Funding decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the country’s current situation, applicable sanctions, and any necessary risk assessments and requirements.
Researchers whose proposals rely on the collection of data in-country will be required to outline in their proposal the implications for the project of potential delays and the alternatives to face-to-face fieldwork. This can be included in the methodology section of the proposal template.
Any fieldwork will need to be cleared by the researcher’s university and, where possible, in-country IRBs. Decisions on fieldwork should follow the advice of governments and should especially consider the security situation of the location. Crucially, any proposal that includes face-to-face interaction should also briefly make clear how the researchers intend to ensure the safety of researchers and any participants involved in the study.
Grant contracts
PhD Research Grants are designed to be contracted directly with individual researchers. The individual researcher is responsible for receiving, spending, and reporting on the funds. However, when in-country activities or travel are part of the grant proposal, the researcher(s) may be required to sign an institutional rather than individual contract. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the specific country and circumstances. In other circumstances where an individual contract raises significant complications, and for projects with in-country research elements in conflict/post-conflict setting, we can consider alternative mechanisms. All contracts are non-negotiable, and no overhead fees can be taken. Please look at our individual contract template before applying.
Call and Grant Timeline
We aim to issue funding decisions within three months of the deadline for receipt of proposals. Successful proposals are then announced on the ReCIPE website, together with a description of the work supported.
The contract for a PhD Research Grant is 12 months long.
More detailed information on the call and grant timeline can be found in the PhD Research Grant Applicant Guide (available from July 2025).
Evaluation and Selection
Evaluation and selection are based on the following criteria:
- Quality of the proposed research
- Relevance to policy
- Feasibility and credibility of the proposal
- Value for money
- Contributions to expanding the field
More detailed information on the weighting of these categories and the evaluation and selection process can be found in the PhD Research Grant Applicant Guide (available from July 2025).
Further information
More information, including an Applicant Guide will be available shortly. For further queries, please contact the ReCIPE Team at [email protected].