The Economic and Social Research Council

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are partnering in a new programme on economic growth in developing countries. The DFID/ESRC Growth Programme will fund scientific research on issues relating to inclusive economic growth in Low Income Countries (LICs), with high potential for impact on policy and practice.

There are three themes under the call, of which the first  is most relevant to the community of researchers of neglected and under-utilised species: Theme 1: Agriculture and Growth. This theme will focus on developing understanding of the relationship between agricultural development and broader economic growth, and on the impact of policies on agricultural productivity. It is widely observed that agriculture is a key sector of many low income countries, and there is broad consensus that policies that stimulate agricultural output and productivity will deliver wider economic benefits, for example via lower food prices, increased food security, improved nutrition and health outcomes, and higher domestic demand for manufactured goods and services.

The Deadline for applications is 26 May 2011. The programme is allocating £8.91M for research projects under this call for proposals.  Minimum proposal value is  £100,000, and it is expected that up to 30 research projects with an average size of £370k will be funded. Proposals need to be submitted  via the UK Research Council’s Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system. For further details about applications, see this articles.