Research Proposals for Developing Countries in USA, 2015-2016

Research Proposals for Developing Countries in USA, 2015-2016

Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion School of Social Sciences at University of California issues an annual call for research proposals for citizens of a developing country. This call is open for original scholarly research on the use of money as a means of saving, storing, and transferring value for those who live on less than $1USD/day. The Institute will consider budgets of up to US$20,000 to be used for direct research expenses only, and expects most budget requests to fall between US$5,000 and $15,000. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2015.

• Research Proposals for Developing Countries in USA, 2015-2016 are invited for research on the use of digital payment platforms among the world’s poor.
• Proposals are invited for original scholarly research.
• Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion School of Social Sciences, University of California, USA is providing these Proposals.

Eligibility: This call for proposals is open to all researchers who work in the developing world. Previous recipients are welcome to apply but new applicants will receive priority.

• Citizens of a developing country (Afghanistan, Gambia, Mozambique, Bangladesh, The Guinea, Myanmar, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Niger, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Cambodia, Korea, Dem Rep., Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia, Liberia, Tajikistan, Comoros, Madagascar, Tanzania, Malawi, Togo, Congo, Dem. Rep, Eritrea, Mali, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Albania, Indonesia, Samoa, Armenia, India, Sao Tome and Principe, Belize, Iraq, Senegal, Bhutan, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Bolivia, Kosovo, South Sudan, Cameroon, Laos, Sri Lanka, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Sudan, Congo, Rep., Marshall Islands, Swaziland, Ivory Coast, Micronesia, Federated States of Micronesia, Syrian Arab Republic, Djibouti, Moldova, Timor-Leste, Egypt, Arab Rep., Mongolia, Tonga, El Salvador, Morocco, Ukraine, Fiji, Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Nigeria, Vanuatu, Ghana, Pakistan, Vietnam, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, West Bank and Gaza, Guyana, Paraguay, Yemen, Rep., Honduras, Philippines, Zambia, Angola, Ecuador, Palau, Algeria, Gabon, Panama, American Samoa, Grenada, Peru, Antigua and Barbuda, Iran, Islamic Rep., Romania, Argentina, Jamaica, Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Serbia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Seychelles, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, South Africa, Botswana, Lebanon, St. Lucia, Brazil, Libya, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Suriname, Chile, Macedonia, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Tunisia, Colombia, Maldives, Turkey, Costa Rica, Mauritius, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Mexico, Tuvalu, Dominica, Montenegro and Uruguay) can apply for this research proposal.
• The Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine is seeking proposals for original scholarly research on the use of money as a means of saving, storing, and transferring value for those who live on less than $1USD/day. The Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine is soliciting proposals for original scholarly research on the use of digital payment platforms among the world’s poor. For this call, they are particularly interested in how poor consumers in the developing world are reacting to the expanded range of digital payment possibilities. From mobile money transfer to new insurance and investment services, mobile money is maturing. Regulatory changes have also opened up new possibilities—via interoperability, payments banks, and other responses to innovation in mobile and digital payment. They remain interested in the emerging relationships between digital payment platforms and traditional forms of money and money transfer. They are also particularly interested in the practical problems consumers face in adopting digital payment platforms due to age, disability, rank, gender or other social, economic or cultural circumstances.
• The Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion (IMTFI) issues an annual call for proposals for one-year research projects.
• The Institute will consider budgets of up to US$20,000 to be used for direct research expenses only, and expects most budget requests to fall between US$5,000 and $15,000.
• Proposals will be evaluated according to the following five criteria. Each of these criteria must be addressed in the proposal:
  -Applicant capability: Does the applicant have a track record of conducting research that is of publishable quality? Does the applicant’s institution have the administrative capability to process the grant? Evaluators will consider the applicant’s training and prior research record.
  -Fit of project with IMTFI goals: Does the proposal speak to the issue of poor people’s existing money and financial practices and/or does it address the potential for new technologically-mediated systems to impact those practices? Does it focus on the poorest people in the developing world, defined for these purposes as those making do on less than US$1/day?
  -Methodology/feasibility: Does the proposal have a reasonable plan for accessing the target population? What is the likelihood of success of this plan? Are the methods sound? Does the applicant have or can the applicant be expected to develop the necessary methodological expertise to carry out this plan?
  -Significance: Will the project result in research that will shed light on important problems? Is the project potentially transformative or scalable? Will it provide generalizable knowledge and/or will it result in in-depth knowledge of a particular region, people, or practice?
  -Originality: Is the project merely replicating existing studies or will it contribute to new knowledge, new methods, or new research questions?
• Decisions will be announced by July 1, 2015.

How to Apply: Proposals must be submitted online at IMTFI’s website through the submission manager. IMTFI will not accept emailed proposals. If you cannot submit electronically, you may fax or mail your proposal via any postal service or courier. Proposals must be submitted as one document and consist of all of the following in order to be considered:
-Proposal Abstract: No more than 300 words.
-Project Narrative: No more than 10 typed, double-spaced pages, including within that page limit a bibliography of references cited.
-Statement of Work: Use bullet points to indicate work to be performed and completed, incorporating methodology and timeline. Please plan on using October 1, 2015 as a start date, with the expectation that the project will last no more than 12 months (1-2pp).
-Resume: One copy of an abbreviated (2pp) curriculum vitae or resume of all of the people involved in the project.
-Budget and Budget Narrative: Using the required budget template (Word version can be found on the CFP page), please provide a detailed budget listing specific expense categories and a budget justification.

The Research Proposals for Developing Countries in USA, 2015-2016 deadline for application is April 1, 2015

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