Development Economics Research Fund

Exploratory Travel and Pilots: While there may be exceptions, funding will typically not exceed $5,000 for exploratory travel and $10,000 for pilot grants.

Provide a concise summary of the objectives of the exploratory travel or proposed pilot.

Submissions must comply with the following parameters:

• Use the following naming convention: last name of primary PI, then
  • “_F_21_ET.pdf” (e.g., Smith_F_21_ET.pdf) for exploratory travel, or
  • “_F_21_PIL.pdf” (e.g., Smith_F_21_PIL.pdf) for pilots
• Include the following components
  (Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-in margins, total page count should not exceed 2 pages, excluding appendix):
  • One paragraph summary of the entire proposal
  • Concise background and motivation
  • If applicable, describe the individual(s) and/or organization(s) with which the researcher plans to meet and what communication the researcher has already had
  • If applicable, provide the following:
    • Description of research methods
    • Availability of data

PhD Student Research Grant: In the past, funding has generally not exceeded $15,000, and while there may be exceptions, future funding will typically not exceed $20,000.

Describe the project in sufficient detail to allow reviewers to determine its feasibility and potential impact on the development economics literature. The introduction and background section is to be concise. The proposal should focus on the technical details and analytic elements of the study. For example, if the project includes a survey, description of survey content (and survey questions, if these have already been developed), and details about the data collection approach should be provided; if the project involves implementing a lab-in-the-field game, the game design should be described in sufficient detail for reviewers to judge it. Submissions must comply with the following parameters:

• Use the following naming convention: last name of primary PI, then “_F_21_PhD.pdf” (e.g., Smith_F_21_PhD.pdf).
• Include the following components and each section should be shorter than the maximum section page limits specified below (Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-in margins, total page count should not exceed 5 pages, excluding appendix):
  • Abstract (0.5 page)
  • Introduction and background (0.5 page)
    • Very concise background and motivation
    • An outline of the research hypothesis
    • Contribution to the literature
  • Methodology and research approach (3 pages)
  • Timeline and budget (1 page)
    • Project timeline
    • Budget narrative
  • Appendix (optional). This can contain tables, figures, survey questions/instruments, protocols, devices used, etc. Appendix will not count towards page limit but may not include a continuation of the proposal narrative.

For empirical proposals, be sure to describe the following in the “Methodology and research approach” section:

• Availability of data
• Description of the dataset (including descriptive statistics if already available)
• Outcome variables and their measurement

For proposals intended to estimate a causal effect, be sure to describe the identification strategy.

For randomized controlled trials (RCT), further include:

• power calculations
• sample size
• level(s) of randomization and (if applicable) explanation of clusters
• explanation of stratification (if applicable)
• timing of implementation
• timing of data collection

Faculty Research Grant: In the past, funding has generally not exceeded $35,000, and while there may be exceptions, future grants for tenured and tenure-track faculty will typically not exceed $40,000. Priority will be given to funding junior faculty.

Describe the project in sufficient detail to allow reviewers to determine its feasibility and potential impact on the development economics literature. Submissions must comply with the following parameters:

• Use the following naming convention: last name of primary PI, then “_F_21_FAC.pdf” (e.g., Smith_F_21_ FAC.pdf).
• Include the following components and each section should be shorter than the maximum section page limits specified below. (Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-in margins, total page count should not exceed 5 pages, excluding appendix):
  • Abstract (0.5 page)
  • Introduction, background and contribution (0.5 page)
  • Methodology and research approach (3 pages)
  • Timeline and budget (1 page)
  • Appendix (optional). This can contain tables, figures, survey questions/instruments, protocols, devices used, etc. Appendix will not count towards page limit but may not include a continuation of the proposal narrative.

Use the naming convention “Name_F_ 21_budget.xlsx” (e.g., Smith_F_21_budget.xlsx].

Eligible costs

Typical expenses covered include personnel, data collection or acquisition, equipment, travel, dissemination, and conference attendance.

The fund cannot be used to support graduate student salaries while they work on the project.

Budget and budget narrative

The proposal is to include a budget spreadsheet (in Excel) describing the anticipated budget, including project costs and sources of funding obtained or requested.

The budget narrative should include brief justification/context for the main budget items such as enumerator or RA costs (including appropriateness of the level of compensation). It should also describe the contributions expected of the research partner(s) (e.g., NGO, government, for-profit firm), if any, whether monetary or in-kind.

A budget template is available for your use here.

Student applications also require a letter of recommendation provided by an advisor:

1. The recommendation letter will be requested via the online application form. Submitters will include their advisor’s name and email address.
2. A request will be sent directly to the advisor who can upload the recommendation letter through the online portal.
3. Please ask your advisor to use the following naming convention: last name of primary PI, last name of recommender, then “F_21_rec” (e.g., Smith_Doe_F_21_rec.pdf).

Projects will be judged based on:

• Potential academic contribution to the development economics literature, broadly defined
• Feasibility of the proposal to be successfully implemented including, for students, ability and track record of the applicant(s)
• Appropriateness of the budget and alternative sources of funding being adequately pursued
• Past history of funding by DERF

Funding provided by the Development Innovation Lab (DIL) is to primarily support research aimed at testing development innovations and taking demonstrated innovations to scale, and therefore, additional consideration will be given for projects that:

• Rigorously evaluate an innovation.
• Take demonstrated innovations to scale.

Finally, for students, the committee will also consider:

• Letter of recommendation
• Research experience and ability to implement project as proposed
• Unofficial transcripts

Submissions will be reviewed, and grants will be awarded on a rolling basis. The review committee will evaluate each submitted application and respond with one of the following:

1. approve project funding
2. decline the request
3. ask the applicant to revise and resubmit a full proposal either in the same round, or the following round

It is the applicant’s responsibility to comply with any procedures mandated by University of Chicago; DERF is unable to provide assistance or extensions to accommodate these internal processes.