IMTFI’s Call for Research Proposals for Developing Countries in USA, 2014/15

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The Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine call for research proposals. Researchers of developing countries are eligible for this proposal. 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.  Application deadline is December 16, 2013.

Study Subject(s): Proposals are invited 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.

Course Level: This call is open for original scholarly research at Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion, University of California, Irvine.

Scholarship Provider: Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine.

Scholarship can be taken at: USA

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.

Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: Applicants from developing countries are eligible for this research proposal.

Scholarship Description: The Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine is soliciting 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. By "money" we include traditional and state-issued money, material forms of value, technologically mediated instruments and systems, and systems based on personal relationships and social networks. Value storage might include state-issued currency but also livestock, land, gifts of labor, jewelry and other valuables, cards, and may or may not involve the use of mobile phones or other electronic devices. We invite applicants who will examine these and related questions in a variety of sites and locales such as: marketplaces, malls, corner stores and home businesses; among savings groups, rotating credit associations, migrant associations, and community groups; and in rural, sub-urban, urban areas, as well as border crossings. We invite applicants who will examine these and related questions in a variety of sites and locales such as: marketplaces, malls, corner stores and home businesses; among savings groups, rotating credit associations, migrant associations, and community groups; and in rural, sub-urban, urban areas, as well as border crossings.

Number of award(s): Not Known

Duration of award(s): The Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion (IMTFI) issues an annual call for proposals for one-year research projects.

What does it cover? 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. Researchers funded under this initiative will have the opportunity to meet one another, share their research, forge new collaborations, and discuss the dissemination of their research findings with the eventual aim of publication in academic journals and other venues (travel and accommodation to UC Irvine will be paid in full by the Institute in addition to the research grant).

Selection Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated according to the following five criteria. Each of these criteria must be addressed in the proposal:

1) 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.

2) Fit of project with Institute 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?

3) 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?

4) Significance: Will the project result in research that will shed light on important problems? Is the project potentially trans formative or scalable? Will it provide generalizable knowledge and/or will it result in in-depth knowledge of a particular region, people, or practice?

5) Originality: Is the project merely replicating existing studies or will it contribute to new knowledge, new methods, or new research questions?

Notification: Decisions will be announced by end of March 2014.

How to Apply: Proposals must be submitted online at IMTFI's website at through the submission manager.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The deadline for applications is December 16, 2013.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application

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