Call for Applications: Research Grants on Urban Climate Resilience

The initiative aims to deepen their understanding of urban climate resilience by supporting original research in low and middle-income countries. The program is designed to expand the evidence base and contribute to building more resilient urban environments in the face of climate change.

The small research grants program provides funding to university researchers for projects focused on climate resilience in urban areas within selected topics. The program specifically supports scholars who traditionally have limited access to funding, with grants available exclusively to researchers from low and middle-income countries.

This research program aims to deepen the understanding of urban climate resilience, focusing on low and middle-income countries. By supporting original research, the program seeks to expand knowledge and evidence on diverse pathways to climate resilience across multiple levels—ranging from governance and socio-economic drivers to community-led innovations and nature-based solutions in cities of different sizes.

Research Topics

• The program seeks to stimulate new knowledge in priority research questions under the following topics:
  • Community-Led Climate Adaptation and Resilience Solutions in Cities:
    • Community-driven innovations for adaptation: What are the success factors for community-led innovative strategies and solutions for climate adaptation in urban areas, including technology-enabled solutions.
    • Participatory urban planning: How do participatory approaches in urban planning contribute to climate resilience, and what evidence demonstrates their effectiveness and best practices.
  • Socio-Economic and Institutional Drivers of Climate Resilience in Cities:
    • Socio-economic pathways to resilience: Effectiveness and success factors for different types of socio-economic incentives and ‘boosts’ to climate resilience of individuals, households, and small businesses, particularly in the informal sector in cities. Examples of such ‘boosts’ include one-time cash grants, micro-insurance, rotating credits or loans, tax incentives, matched funds, support for cooperatives, and support from social safety nets, etc.
    • Urban climate governance: What is the role of cities in climate governance, and what are the strategies and institutional frameworks that support and/or hinder effective and equitable climate action in different urban contexts.
  • Urban Ecosystems for Resilience:
    • Climate-Resilient Urban Ecosystem: What constitutes a climate-resilient urban ecosystem, its key features and components, how it functions, and how it can be cultivated or restored in different urban contexts.
    • Community-based approaches to Nature-Based Climate Solutions: Assessing effectiveness and strategies for implementing and scaling impactful nature-based solutions at the local level in urban areas.

Funding Information

• Awards provide up to $10,000 USD for research lasting up to eight months.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications are open to researchers who are nationals of low and middle-income countries, including least developed and upper-middle-income nations. Research must be focused on these countries.
• Applicants must be affiliated with an accredited university at the time of submission, including graduate (Master’s and PhD) students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members. Teams of researchers are welcome to submit proposals, and collaboration among different institutions is highly encouraged.
• Identification of an experienced supervisor is required for any student research teams. The supervisor should provide guidance and oversight throughout the research process.
• Proposed research projects must align with one of the the program’s defined topics and clearly demonstrate how they contribute to the selected area of focus.
• Projects must be feasible for completion within the eight-month program timeline, running from February to September 30, 2025.
• Researchers may conduct their research in any language, but the final research paper must be submitted in English. If translation into English is needed, the budget proposal should include estimated costs for translation services.

For more information, visit GDPC.