Youth Researchers Wanted: Apply Now for IPA’s 2025 Digital Finance Consumer Protection Grants

 

Call for Proposals: IPA’s 2025 Consumer Protection Research Initiative Welcomes Young Researchers

Young researchers all over the world are being known as to contribute to a safer digital monetary future. Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) has opened its 2025 Call for Research Proposals via the Consumer Protection Research Initiative (CPRI) — a possibility for each established and rising researchers to steer research that defend customers in digital finance methods.

Digital monetary companies reminiscent of cell cash, on-line credit score, and fee platforms are quickly increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income nations. While these companies promote monetary inclusion, additionally they introduce new dangers — together with fraud, over-indebtedness, and lack of transparency. IPA’s CPRI funds analysis that explores the best way to cut back these dangers and enhance belief in digital monetary merchandise.

What Is This Opportunity?

CPRI funds impact-oriented analysis targeted on digital shopper safety. The initiative gives two sorts of funding:

• Large grants for rigorous impression evaluations that generate clear proof about what works.
• Smaller grants for pilot research, add-ons to present research, and low-cost analysis reminiscent of lab experiments or evaluations utilizing administrative knowledge, like A/B exams or historic evaluation.

These grants assist a wide range of analysis approaches — from discipline experiments to data-driven insights — permitting researchers at completely different profession levels to contribute.

Who Can Apply?

This is a worldwide name, and youth involvement is strongly inspired. Eligible candidates embody:

• Early-career and younger researchers, together with PhD college students or postdocs
• University-based analysis facilities
• Nonprofit organizations, assume tanks, and unbiased researchers
• Teams collaborating with digital finance suppliers, authorities companies, or shopper safety regulators

Young professionals, particularly these working in creating nations or on points that straight have an effect on youth populations, are extremely inspired to apply.

What Research Topics Are Funded?

Applicants ought to suggest tasks that tackle a number of of the next core areas:

1. Fraud prevention and detection – Reducing publicity to scams and unauthorized transactions.
2. Price transparency and competitors – Making digital monetary companies extra comprehensible and fairer for customers.
3. Over-indebtedness and accountable credit score – Exploring protected lending fashions and credit score practices.
4. Complaints and redress mechanisms – Ensuring customers can report points and obtain truthful therapy.

In 2025, the CPRI is especially eager about:

• Gender disparities in shopper safety: What works to raised defend ladies and ladies in digital finance?
• Productive credit score for small companies and smallholder farmers: How can credit score assist livelihoods with out rising danger?
• The position of brokers in enhancing transparency, lowering fraud, and limiting overcharging.

These themes are related for youth, who will not be solely tech-savvy shoppers of digital finance but additionally typically underserved or at greater danger of monetary hurt.

When Are Applications Due?

• Expressions of Interest (EOIs): Due May 4, 2025 (optionally available however beneficial for early suggestions)
• Full Proposals: Due June 15, 2025

IPA encourages candidates to submit EOIs as a method to refine their concepts with assist from the CPRI staff earlier than the total submission deadline.

Why Youth Should Get Involved

Young persons are each leaders and beneficiaries within the digital finance ecosystem. From youth entrepreneurs utilizing cell credit score to college students navigating on-line funds, the dangers are actual — however so is the potential for impression. This name for proposals is an opportunity for youth-led analysis to form safer, extra inclusive monetary methods.

Whether you’re a graduate scholar, an early-career educational, or part of a youth-focused improvement group, your analysis will help drive coverage adjustments and business practices that make digital finance work for everybody.

How to Apply

Visit to obtain the proposal tips, register for the upcoming Q&A webinar, or submit your application.

Questions? Email

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Seize this chance to steer the change in digital finance. Submit your proposal by June 15, 2025, and be part of a motion towards extra trusted, clear, and truthful monetary methods.

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