Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM) Incubation Fund 2025 (up to $20,000) – YOA

Deadline: September 19, 2025

Proposals are being accepted for the Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM) Incubation Fund 2025. The GEM Incubation Fund helps rising analysis that strives to discover options to the urgent growth challenges of our time. Each 12 months, the fund will assist analysis proposals related to the altering key theme highlighted on the Harvard Center for International Development’s (CID) annual Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM) that present clear potential to advance information and generate improvements in apply with direct influence in creating economies.

2025 Fundng Round

At GEM25: Catalyzing AI for Inclusive Change members addressed important technical, governance, and moral questions surrounding AI, exploring its transformative potential to drive – or setback – the following technology of financial progress and sustainable growth. While the main target of this 12 months’s assembly was on AI, they explored how AI has the potential to drive innovation, enhance productiveness, and contribute to financial progress and effectively-being in rising economies—or additional exacerbate socio–financial divides.

The 2025 GEM Incubation Fund will give particular consideration to analysis that stems from conversations within the Incubation Rooms however welcomes analysis on any related subject. It will financially assist new analysis which seeks to incubate options, suggest coverage motion, and develop instruments to deal with what profitable growth of AI applied sciences in rising nation contexts seems like.

There will likely be funding allotted for analysis proposals centered on Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Preference will likely be given to proposals aiming to generate proof and consider the influence of AI use instances in agriculture, schooling, well being, air high quality, companies & productiveness, and governance. This funding is made doable by the World Bank South Asia Digital crew.

A portion of the funds awarded will likely be reserved for analysis proposals by Harvard Kennedy School college working on the intersection of AI, gender fairness, and growth, made doable by a present from Christina Bai-Chen to assist collaborations between WAPPP and CID.

grant

• These grants will cowl incubation and/or seed funding associated to preliminary analysis concepts, reminiscent of conducting background analysis, creating collaborations, journey to acquire knowledge or go to discipline websites, supplies, knowledge buy, and analysis assistant time. Funds will not be used to cowl tuition, college salaries, or stipends. Indirect prices are capped at 20%.
• The common grant dimension is predicted to be round $20,000. Smaller grants with demonstrated worth for cash will likely be extra aggressive. The advised interval of efficiency is six to twelve months.

Eligibility

• Faculty with PI rights at their college are eligible to apply to the GEM Incubation Fund.
• Preference will likely be given to candidates who attended GEM and to proposals that embrace educational and practitioner collaborations centered on what profitable growth of AI applied sciences in rising nation contexts seems like for creating economies.
• This funding will assist analysis initiatives prepared to start work instantly, with demonstrated purchase-in from related researchers and practitioners.
• Faculty are allowed to submit one application per spherical.

Application

Researchers ought to submit their proposals by CID’s Online Application Portal. Any questions could also be directed to [KL1] at [email protected].

The application will embrace the next supplies:

• Applicant data
• Two-page PDF CV for all PI’s and Co-PI’s
• Project abstract
• Policy drawback & motivation
• Project contributions
• Research methodology & design
• Project viability & dangers
• Project timeline
• Budget and Budget Narrative (finances template will be accessed right here)
• Letter of assist from recipient establishment (required for exterior candidates solely)
• Letters of assist from any coverage companions/native collaborators (non-compulsory)

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to GEM Incubation Fund.