Call For Research Proposal -Junior Research Grant 2023 Guidelines
The International Center for Refugee and Migration Studies (ICRMS) is inviting research proposals from talented undergraduate students based in Pakistan or foreign universities, who are interested in researching the refugee crisis and policy issues in Pakistan. Proposals should demonstrate a strong understanding of the research area and a clear research plan. Eligible students must have already earned their degree or be currently enrolled in a degree program. See the research themes below.
Research Themes
Education
- How to mitigate prevailing issues in access to education for Afghan refugee children in the Province of Balochistan.
- Solutions to enhance refugee girls’ enrolment in national education system.
- Impact of Curriculum transition (Afghan to Pakistani curriculum) for girls and its relationship with economic empowerment for women.
Healthcare
- Access to healthcare services for Afghan refugees in urban and rural areas of Balochistan.
- The psychological impact on the mental health of Afghan refugees.
- Barriers to the uptake of mental health services by refugees.
- Health needs of refugees with disabilities.
- Impacts of health issues on social and economic integration.
- Refugee-centric solutions that enable increased accessibility of the refugee population to healthcare services by exploring the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions in refugee healthcare needs of the rural refugee communities.
- Healthcare system responsivity to Refugee needs: Refugee expectations of healthcare system and solutions from their perspective.
- How refugee health data can be gathered and maintained on a refugee village level (Community Based Surveillance). How the refugees can contribute to refugee health information, a scope for future refugee healthcare direction.
- What alternatives do refugees have when their access to healthcare services is restrained due high cost involved: Refugee perspective of the constraints and solutions to the problem.
- Exploring the role of Community Organization in addressing the community health issues and self-reliance in responding to their health issues.
- The relationship between access to healthcare and other factors, such as poverty, discrimination, and the environment, and how they impact health outcomes for Afghan refugees.
Protection
- Gender roles for refugees in RVs versus in urban areas of Balochistan.
- Avenues of social cohesion.
- Rural urban migration of refugees in Balochistan.
Livelihood opportunities
- Possibilities and the impact of financial inclusion of Afghan refugees on hosts and local economy.
- Impact of the UNHCR supported livelihood interventions on refugees.
- The available marketable skills and possible opportunities for the refugees.
- The challenges faced by Afghan refugees in accessing employment and income-generating opportunities in host countries.
Social protection
- Comparative Review of BISP and UNHCR funded social assistance programs for refugees in Pakistan.
Market inclusivity
- The role of micro and small enterprises in supporting the livelihoods of Afghan refugees.
- The challenges faced by Afghan refugees in accessing financial services.
- The skill development opportunities and its impact on the livelihood of the refugees.
- Livelihood opportunities and challenges for refugees in private sector.
Grants Description
Submissions will be reviewed, and progress of award studies will be closely monitored by the evaluation team. Following are the broad principals of the program:
- The maximum duration to complete a project will be 6 months.
- The maximum grant available for a project is 0.3 million PKR (relevant taxes included).
- Proposals will be judged by the choice of the problem and expected knowledge outcomes
- All data collected and work produced under ICRMS will have to be submitted for authenticity checks.
Submission Process and Deadline
Elements of the Grant Application: English is the language to be used in the ICRMS Junior Research Grants Program. Applications must include the following:
- ICRMS Application Cover Sheet should be attached (download file from the website)
- Title Page, Abstract (up to 250 words), and Table of Contents.
- The research proposal should include a problem statement, relevant studies review, research questions, data sources, anticipated result uses and references.
- Attach an annexure for detailed timeline for the completion of the study.
- It should not exceed 10 pages, single-spaced, in Times New Roman/Cambria font with a font size of 12
Applications (in pdf) must be submitted electronically to icrms@buitms.edu.pk. Complete applications will be acknowledged by return email within 15 days of submission. There is no need to submit a hard copy of the application.
The deadline for application submission is extended to May 05th 2023 by midnight Pakistan Standard Time (PST). Incomplete applications and applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
Selection Criteria and Process
Grant proposals assessed based on five criteria: relevance, creativity, technical feasibility, potential policy value, and researcher qualifications. Each criterion given equal weight during evaluation process. Top-ranked proposals invited for oral presentation before review panel in person or via video. Funds disbursed in two tranches: upon selection, and upon acceptance of final report by review panel.
Expected Outputs and Research Dissemination
ICRMS grant recipients are expected to produce original quality research that could be considered for national or international peer-reviewed publication. After the selection, final reports must be submitted to the review panel for approval of grant fund disbursements.
At the end of the research completion, The ICRMS Research team will organize a research symposium. ICRMS grant recipients will be expected to make a presentation about their research that corresponds to their final research report.