Applications are open for BRAC Inclusion Fellowship Program 2021. BRAC Social Innovation Lab’s “Inclusion Fellowship: Capstone Research Programme 2021”, is an opportunity for current students and early-career researchers to design studies and experiments to understand the existing gaps in different areas of DFS to recommend a pathway from practice to policy at the end of the study.

The Fellowship will provide the mechanism for aiding clients to keep using DFS tools such as mobile money. Factors leading to growing gaps in lower-income communities should be taken into account when making policy recommendations. Fellows will be expected to build on pre-existing academic and in-practice research and evidence in the field of financial inclusion and gender equality and provide additional insights or evidence on ways to strengthen women’s financial inclusion further.

BRAC Inclusion Fellowship Program is looking for researchers interested in exploring questions along the pathway to inclusive digital financial services. A non-exhaustive list of research questions is indicated below.

• How can the DFS continuity barriers in the ultra-poor communities be addressed?
• What initiatives should programs take to reduce the increasing digital gender gap in developing countries?
• What are different ways for policy makers and development practitioners to incorporate the changes needed into the existing DFS system?
• How can the DFS ecosystem be more client-centric and unscathed?
• What role can consumer protection play in mending the DFS design?

Benefits

BRAC Inclusion Fellowship Program has the following benefits

• Mentorship and guidance from sectoral experts and practitioners leading our anti-poverty and social empowerment programs. Similarly, access to program operations staff for primary research or consultations.
• Field access and research logistics support e.g. translations, sampling interviewees, field travel and logistics, etc. (subject to Government-mandated Coronavirus health and safety protocol).
• Limited funding to support in-field research or alternative methodologies for qualifying projects.

Eligibility Criteria

The following are minimum requirements to be eligible for the Capstone Research Programme 2021:

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in their final year of study, Graduate program for masters or PhD, or be a recently graduated early-career researcher.
• Be fluent in English​. While not required, familiarity with or proficiency in Bangla may be an asset for primary researchers.
• Furthermore, demonstrate proven promotion of diversity in your work and perspectives.

Application Checklist

• Research proposal (including concept, methodology, analytical framework, timeline, and early plan for dissemination)
• Researcher or research team profile (Short bio, LinkedIn profile/Resume)
• Financial proposal (optional) as well as writing samples or links to publications

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