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Applications are open for the Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development (ORD) 2025. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
Opportunity Details
This award programme identifies and funds outstanding research proposals in low- or middle-income countries with high potential for excellence in research and clear policy implications for addressing development issues.
The three winning projects will receive grants worth US$ 60,000. Finalists will be invited to join a communications training in preparation for a pitch of their project in front of a high-level jury, which will decide which research proposal to award. The awards will be given to the researcher(s) whose proposals hold the greatest promise for improving our understanding of development issues and put forth clear, articulate and well-researched policy implications to address relevant developmental problems.
THEME - 2025 EDITION
“Digital Transformation for Universal Health Coverage”
The first prize winner will receive a grant of US$ 30,000. The second prize and third prize winners will receive a grant of US$ 20,000 and US$ 10,000, respectively. The funds will be used to support the research work proposed by the winners towards the completion of their research. Additionally, awardees will be paired with a world-class academic in their area of work who will play the role of a Scientific and Technical Advisor.
The ORD is open only to researchers from the list below, with the requirement that they also need to be their citizens and residents and the project to be implemented in one of the listed countries. Citizens of eligible countries currently residing in a non-eligible country are also eligible to apply only if they have been living in the non-eligible country for no more than five years as of 1 January 2026.
Eligible countries
Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; American Samoa; Angola; Argentina; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belize; Benin; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Comoros; Colombia; Costa Rica; Congo, Dem. Rep; Congo, Rep.; Côte d'Ivoire; Cuba; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Eritrea; Eswatini; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Fiji; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Kenya; Kiribati; Korea, Dem. People's Rep; Jamaica; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kosovo; Kyrgyz Republic; Lao; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libya; Madagascar; Malaysia; Malawi; Maldives; Mali; Marshall Islands; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Micronesia; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Nepal; Namibia; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Romania; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Samoa; São Tomé and Principe; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; South Sudan; Sri Lanka; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Sudan; Suriname; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tanzani; Timor-Leste; Thailand; Togo; Tonga; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Tuvalu; Uganda; Ukraine; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Vietnam; West Bank and Gaza; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Important Documents
Application Template | Guidelines for use of the Application Submission Portal | FAQs | Sign up for a Q&A Session | Call for ORD Reviewers
Apply for Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development