The Private Enterprise in Low Income Countries (PEDL) programme invites proposals for projects aimed at understanding the role of companies in addressing climate and environmental challenges.
The private sector is key to tackling the climate and environmental crises. Proposals responding to this call for proposals should make it clear how the research focuses on companies. Projects can examine the role of companies as individual entities or the interaction of companies in markets. PEDL does not focus on agricultureHowever, it is open to projects that explore firm-farm interactions through input and product markets.
In particular, they encourage proposals related to adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change and projects to mitigate pollution and improve local environmental conditions. They also welcome proposals on climate change mitigation, particularly those that provide evidence on the costs and benefits of mitigation for companies in countries with a focus on LLDCs.
The Exploratory Research Grant programme aims to seed new research agendas that can lead to more extensive projects as they develop. PEDL supports this scaling through Major Research Grants (MRGs) and through a Scale-up Grant programme that aims to bridge the gap between the initial work of an ERG and a large-scale project. They currently hope to have an MRG call in the 2023 automn. They therefore encourage ambition in proposals, even if this call only allows for pilots or other initial steps in the development of the agenda.
Thematic Areas and Examples of Research Lines
- Energy
- The private sector plays a role in developing the reliable electricity grid needed to meet the growing demand from businesses and households. There is an interaction between investment and regulatory policy, especially as the latter relates to long-term power purchase agreements.
- How can renewable energies and storage support the development of reliable electricity grids?
- What are the sources of regulatory and investment risk for private sector investment in renewable energies and how can they be mitigated?
- The private sector plays a role in developing the reliable electricity grid needed to meet the growing demand from businesses and households. There is an interaction between investment and regulatory policy, especially as the latter relates to long-term power purchase agreements.
- Transport
- The adoption of electric vehicles is on the rise in high-income countries, and investment in electric motorbikes and three-wheelers is increasing in Africa and South Asia. But electric mobility is just one aspect of transport. Mass transit systems and the rationalisation of transport logistics are also very active areas in PEDL focus countries.
- What are the challenges and benefits of adopting electric transport?
- What role does the private sector play in public transport?
- What are the constraints to increasing the efficiency of freight transport?
- The adoption of electric vehicles is on the rise in high-income countries, and investment in electric motorbikes and three-wheelers is increasing in Africa and South Asia. But electric mobility is just one aspect of transport. Mass transit systems and the rationalisation of transport logistics are also very active areas in PEDL focus countries.
- Industrial Production
- The use of energy in industrial processes contributes around a quarter of CO2 emissions globally. From a development perspective, the effect of industrial production on air quality is at least as important. It is estimated that brick kilns alone are responsible for up to 58% of PM2.5 in Dkaka in the dry season.
- What role does innovation and the adoption of technology in reducing PM 2.5 and GHG emissions?
- How can politics interact with the private sector to achieve results?
- What determines the adoption of energy-saving innovations by private sector companies?
- The use of energy in industrial processes contributes around a quarter of CO2 emissions globally. From a development perspective, the effect of industrial production on air quality is at least as important. It is estimated that brick kilns alone are responsible for up to 58% of PM2.5 in Dkaka in the dry season.
- Trade
- The GHG emissions of producers of exported goods can be seen as induced by the final consumers of these goods. Tariffs in the producer and consumer markets can distort the prices of carbon-intensive and non-carbon-intensive goods.
- How do import policies affect production decisions and technology adoption?
- How are the climate mitigation demands of consumers in higher-income countries transmitted via buyers to producers in lower-income countries?
- The GHG emissions of producers of exported goods can be seen as induced by the final consumers of these goods. Tariffs in the producer and consumer markets can distort the prices of carbon-intensive and non-carbon-intensive goods.
- Risk markets
- Insurance is an important resilience factor at the farmer or company level. Insurance may also be necessary to incentivise investment in capital-intensive sectors, such as grid-scale renewable energies.
- How are the effects of climate change distributed among companies of different sizes, sectors and locations?
- What innovations are needed in local insurance markets to mitigate the increased risks arising from climate change?
- In the absence of complete insurance markets, what are the adaptation strategies of companies in PEDL-focused countries?
- Insurance is an important resilience factor at the farmer or company level. Insurance may also be necessary to incentivise investment in capital-intensive sectors, such as grid-scale renewable energies.
- Innovation
- Innovation will play an important role in resolving any of these crises.
- What are the constraints that private companies face in relation to the creation, adoption, diffusion and financing of new climate-friendly technologies, be they internal (e.g. management) or external (e.g. finance, market prices) to the company?
- How receptive are these constraints to political intervention?
- To what extent is green technology imported versus produced domestically in PEDL-focused countries?
- Innovation will play an important role in resolving any of these crises.
Information on financing
- The budget limit for ERGs is £40,000. These grants finance research assistance, data collection and new surveys in LICs and, if necessary, acquisitions of teaching for the lead researcher.
- ERG projects usually run for 12 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- ERGs are designed to be contracted directly with individual researchers. The individual researcher will be responsible for receiving, spending and reporting the funds. There should be no institutional involvement. In exceptional circumstances and with significant justification, contracts may be drawn up with the individual institution, but these are non-negotiable and the institution cannot assume any overheads.
- The programme is open to mixed/multidisciplinary approaches. However, the core of the approach should be related to the literature in economics and grounded mainly in questions economic.
- You can apply as a team, but only one researcher must submit the proposal as the team representative. This individual will be the one named in the contract and will be responsible for implementing the project if it is successful.
- Only those who have been explicitly invited to do so can resubmit a previously unsuccessful proposal.
Notes
- Project proposals outside the focus countries must clearly defend the relevance of the research to policy in low-income countries, and also justify why the research is only feasible in non-target countries. Please note that they are currently unable to fund projects located in Myanmar and Palestine.
For more information, visit PEDL.
