Research Grants to Address Pressing Global Challenges

Research and innovation are needed to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges, which disproportionately affect those living in low-income countries. ETH4D’s Research Challenges and Pilot Grants fund ETH researchers to develop solutions for those living on $10 a day or less. Apply by 21 April.

Eine Gruppe Personen steht um einen Tisch, auf dem eine farbige Zeichnung liegt.
Research underway in São Tomé and Príncipe as part of an ETH4D Pilot Grant project. (Photograph: ETH Zurich)

Despite unprecedented progress in poverty reduction over the last 25 years, well over half the world’s population still lives on less than $10 per day, without adequate access to food, drinking water, electricity, mobility, and other basic services. However, much of the potential of technological innovation for addressing the persistent challenges of those in poverty remains untapped.

25 Collaborative Projects Against Poverty

ETH4D believes that universities have a responsibility to ensure technological progress benefits the global population. Our Research Challenges offer funding of 21k-200k CHF to ETH professors to develop innovations that aim to improve the lives of people living from less than $10 a day in a low-income country. Our Pilot Grants fund up to 20k CHF for the exploration of new collaborations and research around the same goals. Both grants are open to applicant consortiums across all disciplines that comprise an ETH professor and a non-academic partner from the low- or lower-middle income country of focus.

Since the first call in 2020, 15 Research Challenges and 10 Pilot Grants have received funding, spanning projects from human faeces-derived biochar for agriculture in Guatemala to low-cost monitoring of critical infrastructures in Ghana to an AI teaching assistant.

Current Call

The Research Challenge and Pilot Grants call is open until 21 April, 2024. Researchers from ETH can find more information and the relevant requirements on the .

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