Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development (ORD) 2025

📝 About the Award

The Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development (ORD) is an initiative aimed at identifying and funding exceptional research proposals from low- or middle-income countries. These proposals should demonstrate high potential for excellence in research and provide clear policy implications for addressing development issues.

For the 2025 edition, the theme is:

“Digital Transformation for Universal Health Coverage”

Key Details:

• Date Published: April 25, 2025
• Application Deadline: June 18, 2025
• Category: Grants
• Sponsor Organisation: Global Development Network (GDN)

The award will support researchers whose proposals promise to enhance our understanding of development issues and offer well-researched policy solutions to tackle these challenges.

🎁 Benefits

• First Prize: US$ 30,000
• Second Prize: US$ 20,000
• Third Prize: US$ 10,000

The funds will be used to support the completion of the proposed research. Additionally, awardees will be paired with a world-class academic in their area of work, who will serve as a Scientific and Technical Advisor.

Finalists will also receive communications training to prepare for pitching their projects to a high-level jury.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

The ORD is open to researchers who meet the following requirements:

1. Must be citizens and residents of one of the eligible countries listed below.
2. The proposed project must be implemented in one of the eligible countries.
3. Citizens of eligible countries residing in non-eligible countries are eligible to apply only if they have been living in the non-eligible country for no more than five years as of January 1, 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, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

📅 Application Process

1. Visit the official application portal to apply.
2. Ensure you review all important documents before submitting your application.

Important Documents:

• Application Template
• Guidelines for Application Submission Portal
• FAQs
• Sign up for a Q&A Session
• Call for ORD Reviewers

📌 Application Deadline

June 18, 2025

For more details, visit the Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development.

• First prize: US$ 30,000 grant.
• Second prize: US$ 20,000 grant.
• Third prize: US$ 10,000 grant.
• Awardees will be paired with a world-class academic as a Scientific and Technical Advisor.