ESII Request for Proposals
J-PAL’s European Social Inclusion Initiative (ESII) funds randomized evaluations of programs and policies aimed at improving social inclusion across Europe. J-PAL affiliates, postdoctoral fellows, ESII invited researchers, and PhD students (with support from an advisor who is a J-PAL affiliate or ESII invited researcher) are eligible to apply for pilot, full study and add-on funding. For this RFP round, ESII will allocate a limited amount of funding to support research on social inclusion in Europe.
The complexity and multidimensionality of social exclusion emphasise the need to find effective strategies to promote the inclusion of vulnerable and underserved individuals and communities from the early stages of life to adulthood. The scope of ESII’s IV RFP will thus span across various sectors. Sectors of interest include, but are not limited to, education, labour, health, social protection, and housing.
Timeline
Round 5: Open
Open RFP: Monday, June 16, 2025
Proposal Deadline: Friday, October 31, 2025
Funding Decisions: Early 2026
Round 4: Closed
Open RFP: June 14, 2024
Proposal Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024
Funding Decisions: Early 2025
Round 3: Closed
Open RFP: Wednesday, 1 June 2022
Proposal Deadline: Friday, 14 October 2022
Funding Decisions: End 2022
Round 2 - Closed
Open RFP: Monday, 15 June 2020
Proposal Deadline: Friday, 30 October 2020
Funding Decisions: December 2020
Round 1 - Closed
Open RFP: Monday, 20 May 2019
Proposal Deadline: Friday, 27 September 2019
Funding Decisions: November 2019
Target populations
Research funded through ESII’s V RFP will focus on programmes and policies targeted to individuals suffering from marginalisation and vulnerability (including refugees, migrants, nationals with migrant backgrounds and ethnic minorities, among others), with a particular interest in children and youth.
Eligibility
J-PAL affiliates, J-PAL postdocs, PhD-level J-PAL staff, and ESII invited researchers are eligible to apply for pilots, full studies and add-on survey funding. PhD candidates, with support from an advisor who is a J-PAL affiliate or ESII invited researcher are also eligible to apply. PhD candidates are eligible to apply for full evaluation grants and add-on survey funding (up to €50,000) as well as pilot grants.
How much funding is available?
Pilot studies may be awarded up to €50,000. Full RCTs: we are unlikely to be able to fund proposals over €175,000. ESII accepts off-cycle proposals for up to €50,000.
How can I apply?
You can find an overview of ESII’s RFP V, including its thematic and geographical scopes, in the Attached Documents section. Please review the detailed application instructions for pilot studies and full RCTs carefully before submitting your proposal.
Application Deadline: October 31, 2025
Apply using the relevant link below:
- Pilot Study Application: Submit here
- Full RCT or Add-on Study Application: Submit here
WizeHive, the new grant management system (GMS) J-PAL is using for our proposals, is more user-friendly. It will, however, require a new login. Please use the Application Instructions and follow the prompts in the links on the Initiative RFP webpage to create a new login. Or, if you have already successfully submitted an LOI or proposal to a J-PAL competition, simply log into WizeHive with your credentials.
If you experience any errors or technical issues, you can first check the Application Instructions linked above. For additional support during business hours, please reach out to [email protected] and CC [email protected]. For all other questions, please email [email protected].
Application Documents
Projects
Can a digital tool foster immigrants’ integration?
Location:
Germany
Demand-side Interventions for Economic Integration of Refugees
Location:
Germany
A Data-Driven Approach to Refugee Integration
Location:
Netherlands
Opening School to Parents to Promote Migrants’ Inclusion and their Children’s Achievement (OEPRE)
Location:
France
Teachers at Work: Preventing Social Exclusion of Immigrants
Location:
Finland