ESRC Global Challenges Research Fund

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a five-year £1.5 billion funding stream, announced as part of the Government’s 2015 spending review. It forms part of the UK's Official Development Assistance commitment, to support cutting-edge research which addresses the problems faced by developing countries. The GCRF operates across a number of UK delivery partners, including the ESRC which was allocated £35 million over the period of its Delivery Plan 2016-20.

We were commissioned by ESRC in January 2017 to summarise the key findings of the Fund’s initial Call for Evidence conducted by RCUK, and, through an analysis of international donor websites and key strategic documents, to set these findings within the wider national and international funding context. This internal report was commissioned to help inform ESRC’s strategic position as a key delivery partner for the GCRF.