Secure land and property rights are an important buffer against the risks and uncertainties faced by the Indian poor. Not only are these rights fundamental in accessing the necessities of life–shelter, food security, income generation–they also provide a means for individuals and communities to recover from exogenous shocks such as evictions, land conflicts, natural disasters, and climate change. Land, especially, is an important resource in India’s largely agrarian economy as it is a safeguard against poverty and provides economic and financial security, rootedness, and social status.
The/Nudge Institute and Omidyar Network India are committed to supporting research on resilient livelihoods through the pathway of land and property rights through the Research Innovation Program. We invite proposals that enable high-potential research teams to get deeply involved with ground realities and map bottlenecks to inform decision-making. Knowledge generated through this research will in turn help bridge the information gap that is available to entrepreneurs, nonprofits, philanthropists, private consultants, and policy-makers to support and develop meaningful, implementable interventions that result in resilient livelihoods for the economically disadvantaged.
Researchers or teams selected for the Research Innovation Program will be expected to produce:
- at least one journal-level article by the end of the research period
- a document that outlines the impact ladder of the research and strategies to reach relevant audiences
- a limited number of outputs that make their research more accessible (for example, editorials, case studies, policy briefs, workshops, data portals, repositories).
We invite research proposals in the following categories.
Up to ₹25 lakhs for field research and primary research. The expected turnaround time for research outputs is up to one year.
Up to ₹6 lakhs for desk research, legal research, and research that utilizes secondary sources or pre-existing data. The expected turnaround time for research outputs is up to six months.
We invite research proposals on the thematic areas below and in closely allied areas.
Applicants are encouraged to integrate a intersectional perspective into their research projects.
Category A - ₹ 3-6 lakhs
Category B - ₹ 25 lakhs
Category A - up to 6 months
Category B - upto 1 year
Qualitative or quantitative research, bias for technology
Individuals, centers of research, nonprofits, collaboratives
For queries, please email us at
pioneer@thenudge.org
High-quality research facilitated by the Research Innovation Program will be made available to potential problem-solvers in the ecosystem for land and property rights including entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, investors, donors and policy-makers.
The research proposals will only be viewed by the selection committee, including the The/Nudge Team and the jury. It will not be shared with anyone else, and will be treated as confidential.
The criteria used to shortlist grant proposals are:
Quality and integrity - does the proposal clearly define the research questions, activities, methodologies, and target audience? Is the need to use certain methodologies used through the course of the study well-supported?
Impact - is there clarity and significance of the impact of the proposed activities? is the research solution-oriented and will it lead to action?
Team - does the team demonstrate strong knowledge of the problems they are addressing and an understanding of the setting in which their research innovations will be tested?
Innovation - Is the research about innovative practices or will the findings of the research make room for innovations that are easier, faster, less costly, or more feasible to implement/replicate.
Intersectional perspective - does the research integrate an intersectional perspective of gender, caste, class, religion and so on?
We understand that it may be difficult and unsafe to conduct field research at the moment. Therefore, we have introduced smaller grants that can be used for desk research, legal research or research from secondary sources.
We are keen to receive applications where the researchers have devised innovative primary research methodologies that are safe, rigorous and circumvent the pandemic. In case this is not possible, we are also open to funding the research only once it safe to be in the field.
We understand that different types of research require different amounts of funding. If we are convinced that your research is valuable, we can consider supplemental funding or partnering with other organizations that fund research. If you still have a doubt, please email pioneer@thenudge.org.
Yes, we will consider it. Please write a strong justification for the timeline you have chosen in the research proposal.
Yes, you can. however, the research must have a direct linkage to land and property rights, and be closely aligned to the thematic areas mentioned above. if you still have doubts about your research topic being eligible for the grant, please email pioneer@thenudge.org.
The/Nudge Institute and Omidyar Network India are committed to supporting research on resilient livelihoods through the pathway of land and property rights through the Research Innovation Program. We invite proposals that enable high-potential research teams to get deeply involved with ground realities and map bottlenecks to inform decision-making. Knowledge generated through this research will in turn help bridge the information gap that is available to entrepreneurs, nonprofits, philanthropists, private consultants, and policy-makers to support and develop meaningful, implementable interventions that result in resilient livelihoods for the economically disadvantaged.
We invite research proposals in the following categories.
Up to ₹25 lakhs for field research and primary research. The expected turnaround time for research outputs is up to one year.
Up to ₹6 lakhs for desk research, legal research, and research that utilizes secondary sources or pre-existing data. The expected turnaround time for research outputs is up to six months.
We invite research proposals on the thematic areas below and in closely allied areas.
Applicants are encouraged to integrate a intersectional perspective into their research projects.
Category A - ₹ 3-6 lakhs
Category B - ₹ 25 lakhs
Category A - up to 6 months
Category B - upto 1 year
Qualitative or quantitative research, bias for technology
Individuals, centers of research, nonprofits, collaboratives
Deadline: 13 February 2022
Submit research concept note.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited
to submit detailed proposals.
Deadline: 3 weeks after shortlist notification
Submit detailed proposals.
Up to 15 proposals will be reviewed
by the expert jury.
First week of April
Presentations to expert jury.
Proposals selected will receive research support
For queries, please email us at
pioneer@thenudge.org
High-quality research facilitated by the Research Innovation Program will be made available to potential problem-solvers in the ecosystem for land and property rights including entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, investors, donors and policy-makers.
The research proposals will only be viewed by the selection committee, including the The/Nudge Team and the jury. It will not be shared with anyone else, and will be treated as confidential.
The criteria used to shortlist grant proposals are:
Quality and integrity - does the proposal clearly define the research questions, activities, methodologies, and target audience? Is the need to use certain methodologies used through the course of the study well-supported?
Impact - is there clarity and significance of the impact of the proposed activities? is the research solution-oriented and will it lead to action?
Team - does the team demonstrate strong knowledge of the problems they are addressing and an understanding of the setting in which their research innovations will be tested?
Innovation - Is the research about innovative practices or will the findings of the research make room for innovations that are easier, faster, less costly, or more feasible to implement/replicate.
Intersectional perspective - does the research integrate an intersectional perspective of gender, caste, class, religion and so on?
We understand that it may be difficult and unsafe to conduct field research at the moment. Therefore, we have introduced smaller grants that can be used for desk research, legal research or research from secondary sources.
We are keen to receive applications where the researchers have devised innovative primary research methodologies that are safe, rigorous and circumvent the pandemic. In case this is not possible, we are also open to funding the research only once it safe to be in the field.
We understand that different types of research require different amounts of funding. If we are convinced that your research is valuable, we can consider supplemental funding or partnering with other organizations that fund research. If you still have a doubt, please email pioneer@thenudge.org.
Yes, we will consider it. Please write a strong justification for the timeline you have chosen in the research proposal.
Yes, you can. however, the research must have a direct linkage to land and property rights, and be closely aligned to the thematic areas mentioned above. if you still have doubts about your research topic being eligible for the grant, please email pioneer@thenudge.org.
