Υποτροφίες για Έρευνα από το Ελληνικό Παρατηρητήριο του London School of Economics σε θέματα που σχετίζονται με την Ελλάδα
Το Ελληνικό Παρατηρητήριο του LSE προσφέρει υποτροφίες για διεξαγωγή έρευνας σε θέματα που σχετίζονται με την Ελλάδα.
Προθεσμία υποβολής αιτήσεων: 15 Οκτωβρίου 2023
Διαβάστε παρακάτω την αναλυτική πρόσκληση στα αγγλικά:
Call for Research Project Proposals 2023
The Hellenic Observatory (HO) invites applications for research project funding in the context of the Hellenic Observatory Research Calls Programme funded by the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation (ACLCF) and Dr Vassili G. Apostolopoulos.
Under this Call, the Programme will fund three (3) projects with research grants of up to £8,000 for a term of 12 months. The HO reserves the right to adjust the length and level of any award. The projects are expected to start from January 2024 and no later than 1 March 2024.
Applications are invited for projects on one of the following Research Themes:
Economic extroversion and integration into global and regional value chains
Greece has full access to the largest economy in the world, the EU single market, and is an important potential destination for global investments (e.g., China). Yet, the Greek economy is inward-looking. Historically, Greece has experienced low economic convergence dynamics with other EU economies and failed to exploit global and regional value chains to promote products and services with comparative advantage. This affects various aspects of Greek economic life, from productivity and GDP growth to the adoption of new technology and the creation of new high-wage jobs. We invite research projects that will explore one or more of the following issues:
- Identify the capacities and areas of latent comparative advantage for integrating into global and regional value chains.
- What types of economic reforms and policies (possibly drawing on comparable evidence from other countries) can unblock the barriers to internationalisation/diversification of production and stimulate economic extroversion?
- What are the threats and opportunities presented for Greece by recent policy shifts, at the EU level, concerning “strategic autonomy” and “re-shoring”/ “friend-shoring”?
Housing affordability, housing investment, and the residential rental market in Greece
Increased investment in residential real estate, combined with short-term renting, and property holdings of commercial banks (availability of foreclosed properties) has altered the urban landscape in Greece since the financial crisis. Housing precarity and lack of access to affordable and decent housing are widely acknowledged as a primary social issue with broader societal, economic, and political implications. This is particularly prevalent among young people, with a large percentage depending on their family and remaining in/returning to parental homes. We invite research projects that will explore one or more of the following issues:
- Document and assess challenges related to housing affordability and precarity.
- Identify and assess socioeconomic, political, and geographic factors driving this phenomenon.
- Assess the adequacy/sufficiency of the existing housing policy framework, possibly drawing on comparative experience from other countries.
A paradox of media (un)freedom in Greece?
Media play a significant role in sustaining the quality of democracy. The media landscape in Greece is fragmented across many online and private media outlets. Digitalisation has accelerated this trend, allowing independent media platforms to appear. On the other hand, organisations like Reporters without Borders ranked Greece the lowest in Europe for press freedom in 2022, with pressures on the coverage of certain issues such as migration. This has led to increased concerns on whether media freedom is under attack and whether this is a problem for democracy. We invite research projects that would explore one or more of the following issues:
- Is there a crisis of media freedom in Greece?
- How does the media landscape in Greece impact on the quality of democracy in the country?
- Has digitalisation and the proliferation of decentralised media (social media, etc.) facilitated the democratisation of media or rather led to more problems of trust and (mis)information?
Eligibility and Procedure
The Call is open to researchers with a university affiliation, who hold a doctorate (PhD degree) and normally have at least two years of post-doctoral research experience. This criterion does not apply to the research assistants appointed to the project.
Applications from groups of researchers are also eligible. The PI and lead members must fulfil the eligibility criteria.
Applicants who have previously been awarded funding from the Hellenic Observatory’s research calls can not reapply in the same academic year that the previous project finished.
Applications are limited to one application per person/group each year.
How to apply
Proposals are to be submitted electronically in Word format to Hellenicobservatory.Research@lse.ac.uk
Proposals should not be longer than 2,500 words (Calibri font, size 11, justified alignment, 2cm margins, single spaced). Proposals have to address the five evaluation criteria laid out in the Selection Process below and to be structured under the following sub-headings:
- Summary: project title, name of the PI (and other lead researchers together with a structure of the team and the allocation of tasks across its members), start and end dates, total budget figure
- Research objectives and project outline (including literature review)
- Methodology
- Time-Line
- Planned Publications (other than the Policy Brief and the Research Paper- see Deliverables below): format, content, publisher, date of submission
- Impact
- Annex 1: Personnel (including short biographies). Full CV’s should be attached as separate documents together with a listing of cited references.
- Annex 2: Detailed Budget - see Budget below. Please complete the Excel budget template provided.
Budget
The budget should justify the costs identified for the project. Eligible costs include salaries, travel, research assistance, impact and knowledge exchange, and publications, in so far as they can be accepted as essential parts of the proposed research. Overhead costs of up to 15% of the total budget are allowed, but these should be included in the budget. The selection committee has the right to request additional information regarding budget costs and to award a smaller amount than the one requested or advertised. Awards must be used solely for the purposes set out in the application. An amount of up to 20% of the total budget can be transferred between budget headings without reference to the Hellenic Observatory. Requests for budget transfers in excess of this amount should be addressed to the Hellenic Observatory.
Selection Process
Proposals will be selected by the Hellenic Observatory and members of the Research Advisory Group according to the following criteria:
- Originality, significance, rigour and impact of the research
- Evidence that the individuals involved have the capacity to execute the proposed project and deliver on stated outcomes
- Contribution towards policy-relevant challenges facing Greece
- Value for money
- Compatibility of the research with the broader work of the Hellenic Observatory
The Hellenic Observatory and the Research Advisory Group are solely responsible for approving the eligibility of applications and reserve the right to request additional information from the applicants. Shortlisted applicants may be asked to participate in a video interview. In all cases, the decisions of the Hellenic Observatory and the Research Advisory Group will be final. The Hellenic Observatory and the Research Advisory Group reserve the right not to make any awards or to adjust the number of awards they make.
Deliverables
The successful researcher / research team is required to provide:
- Progress Report: A Progress Report of up to 2,000 words on month 6 of the Project.
- Policy Brief: A Policy Brief of 2,000 words at the end of the project
- Final Research Paper: A Final Research Paper of up to 10,000 words at the end of the project
- Other: Scholarly publications and publications in other outlets, stemming from the research project (this will be a significant criterion for the evaluation of the applications submitted)
The researcher / or research team is obliged to give full acknowledgement to the Hellenic Observatory in all publicity and outputs related to the project, copies of which should be sent to the Hellenic Observatory. The Hellenic Observatory also retains the right to publicise a summary of the results, with full acknowledgement to the authors of the research, on its website and in its other publicity outlets.
Award of Funds
The funds shall be paid upon signature of a Research Grant Agreement between LSE and the institution(s) of the PI(s) of the successful research projects which will incorporate the programme of work proposed at the application stage. The Agreement will be drawn up upon notification of the successful candidates and will be signed before the commencement of the research project. Projects are expected to start from January 2024 and no later than 1 March 2024. The payment of the funds will be made into an institutional research account of the Principal Investigator’s host institution.
Funds will be transferred in two equal instalments - the first on commencement of the project and the second on completion of the defined outputs to the satisfaction of the Hellenic Observatory.
Timetable
- Application Deadline: 15 October 2023 (23.59 GMT)
- Successful Projects advised: (early) December 2023
- Contracts drawn up: December 2023
- Project Commencement: January – March 2024
Application and Enquiries
Proposals should be submitted electronically in Word format to Hellenicobservatory.research@lse.ac.uk by 15 October 2023 (23.59 GMT) and the subject line of the email should read “HO Call 2023”. All applicants will receive a confirmation email upon receipt of their proposal.
All enquiries should be directed by email to Hellenicobservatory.research@lse.ac.uk.
