Iran Summer Research Grant (2020)
Key Details:
Application Period: Through Friday August 28
Research Project Duration: Through Friday November 27
Grant Amount: $1500
About this Grant:
Bourse & Bazaar is offering two summer research grants to students and recent graduates who wish to conduct a self-directed research project on a topic related to Iranian politics or economics.
Circumstances related to COVID-19 have reduced the number of internships, paid internships, and fellowships available to young scholars and analysts of international relations, international economics, and regional studies who are at the outset of their careers. This research grant is intended to provide a structured opportunity to produce original research and continue personal and professional development in this difficult environment.
Bourse & Bazaar will provide grantees guidance in refining their research proposals, help source relevant resources and data, arrange interviews with subject matter experts, refine and edit the research report, and publish the output as a Bourse & Bazaar “Special Report” publication with author attribution (grantees can also request to publish the report without attribution).
Time Commitment:
This research grant is intended to be flexible. The final draft of the report should be submitted no later than Friday November 27, however recipients of the grant are free to choose an earlier date for submission and to design the project to suit their schedule. The grant is also intended to be self-directed project that can be conducted alongside existing academic or work obligations. Recipients will be expected to manage their time appropriately to ensure they can make progress in accordance with a submitted project timeline.
Eligibility:
Applications are open to students and recent graduates who are pursuing or have received an undergraduate (final year students only) or masters degree in an area of the social sciences and humanities relevant to the study of Iranian politics or economics. There are no citizenship restrictions, but applicants must have the ability to write in advanced English.
How to Apply:
Applications will be accepted through Friday August 28.
Applicants are expected to submit a 500-word research proposal outlining the research project they wish to undertake. Applications will be considered on a wide range of topics, but applicants are encouraged to review the research and reporting on www.bourseandbazaar.com to help contextualize their proposed research project.
Preference will be given to applicants who identify a gap in the existing body of research on a given topic and who offer creative ways to garner new insights on issues of political or economic importance.
Research proposals should clearly and concisely explain:
Why the proposed research topic is important or worthy of study
Which source materials that will be used to study the proposal topic
Why the applicant is well-positioned to examine this issue
How the final report will contribute to the work of other scholars and analysts of Iranian politics and society
In addition to the research proposal, applicants must provide:
Their CV
Two writing samples (academic essays preferred)
A selected number of applicants will be invited to discuss their research proposal in a Zoom interview. The two applicants selected for the grant will be asked to develop their research proposal into a draft outline of the research report and to develop a project timeline, prior to beginning their research.
Applications can be emailed to Esfandyar Batmanghelidj at yar [at] bourseandbazaar [dot] com.
Please include the world APPLICATION in all caps as the first word in the subject line of your email. Your application will be acknowledged when received.
About Bourse & Bazaar:
Based in London, Bourse & Bazaar is a think tank that aims to advance economic development, economic diplomacy, and economic justice in the Middle East and Central Asia, with a particular focus on Iran. Bourse & Bazaar’s network of contributors produce authoritative research and reporting on Iran’s economy and the impact of economic issues on the country’s foreign policy and state-society relations.
