RIDE is launching a call for research proposals on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in transport. The call is managed by RIDE’s Partnership Pillar (GIZ) and Research Pillar (WRI), in partnership with WomenMobilizeWomen (WMW) and the Global Alliance for Feminist Transport.
Transport systems in low- and middle-income countries are often designed without women’s economic lives and safety in view. Women make up only 12% of the global transport and storage workforce, and fewer than 18% of the most cited transport researchers. This call funds research that treats women’s economic empowerment as the central subject, not a secondary lens. It focuses on evidence that leads to concrete change in transport policy, services, infrastructure or operations.
Research themes
- Violence against women and girls in transit: how harassment, violence and social norms shape women’s travel choices, and what this costs them in income, jobs and economic opportunity.
- Climate resilience: how climate-related disruption to transport translates into economic loss for women, and when that loss becomes permanent.
Who can apply
- Research teams or consortia based at universities and research institutes, anywhere in the world.
- Research must focus on one of RIDE’s partner countries. Group 1: Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania; Group 2: Ghana, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam.
- Partnerships with LMIC-based institutions are strongly encouraged. So are applications led by women researchers and researchers based in Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Funding and duration
At least two projects will be funded, each with £150,000–£200,000.
Projects can last up to 15 months and must be completed by 31 March 2028.
What makes a strong proposal
A clear uptake plan carries the most weight in the evaluation (30%). It names the specific decision-makers and policy windows you aim to influence, and involves those actors from the start of the research, not only at the end.
How to apply
Send your cover letter (PDF), research proposal (Word, max. 4,000 words), detailed budget (Excel, GIZ template) and evidence of non-profit status as one zipped file to:
Cristal Stefania Cedeno Tobanda – cristal.cedenotobanda@giz.de
Viviane Weinmann – viviane.weinmann@giz.de
Deadline: Friday, 20 November 2026, 6:00 pm CEST
Questions? Contact cristal.cedenotobanda@giz.de