Soft Skills Research Fund | Curated Portfolio of Research Projects (ongoing)

IPA has announced new funding for research on soft skills for entrepreneurship and workforce development (read the announcement). Through this funding, IPA aims to support research in low- and middle-income countries that examines the relationship between soft skills and employment-related outcomes. Priority will be given to projects that respond to existing evidence gaps, incorporate a common framework for measuring soft skills and economic outcomes, and generate implementation-relevant evidence. For more information on research priorities, the definition of soft skills, outcomes of interest, and sample research questions, see the joint IPA-JPAL research agenda.

IPA will source research projects through two key approaches: 1) a competitive open call for proposals, to be launched in fall 2025 (details forthcoming); and 2) a curated portfolio of full-scale research projects.

For the curated portfolio, research projects will be selected on an ongoing, rolling basis and leverage IPA’s long-standing work in this area and our strong relationships with implementers and researchers.

These projects will be co-designed with leading implementers and researchers, focusing on:

• Developing research questions
• Collecting and analyzing implementation data
• Thoughtful use of soft-skills measurement

Projects will be selected on a rolling basis by an internal committee, prioritizing:

• Alignment with the research agenda
• Potential for policy impact
• Collaboration with interdisciplinary teams that are flexible, knowledgeable, and strategic in using soft-skills measures

Please contact epsd@poverty-action.org for more information.