Global Development Awards Competition 2026
The Global Development Awards Competition (GDAC) is GDN’s largest and longest-running programme that brings together a rich community of researchers and development practitioners. It is an award scheme that:
- Identifies talent and supports the career advancement of researchers in the Global South
- Funds innovative social development projects implemented by NGOs that benefit marginalised groups in the developing world
THEME - 2026 EDITION
Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for Peace and Human Security
Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) are often viewed as the "hardware" of development - the tools, laboratories, and digital infrastructures that drive economic growth. However, the ultimate impact of STI on human lives is determined by the "software" of society: the institutions, capabilities, and diplomatic relations that govern how knowledge is created and shared.
This edition seeks to explore the role of the social sciences in, on, and for STI.
We are looking beyond the tools themselves to the human systems that surround them. Centered on the Japanese guiding principle of "Human Security" - freedom to live in dignity and from fear and want - this call invites proposals that demonstrate how STI ecosystems can be shaped to foster peace, build human capability, and protect the most vulnerable through cross-border cooperation and Science Diplomacy.
The Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development (ORD) - Click to learn more and apply
We invite research proposals that push the frontiers of how social sciences interact with Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Global South and how they relate to Human Security.
We particularly welcome practice-oriented research that recognizes Human Security as not only a conceptual framework but also an operational agenda. We encourage research proposals that explore the institutional, governance, and capability-building dimensions of strengthening systems that protect people from threats, as well as those that empower individuals and communities to respond to threats by themselves.
Researchers are urged to focus on their own interests within the 2026 topic. Proposals must, however, demonstrate policy relevance, originality, and clear methodologies, along with a direct and well-articulated link to the call topic.
The Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project (MIDP) - Click to learn more and apply
We invite NGOs that are using innovation not just to deliver services, but to build human capabilities among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. We are moving beyond the deployment of "tech tools" to focus on projects that empower communities to understand, adapt, and leverage STI for their own security and dignity.
We are looking for projects that:
- Target the most vulnerable: Projects must explicitly benefit marginalized communities (e.g., refugees, indigenous groups, extreme poor, women in fragile settings).
- Build capacity: Rather than just dropping technology into a community, how is the project building the literacy, agency, and capacity of beneficiaries to use innovation to solve their own problems?
- Enhance Human Security: Projects that use innovative methods to secure freedom from fear (conflict, violence) or freedom from want (poverty, health, environmental risks) or freedom to live in dignity (governance, social relationships).
To be eligible, projects must reflect the global development imperative of protecting vulnerable individuals and empowering communities to build resilient, sustainable livelihoods.
The Global Development Awards Competition is an innovative award scheme administered by GDN, funded under the Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD) trust fund managed by the World Bank, and generously supported by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan.
For queries, write to awards@gdn.int.
If you have a grievance regarding the implementation of this project or its future impacts, send an email to awards@gdn.int, with a copy to fobino@gdn.int or check www.gdn.int/awards/grievance for further instructions.
About the Competition | Our Approach | Recent Editions of the Competition | 20 years of the Global Development Awards | Global Development Awards Platform | Impact of the Competition
