Research & Policy Grant for Early Career Researchers

The Research & Policy Grant for Early Career Researchers is an annual initiative jointly organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The grant aims to foster high-quality, policy-relevant secondary analyses of international large-scale assessment (ILSA) data from IEA studies. With a special focus on promoting evidence-informed education policy in the European Education Area (EEA), the program supports early career scholars who seek to generate impactful research using datasets such as TIMSS, PIRLS, ICCS, and ICILS. This funding opportunity provides a one-time €20,000 grant per project to cover the researcher’s professional development and project-related activities, such as travel, software, dissemination, and networking. The funded research must be completed within a 12-month period. In addition to financial support, grantees receive expert guidance from IEA and DG EAC, as well as priority access to specialized training on the use of IEA data, quantitative methods, and research communication. The training program is hosted by IEA Hamburg, usually during late August or early September, and is considered mandatory for researchers with limited experience in secondary data analysis. Eligible applicants include PhD candidates, individuals who received their first doctoral degree within the past five years, and master’s degree holders with under ten years of additional research experience. All applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English, propose a project of relevance to EU basic skills education policy, and secure support from at least one supervisor with expertise in the proposed topic and in IEA data. Applicants are responsible for arranging their own travel and securing valid medical insurance to attend the training in Hamburg or any meetings in Brussels. Three mandatory project-related meetings (kick-off, interim, and final) are expected, held either virtually or in person. Proposals must address one of four thematic areas: foundational skills in primary education, digital well-being and social media, equity and social inclusion, or democratic values and citizenship. Each research project is expected to be comparative, theory-driven, and relevant to the EU policy landscape. Applicants must outline their empirical approach, research questions, dataset selection, and intended policy implications. Selected projects are expected to submit a high-quality final report and may present findings in European Commission technical seminars or be considered for publication in peer-reviewed journals such as *Large-scale Assessments in Education*. Applications are submitted electronically via the IEA Grant Platform. Required materials include a detailed research proposal, applicant CV, proof of academic credentials or enrollment, a letter of recommendation from a supervisor, and a letter of institutional support if applicable. Proposals will be reviewed based on four equally weighted criteria: scientific quality and policy relevance, use of data and methodological rigor, feasibility and work plan, and researcher expertise. Each proposal is scored on a scale from 1 to 5 per criterion, and must achieve a minimum total score of 15 and no individual criterion score below 3 to be considered for funding. The call for applications opens on February 3, 2026, with a submission deadline of March 31, 2026. Selected applicants will be notified by June 15, 2026. Draft research findings must be submitted to the European Commission by April 30, 2027, with final project completion due by June 30, 2027. A publication embargo is enforced until October 31, 2027. The program intends to fund up to four proposals per year, one for each thematic area. If fewer eligible proposals are received, unallocated funds may be carried forward to the next year’s call. Questions may be directed to [email protected].

Align with EU education priorities; justify dataset selection and methodology clearly; show capacity for secondary IEA data analysis; score at least 15/20 with no score below 3 in review.