This call is now closed.
XCEPT is commissioning research on the relationship between climate change, informal trade networks, and instability in conflict-affected borderlands.
| Opportunity status: | Closed |
| Submission deadline: | Tuesday 16 September 2025, 10:00 BST |
| Funder: | XCEPT research programme, funded by UK International Development |
| Estimated number of awards: | 1 |
| Budget range for each award: | £120,000 GBP |
| Estimated period of performance: | 12 months |
The Cross-border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme brings together world-leading experts and local researchers to examine conflict-affected borderlands, how conflicts connect across borders, and the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour. Funded by UK International Development, XCEPT offers rigorous public good research to advance scholarship and inform policies and programmes that support peace. The programme includes the XCEPT Research Fund (XRF) to commission high-quality new research.
The XCEPT Research Fund (XRF) is inviting applications for up to £120,000 GBP of funding for a 12-month project that will produce innovative, empirically grounded research examining the relationship between climate change, informal trade networks, and instability in conflict-affected borderlands, with a focus on the role of informal cross-border trade in the causal pathways linking climate stress to instability and conflict.
Building on the understanding that climate stress in conflict-affected borderlands – and the resulting increase in informal cross-border trade – can both amplify the agency of local communities as well as fuel instability, this Call for Concept Notes seeks to fund research that examines whether – and under what conditions – such trade networks support climate change adaptation and/or influence conflict. Concept notes should consider the following interlinked research questions:
The primary research output will be a high-quality paper or series of papers, subject to external peer review and suitable for publication by the Awardee organisation or prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed academic journal. The project should include policy-focused outputs, such as summary briefing notes and presentations to policy audiences. The project also should include outputs geared for a wider public audience, such as commentaries, blogs, podcasts or videos.
To learn more about this opportunity and to apply, click on the documents below:
Applications must be submitted via email to [email protected]
We hosted a virtual question and answer (Q&A) session about this funding opportunity on Friday 5 September. You can view the recording below and the session slides here.
The deadline for concept note submissions is Tuesday 16 September 2025, 10:00 BST
The Cross-border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme brings together world-leading experts and local researchers to examine conflict-affected borderlands, how conflicts connect across borders, and the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour. Funded by UK International Development, XCEPT offers actionable research to inform policies and programmes that support peace.
We are one of the UK government’s flagship conflict research programmes. Our focus on how conflict-affected borderlands and how conflicts connect across borders sets us apart. We view conflicts as complex systems that connect across borders and ensnare conflict actors and communities, intertwining the licit and illicit, the formal and informal.
We argue that since conflicts are not bound by national borders, responses to conflict should not be bound by national borders either. Responses to conflict should be transnational. They should work at local, state, and regional levels and enable integrated and coordinated international responses.
Chemonics UK is the lead implementing partner for XCEPT. Core partners during the life of the programme have included: The Asia Foundation; Chatham House; Conciliation Resources; King’s College London; Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center; and Rift Valley Institute.
XCEPT also works with many other partners through the XCEPT Research Fund (XRF). These include grassroots organisations dedicated to building peace in their local area, innovative teams pushing the boundaries of how technology can be used to track conflict dynamics, and individual researchers with expertise in conflict-affected borderlands.
This funding opportunity is only open to organisations.
Successful applicants will be responsible for receiving, managing, and reporting on the awarded funds, and must demonstrate the capability to do so in line with FCDO requirements for financial accountability and transparency. This includes maintaining appropriate financial systems and controls.
The awardee will also hold primary responsibility for duty of care, safeguarding, and risk management throughout the duration of the project, and must have appropriate approaches in place to manage these effectively.
Applicants should ensure that their proposed budget, and their approach to risk, safeguarding, and duty of care, are proportionate to the scale, scope, and complexity of the proposed research. These elements will be considered as part of the assessment process.
The application process involves two stages: Concept Note and full Project Proposal. This call for Concept Notes is the first stage.
To apply, applicants should prepare and submit the following:
The completed Concept Note Application Form and CV(s) should be submitted via email to [email protected] by the submission deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications must indicate in the subject line of the email the following: “C2-G052 Climate adaptation + [Name of lead organisation]”.
Detailed instructions on how to submit an application are included in the Call for Concept Notes document.
Yes, the deadline is Tuesday 16 September 2025 at 10:00 BST.
Applicants may submit several Concept Notes, but no organisation will be
awarded more than one award as the lead applicant.
Applicants will be notified by XCEPT regarding selection within three weeks of the Concept
Note submission deadline.
We expect to fund one project, with a maximum budget of £120,000.
The proposed research should concentrate on XCEPT’s core geographic regions, which
include fragile and conflict-affected areas of:
Proposals that address other geographies will be considered. Research may focus on a
single region or span multiple regions, with particular interest in research that offers
comparative value for XCEPT’s core areas of focus.
The primary research output will be a high-quality paper or series of papers, subject to
external peer review and suitable for publication by the Awardee organisation or prepared
for submission to a peer-reviewed academic journal.
The project should include policy-focused outputs, such as summary briefing notes and
presentations to policy audiences. The project also should include outputs geared for a
wider public audience, such as commentaries, blogs, podcasts or videos. Applicants should
list the outputs they plan to produce in the Application Form.
To learn more about this funding opportunity, please join the virtual question and answer (Q&A) session on 5 September 2025 at 10:30-11:30 BST. This will be an opportunity to ask questions about this call for papers. If you are interested in joining the Q&A, please confirm your attendance by completing this form: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/0c8e6764-81f3-4d36-b48c-bb6dd29030e3@7c1f24a6-7d39-452c-8237-0726e3b19a73
If you have any clarification questions, please ask them at the Q&A or email them to [email protected] by the clarification questions deadline on Tuesday 9 September 2025, 18:00 BST.
An updated set of FAQs was published on 11 September here.
