The Aubrey Barker Fund, working in collaboration with Geoffrey Payne and a panel of international experts, including Banashree Bannerjee, Eugene Chigbu, Forbes Davidson, Tony Lloyd-Jones, Jean du Plessis and Michael Slingsby, launches a call for applications to the ABF Urban Kickstart scheme.
Access to secure, affordable land for housing remains a major challenge in rapidly urbanising countries, particularly in the global South, pushing many into inadequate living conditions. At the same time, there is a growing need for skilled professionals to address this issue—yet many qualified young experts from these regions struggle to find opportunities to apply their knowledge and gain experience.
For whom?
This fund aims to improve secure access to land and housing by supporting research and other activity which advances and disseminates knowledge and skills in land management and related disciplines. Through this fund, young graduates can now receive mentoring from international experts with expertise relevant to the product scope and location and have the chance to win a grant of up to £15,000.
What does the grant cover?
The grant will include all time, travel, subsistence, insurance, materials and other expenses related to the project. This includes any costs incurred in Open Access publications in a peer-reviewed journal; such costs will be paid once the publisher has confirmed that the report or paper is accepted for publication. Applications for smaller grant values will also be considered if they meet the funding criteria.
Application criteria
We invite applications from applicants from, or living and working in, developing countries (defined as those classified by the World Bank as being low-income, lower-middle income or upper-middle income). Preference will be given to applications from low-income and lower-middle income countries within Africa and Asia; and priority may be given to projects that promote sustainable urban development principles, including environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic viability in urban contexts. Read more on the website to find out the evaluation criteria and the eligible types of projects: ABF-UrbanKickstart - Aubrey Barker Fund
Applications close after 11:59pm (GMT) on 1 September 2025.
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