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The British Academy announces funding for 21 new research projects on youth futures in the Global South

23 Mar 2020

The British Academy has announced funding for 21 new research projects under its Youth Futures programme. 


Funded by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (through the Global Challenges Research Fund), this programme will examine the contributions of young people to the United Nation’s 2030 agenda and bring a youth lens to the global sustainable development challenges. These awards will lead to transformative changes at the local level through facilitating collaborative work that extends beyond the standard research model and fundamentally involves young people.  


The 21 projects funded under the Youth Futures programme will be delivered by researchers based in 61 different institutions in the UK and the Global South. At least 18 low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific will benefit from the research undertaken as part of the programme.


This new cohort of award-holders will explore a wide range of topical issues including how climate change is affecting young lives and youth livelihoods in Uganda; how marginalisation of young women in India is impacting on their  employment opportunities; and how the prospects of at-risk youth in Myanmar could be improved.


Professor Simon Goldhill, Foreign Secretary and Vice-President of the British Academy, said:  


“We are delighted to announce this new cohort of award-holders. The varied and exciting projects supported under the Youth Futures programme will involve and integrate young people in design and delivery to support novel and creative ways of working and shaping young people’s futures. 


“The research comes at a critical time for the global community: it is estimated that one billion young people will enter the labour market in the next ten years, with only 400 million likely to find jobs in the formal economy. I look forward to following the research teams’ progress over the next 21 months.” 


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