RSA Policy Expo Grant Scheme

The Association has launched a new policy research initiative worth £15,000 (C. €17,000, US$18,000) to successful teams aiming to connect their work  and wider communities to societal questions and policy needs.

The Association seeks a leading and impactful role for its community, to inform and influence policy and practice in creative and ambitious ways.The aim is to support Expos addressing issues that are important, current and having an impact on society. These Expos will investigate how the communities of regional studies, regional science, urban studies and related fields can respond to new societal challenges and opportunities.

This new initiative is called an “Expo” taking the word’s meaning of a “comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory”. The RSA provides funding for up to three Expos on topics related to the priority areas set out in the RSA Development Plan 2015 – 2020. Expos will normally run for no more than 18 months from commissioning to the submission of the book and RSRS article for review.

The two key deliverables from each Expo are:

• an article for Regional Studies, Regional Science with the Article Processing Charge (APC) sponsored by the Association from the withheld portion of the grant (articles will be subject to peer review)
• a book in the new RSA Impact and Policy Series. This would be a minimum 25,000 and maximum 30,000 words policy book. It could be in the form of a report or edited papers with an introduction and conclusion. It must include an executive summary highlighting the policy implications from the work.

Policy Expo 2018 themes

Applications are invited on the following themes:

1. Role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in regional development  2. Place-based policy making 3. The Chinese One Belt One Road initiative

The submission deadline for detailed applications is 30th March 2018.

Please send your applications and queries to policyexpo@regionalstudies.org