IPS invites proposals for 2025 Saman Kelegama Memorial Research Grant

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) recently called for proposals for Saman Kelegama Memorial Research Grant 2025, an annual merit-based award honouring the legacy of late Dr. Saman Kelegama, a renowned economist and former IPS Executive Director.

Established in 2018, the memorial grant aims to promote policy entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka by encouraging rigorous, policy-relevant and innovative socioeconomic research among the university students. 

Accordingly, the IPS invited proposals from undergraduate students currently in their fourth year or entering their fourth year in 2025.

To be eligible, the applicants must be pursuing economics or a related field at a University Grants Commission-approved higher education institution in Sri Lanka.

The proposals are to be submitted by March 31, 2025 and the final winner will be announced on June 23, 2025. “The recipient will receive a one-time research grant of Rs.200,000, to carry out the proposed study along with a three-month internship at the IPS,” the institute stated.

To encourage participation from students across Sri Lanka, the internship offers flexible options, allowing the final awardee to choose between a fully in-house internship or a hybrid model (in-house + online).

The IPS stated that the applicant proposals would be evaluated based on their policy relevance, feasibility and creativity, after which three finalists will be shortlisted for presentations.

The selected recipient will be then expected to produce a policy discussion brief within six months of receiving the grant. 

Additionally, the institute has also offered an extra subsidy to support the presentation of the research findings at local conferences and workshops, in order to facilitate the wider dissemination of the study.