Global Development Awards Competition 2026
The Global Development Awards Competition (GDAC) is GDN’s largest and longest-running programme that brings together a rich community of researchers and development practitioners. It is an award scheme that:
- Identifies talent and supports the career advancement of researchers in the Global South
- Funds innovative social development projects implemented by NGOs that benefit marginalised groups in the developing world
THEME - 2026 EDITION
Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for Peace and Human Security
Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) are often viewed as the "hardware" of development - the tools, laboratories, and digital infrastructures that drive economic growth. However, the ultimate impact of STI on human lives is determined by the "software" of society: the institutions, capabilities, and diplomatic relations that govern how knowledge is created and shared.
This edition sought to explore the role of the social sciences in, on, and for STI.
We looked beyond the tools themselves to the human systems that surrounded them. Centred on the Japanese guiding principle of “Human Security”, defined as freedom to live in dignity and from fear and want, this call invited proposals that demonstrated how STI ecosystems could be shaped to foster peace, build human capability, and protect the most vulnerable through cross-border cooperation and Science Diplomacy.
The Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development (ORD) - Click to learn more
We invited research proposals that pushed the frontiers of how social sciences interacted with Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Global South and how they related to Human Security. We particularly welcomed practice-oriented research that recognised Human Security as not only a conceptual framework but also an operational agenda. We encouraged research proposals that explored the institutional, governance, and capability-building dimensions of strengthening systems that protected people from threats, as well as those that empowered individuals and communities to respond to threats themselves.
Below are the finalists who will present their projects to a jury at the 2026 Global Development Conference:
CHARINA CHAZALI, AKATIGA Institution, Indonesia
Hazard-Ready Communities: Citizen Science, Science Diplomacy, and Community-based Governance on Technological Risk in Indonesia’s Energy Transition
HYGOR PIAGET MONTEIRO MELO, University of Fortaleza, Brazil
Cooling the City: Urban Trees, Public Health and Human Security for Heat Mitigation in Fortaleza
THIERRY MESSIE PONDIE, University of Buea, Cameroon
Leveraging Digital Startups for Peace and Human Security: Micro-Level Evidence from Conflict-Affected Communities in Cameroon
The Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project (MIDP) - Click to learn more
We invited NGOs that were using innovation not just to deliver services, but to build human capabilities among the most vulnerable and marginalised groups. We moved beyond the deployment of “tech tools” to focus on projects that empowered communities to understand, adapt, and leverage STI for their own security and dignity.
Below are the finalists who will present their projects to a jury at the 2026 Global Development Conference:
LAWYERS ALERT JUSTICE INITIATIVE, Nigeria | Project Director: Dr Rommy Mom
Increasing Access to SRHR Information and Services for Internally Displaced Women in Benue State.
MOZAMBICAN RECYCLING ASSOCIATION (AMOR), Mozambique | Project Director: Angelica Miranda João
KOLEKT: Empowering Coastal Communities Through Digital Plastic Certification in Mozambique
TEACH THE WORLD FOUNDATION, Pakistan | Project Director: Adnan Ahmed Qureshi
Digital MicroSchools
The Global Development Awards Competition is an innovative award scheme administered by GDN, funded under the Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD) trust fund managed by the World Bank, and generously supported by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan.
For queries, write to awards@gdn.int.
If you have a grievance regarding the implementation of this project or its future impacts, send an email to awards@gdn.int, with a copy to fobino@gdn.int or check www.gdn.int/awards/grievance for further instructions.
About the Competition | Our Approach | Recent Editions of the Competition | 20 years of the Global Development Awards | Global Development Awards Platform | Impact of the Competition
