Deadline: 03 March 2025

I. Background

The UNCTAD Division of Investment and Enterprise (DIAE) and the Academy of International Business (AIB) have jointly established an award for the best young academic research work on international investment and development. The award is intended for PhD students or early career researchers with no more than five years of full-time work experience.

UNCTAD and AIB invite contributions that provide state-of-the-art knowledge and understanding of the activities conducted by, and the development impact of, multinational enterprises and other international investors, considering economic, institutional, social, environmental or cultural aspects. Contributions should draw clear policy conclusions from the research findings.

Reflecting the core value propositions of UNCTAD’s research mandate, the winning papers should meet the following criteria:

• Original and innovative research.
• Topical issues with a discussion of policy implications.
• Focus on development (i.e., how to ensure that international investment and multinational enterprises contribute to sustainable development).

The paper must not have been previously published. Co-authorship is permitted provided all authors meet the stated target group and criteria.

II. Submissions Guidelines

• Paper must not exceed 12,000 words (inclusive of appendices, references, and all material); authors are encouraged to follow the JIBP formatting guidelines, available at: JIBP Formatting Guidelines
•  Abstract (not longer than 300 words).
• Author(s)’s CV.
• A statement confirming that all authors of the paper are PhD students or early career researchers with no more than five years of full-time work experience.

III. Evaluation

• The submitted papers will be evaluated by a Review Panel that includes DIAE leaders, experts, and the President of AIB, along with other prominent AIB scholars.
• The Award, which is granted on an annual basis, will be presented during an official ceremony (final date to be confirmed) that will take place during the AIB 2025 Annual Conference which is scheduled from 28 June 2025 to 2 July 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky,USA.
• Finalists will present their work in a Special Session at the AIB Conference, and the winner will be announced during the Awards Ceremony.
• Finalists must agree to register and attend the Awards Ceremony

IV. Award Package

• A certificate will be presented to the winner at the AIB conference in July 2025.
• Invitation to apply for a three-month consultancy contract at UNCTAD’s Division of Investment and Enterprise for work during a term that is mutually agreed between UNCTAD and the Award winner (in the case of a co-authored paper, the authors will determine who will benefit from the consultancy package). The contract will be issued in line with United Nations rules and regulations.
• An invitation to submit the paper for publication in AIB’s peer-reviewed policy journal, the Journal of International Business Policy (subject to the journal’s standard peer-review process).

V. Submission

Submissions must be sent to [email protected] by 3 March 2025.

For More Information, Please visit The Call's Webpage

VI. Contacts

• Tunga Kiyak | Executive Director| Academy of International Business (AIB)| [email protected]
• Amelia U. Santos-Paulino| Chief, Investment Research Section| Division on Investment and Enterprise UNCTAD| [email protected]