What is ODA?

Official Development Assistance (ODA) is funding provided by official agencies around the world to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. In the United Kingdom, ODA is sometimes called UK Aid. For funding to be classified as ODA, it must:

  • Promote and specifically target the economic development and welfare of developing countries
  • Be directed towards a list of Low- and Middle-Income Countries published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) every three years
  • Come from official executive agencies (e.g. the UK Government)

ODA is the main source of international development financing worldwide and is a key measure of all aid targets and assessments of aid performance. In 2015, the UK government committed to spending 0.7% of its annual Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA. This commitment was reduced to 0.5% of GNI in 2020 and further reduced to 0.3% by 2027.

Links to ODA research opportunities

In the United Kingdom, ODA research funding is channelled through a variety of government agencies and partners. The dropdowns below signpost to active research opportunities.

This resource has been compiled as part of UKCDR’s Mapping ODA Research and Innovation (MODARI) project, in an effort to make ODA funded research opportunities more accessible.

Cross-Departmental

Research Opportunities

  1. The International Development Funding Finder Tool helps potential applicants to view, sort and filter UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding opportunities across all UK government departments. Each funding call will include a high level overview and information on how to apply. 
  2. The Find a Tender Service is the UK-wide noticing service for public procurement including some ODA projects. Users can use the advanced search function to search for different departments.  
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Research Opportunities

  1. The FCDO research and science X account posts FCDO-funded calls and procurement events on research, evidence, science, technology and innovation.  
  2. The FCDO eSourcing Portal allows users to access and manage open FCDO tenders in one place.  
  3. The FCDO weekly newsletter advertises upcoming activities and funding opportunities sourced from the resources above.  

Common Themes*:

Agricultural advancements, Climate Change, Energy, Environmental sustainability, Governance and policy, Health, Humanitarian assistance, Social equity and protection, Violence and conflict mitigation, Science Technology and Innovation (STI) 

 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Research Opportunities

  1. The UKRI Funding Finder posts open and upcoming calls for funding including information on funders and co-funders, funding type, and total funding amount. Only a portion of these opportunities are ODA funded.   

Common Themes*:

Environmental sustainability, Health, Science Technology and Innovation (STI)  

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Research Opportunities

DEFRA posts grant information on specific fund-level websites, including application deadlines and specific guidance:  

  1. The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps conserve biodiversity and support the communities that live alongside it through locally led projects worldwide. 
  2. Darwin Plus is a UK government grants scheme that helps deliver long-term strategic outcomes for the unique biodiversity, the natural environment and improving resilience to climate change within the UK Overseas Territories. Projects involving Montserrat, St Helena, and Pitcairn are eligible for ODA.  
  3. The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund is a UK government grants scheme that provides support to innovative and scalable projects to reduce pressure on wildlife from illegal trade and, in doing so, reduce poverty in developing countries. 

Common Themes*:

Agricultural advancements, Climate Change, Environmental sustainability, Social equity and protection, Violence and conflict mitigation

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

Research Opportunities

The DHSC posts grant opportunities though the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR):  

  1. The NIHR Funding Opportunities Website shows current health-related funding opportunities. Only a portion of these opportunities are ODA funded.   

Common Themes*:

Health

Wellcome

Research Opportunities

  1. The Wellcome Funding Opportunity Website shows current and upcoming funding opportunities. ODA funded projects may be tagged as administered in low or middle income (LMIC) countries.  

Common Themes*: 

Health, Social equity and protection

*Research themes have been allocated by the UKCDR team based on the information available and in accordance with MODARI definitions. See individual grant advertisements for more specific themes.  

Please note, information can also be found on the Newton Fund and GCRF. These are standing major ODA funds in the UK but are no longer accepting new applications.

Who are UK ODA stakeholders?

ODA flows from Funders, to Funds, to Extending Organisations. The interactive diagram below maps the number of active research projects funded by four key government departments (FCDO, DSIT, Defra, DHSC). The number of active projects is updated every 6 months.

This data comes from the UKCDR MODARI dashboard, where you can find a comprehensive list of ODA funded research projects and their associated stakeholders.

Additional resources

For more guidance on ODA classification, see OECD guidance.

For a current list of list of LMICs which are eligible to receive ODA, see OECD’s list.