BBVA invites applications for its second round of research grants in financial education

With the BBVA EduFin Research Grants 2019, the Center for Education and Financial Capability continues to promote financial knowledge and encourage research in the field of financial education on the global stage. With this new call for research proposals, the Center continues to be at the forefront of the latest trends in the field and it promotes knowledge creation and research projects related to financial education as a driver of sustainable development and progress, giving people access to better opportunities.

Who is it for?

The grants are intended for researchers, academics, universities, research institutions, and research centers. They also target post-graduate students, think tanks, and ONGs that work in the field of education and its financial capabilities.

What priorities are covered?

In 2018 the priorities for research were in areas such as financial education in the digital world; financial health and the gender gap; behavioral economics; and sustainable finance. As well as new methodologies for measuring financial education, this year the focus will be on the following topics:

• Digitalization as a driver of financial education.
• Financial education and poverty.
• When financial institutions promote financial education: conflicts of interest and public lack of trust.
• Evaluation of financial education strategies.

What does the research support comprise?

BBVA EduFin Research Grants 2019 will allocate a total of €50,000 to be distributed between the five selected research projects. The selected research proposals will be announced on Thursday, May 23, 2019.

Last year’s winning researchers had the opportunity to attend the Center’s annual summit, EduFin Summit which was held in Buenos Aires. They also had the opportunity to present the research project in front of an audience composed of subject matter experts who will evaluate the work of the five winning studies.

Where do I sign up and what is the timeline?

Those interested should register by filling out the following form. The registration period ends Thursday, April 25th  at 23:59 pm (EDT). All applicable information is available on the web site www.bbvaedufin.com and at the @bbvaedufin twitter profile.

Who evaluates the proposals and what are the assessment criteria?

The research proposals received will be evaluated by  international experts who collaborate with the Center. The evaluation criteria include innovation, impact, and the likelihood of obtaining relevant results in the world of financial education. In addition, methodology will be evaluated, as well as the suitability of the team, planned budgets, and timelines.

Looking back: Financial education and inlcusion challenges

In last year’s call for proposals, the research studies focused on improving opportunities through education and financial inclusion. The topics of the five projects that were selected in 2018 were:

• Financial health to increase prosperity for individuals, Catalina Estrada- Mejias, Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia).
• Technology as a means of financial inclusion in remote rural areas, Alfredo Burlando, the University of Oregon (USA).
• The use of tablets and mobile phones in developing financial capabilities by focusing on nuclear family relationships, called LISTA, by Rodrigo de Reyes of  Fundación Capital and Matthew Bird from the Universidad de Pacífico  (Peru).
• The financial behavior of young people, Carly Urban, Montana State University (USA).
• The importance of financial planning for retirement, by Jean Paul Madrigal of AMAFORE.

The Advisory Council of the Center is composed by international renowned organizations with a solid experience in the finance world such as CAF, the European Banking Federation, the InterAmerican Development Bank, the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC), Better Finance, as observer member, MIDE (Museo Interactivo de Economía), theOECD, SEGIB and the World Bank among others. For more information about the AdvisoryCouncil you can visit us at www.bbvaedufin.com.