The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has launched a call for research proposals, and will provide up to US$25 000 in funding for a maximum of 6 proposals. The research should explore the nuanced challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in accessing financing at different stages of their enterprise journey, and offer solutions to those challenges.

The objective of this applied research is to identify innovative financial solutions that can be developed or tailored to best address the needs and demands of women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Nepal, Samoa, and/or Vietnam. The research findings, which will be made publicly available, will be used to inform the design of private sector solutions that enhance different groups of women entrepreneurs' access and use of financial services, as well as inspire replication of proposed solutions on the market. Applications are open until 31 August 2020.