About the Reynolds and Gifford PRI Grant
The prestigious Reynolds and Gifford Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Grant supports research into how responsible investment can enable equitable environmental and social transitions across both the Global North and the Global South, contributing to a more sustainable financial system. The PRI is the world’s largest body on responsible investment, representing over USD 128 trillion in assets under management.
The Selected Research Project
The project selected by the PRI, “Re-imagining Responsible Investment Futures”, is led by Professor Stéphanie Giamporcaro, Full Professor of Sustainable Finance at KEDGE Business School. Running from 2025 to 2030, it will examine how responsible investment can address systemic challenges by analysing investment value chains and the roles of asset owners, asset managers, and stock exchanges in the Global South. It will also evaluate whether innovative approaches developed in the Global North can be adapted to the Global South and vice versa. The project aims to advance sustainable finance research, strengthen collaboration between scholars across regions, support Master’s and PhD research, and bridge academic and practitioner communities.
Student Support and Eligibility
Master’s students from sustainability-focused programmes at KEDGE Business School, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, and University of Malaya will receive financial support to conduct Master’s research aligned with the grant’s themes and to contribute to dissemination activities on re-imagining responsible investment futures.
Eligible KEDGE Programmes and Cohorts
For the next three academic years (2025–2026; 2026–2027; 2027–2028), students enrolled in the MSc Sustainable and Impact Finance and the MSc Business Transformation for Sustainability at KEDGE Business School are invited to apply for this competitive student research grant.
Research Questions
Successful candidates will dedicate their dissertation to the following questions:
- How are Global North and Global South investors pioneering investment solutions to tackle Global South challenges?
- What can investors in the Global South and the Global North learn from each other in designing investment solutions and services aimed at addressing Global South challenges?
Supervision and Research Community
The successful candidate will be supervised by Professor Stéphanie Giamporcaro, Principal Investigator of the project. Ad-hoc support will be provided by Professor Christophe Revelli and Professor Natalia Yakovleva, both Full Professors at KEDGE and members of the research consortium. Through the grant project, the candidate will connect with the vibrant PRI academic and practitioner ecosystem.
Grant Disbursement (2025–2026 Cohort)
- €1,000 (March/April 2026): Disbursed after successful submission of your research topic on the KEDGE Mémoires platform, aligned with the research questions, along with evidence of conceptual and empirical progress. You must also show engagement with the project’s LinkedIn page and submit one blog entry offering your personal perspective on re-imagining responsible investment futures.
- €1,000 (September/October 2026): Disbursed after successful submission of your literature review on the Mémoires platform and evidence of further research engagement. This should include organising a recorded online mini-workshop with students from your programme and others, plus invited practitioner(s), centred on the research questions and/or the overarching theme of re-imagining responsible investment futures.
- €1,000 (February 2027): Disbursed after successful submission of your Master’s dissertation on the Mémoires platform. In addition, you will submit two mini-case studies (maximum 10 pages each) on investors pioneering solutions to grand challenges (e.g., inequality and the just transition) in the Global South. A case-study template will be provided at the relevant time.
How to Apply
Prepare the following by 30 November 2025:
1. CV.
2. One-page motivation letter (PDF; Times New Roman 12; 1.5 line spacing).
3. Two-page mini-essay (PDF; Times New Roman 12; 1.5 line spacing) explaining why re-imagining responsible investment futures is a top priority in the current economic and financial context. Use at least five references (APA format) cited both in-text and in a final reference list.
4. File naming: Include your first name and surname in each filename (e.g., CVMichaelJordan.pdf, MotivationLetterMichaelJordan.pdf, EssayMichaelJordan.pdf).
5. Submission: Email all three documents to Professor Stéphanie Giamporcaro at stephanie.giamporcaro@kedgebs.com by 30 November 2025.
Selection Committee and Timeline
The selection committee includes Professor Christophe Revelli (Full Professor of Sustainable and Impact Finance and Candriam Chairholder), Professor Natalia Yakovleva (Full Professor of Strategy and Sustainability), Dr Fiammetta Cascioli-Karivalis (Assistant Professor and Director of the MSc Business Transformation for Sustainability), and Etienne Develay (Accounting and Finance Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University; consortium member).
Selections will be communicated by mid-December 2025. For questions about the application process, please email stephanie.giamporcaro@kedgebs.com.
Further Information
• KEDGE news item
• PRI grant overview
• About the PRI
MORE ABOUT THE MSC SUSTAINABLE & IMPACT FINANCE
MORE ABOUT THE MSC BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY
