Call for papers: Thrive scientific conference

Thrive scientific conference: Scaling early childhood development programmes and policies

24-25 June 2025, in London | Submission by 31 January 2025

Thrive, on behalf of Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), is hosting an international interdisciplinary conference on the topic of scaling early childhood development (ECD) programmes and policies in low-and middle -income (LMIC) countries.

Thrive is a multi-country research programme funded by UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) that aims to support countries in turning what we know about positive ECD into practical, scalable programmes. IFS is an independent research institute in the UK which aims to analyse and inform economic and social policy decisions internationally.

This conference will focus on papers that inform implementation of ECD policies and programmes in LMIC. There are 4 main areas of focus; papers outside of these areas may also be considered as long as they are relevant to the overall focus on scaling ECD.

• What works - Innovative ECD approaches with potential for scale
  Papers on 1) developing and testing ECD innovations with potential for scale 
  in LMIC settings, and 2) that increase understanding of the process of early 
  childhood development in LMIC settings. 
• Implementation at scale – Transitioning to large-scale interventions
  Papers that focus on implementation of ECD interventions at scale and 
  provide evidence to inform a successful transition of ECD programmes to 
  scale. 
• Equity and inclusion – how to make sure scaling is equitable and inclusive
  Papers that contribute evidence on how to ensure gender equity, access for 
  marginalised and disadvantaged groups, caregiver empowerment and father 
  engagement in ECD at scale. 
• Measurement and assessment at scale
  Finally, we welcome papers that inform ECD measurement and assessment 
  at scale in LMIC settings. This includes for example innovation in measures 
  of child development and/or validation of existing measures in new settings. 
  We invite submissions of high-quality academic research papers from the Thrive focus countries (Ghana, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone and Kiribati) and all other LMIC settings. 

Submissions

Extended abstracts 800-1000 words (maximum 1000) should be submitted via should be submitted via this form or by email at [email protected]. 

Abstracts must include background and justification, aims/objectives, methods, results and conclusions/implications. Abstracts without sufficient details of results will not be accepted. A maximum of 2 tables may be included and will not contribute to word count. The reference list will also not contribute to the word count.

Please indicate on your submission which of the 4 main areas of focus your paper is most relevant for. If outside of these areas please provide a brief statement on relevance to the overall conference theme.

There is no fee to attend the conference. Grants will be available for travel and accommodation for those whose paper has been accepted and who do not have access to institutional research funds.

Notifications of acceptances: Notifications of acceptance will be circulated by 28 March 2025. The conference will use a variety of presentation modalities (presentations varying in length, poster presentations, etc.). Successful applicants will be notified about the type of presentation their paper is selected for.