The RICS Research Trust is an established grant award entity supporting research in the disciplines of land, real estate and construction right across the world.

The Trust, as a charity, has a remit of supporting, delivering and disseminating high quality, independent reliable knowledge and future thinking through research funding right across the world. It's administered by a Board of Trustees, comprising of RICS members and independent appointees. The Board meets to consider awards twice a year in May and December. The corresponding deadlines for applications are the first Friday of March and the first Friday of October.

RICS Research Trust is encouraging research in specific areas by means of ‘defined calls’ and is also considering applications outside specific areas as ‘open calls’.Research applications under the defined calls and open calls are considered bi-annually.

In the coming year, the trust is focused on subjects that relate to the RICS GoverningCouncil’s strategic themes – urbanisation; housing supply and affordability; resource scarcity; climate mitigation and adaptation; and next generation. As a priority, the trust is encouraging research in the five specific ‘defined call’ subjects listed below.

Proposals should be submitted to [email protected]. When making your application please specify whether the application is under one of the defined call subjects or the open call.

Defined calls

  1. Resilience against natural and man-made disaster in a changing climate

    • Resource resilience in the face of extreme weather and the role of climate change adaptation measures

    • The impact on land markets of different nations’ economic instruments toincentivise farmer and landowner action

    • Renewable and clean energy futures: assessing the full city-wide potential of“smart buildings” in residential, commercial and industrial sectors, decentralised on-site power generation and storage, electric vehicles and charging.

  2. Transition to autonomous vehicles The technology enabling autonomous vehicles of all types, for passengers and goods, is developing fast. But what will be the benefits and challenges, and the obstacles to  progress? And how will governments and societies make the transition, and tackle investment in road, parking and the telematics infrastructure needed?

  3. Social cohesion in rapidly growing cities: Managing the consequences of rapid growth, including urban inequality and homelessness, in cities of 500,000 population or more. How can instruments such as zoning and building codes that influence the size of homes, and regulate developments with shared facilities, also address the need for affordable homes – especially among people moving from rural areas. In the face of land and property price escalation, how do city governments best enable housing markets that serve the needs of the public service workforce?

  4. The strategic impact on rural land use if growing urban populations are to have access to sufficient nourishment: If the world’s population are all to have access to 2000 calories a day, consumed inaccordance with national dietary guidelines (amounts which fall somewhat short of current consumption in many developed nations), research suggests that more agricultural land will be needed. But given the global development goals, what does this imply for rural development and competing land uses? And could vertical and rooftop farms in urban areas be a part of the solution?

  5. Big data and the impact of digitization on professional practice: Between the digitisation of land registries, big data, and machine learning there is a fundamental challenge to the valuation and investment industry. Several companies are targeting to do for traditional commercial real estate what Zoopla has done for residential: namely a free valuation service based on timely big data and algorithms. Building management may be transformed at a neighbourhood level. More responsive property taxes may be feasible. What are the implications of big data for the profession in both developed countries and emerging economies in respect of professional services and education needs both for students and for CPD?