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Institute for Economic Thinking grant

The Institute for New Economic Thinking is sponsoring a Research Grant Program to explore: (1) financial instability and macroeconomic management; (2) political economy of income and wealth distribution and inequality dynamics; (3) governance of international monetary financial systems; and (4) innovation.  The INET is an organization created to promote changes in economic theory and practice.

Amount: $25,000 - $250,000

Date due: June 14, 2012

For more information, click here.

Small Business Innovative Research Phase I (NIDRR)

The purposes of this program are to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal research or research and development (R/R&D) needs, increase the commercial application of research supported by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), and improve the return on investment from federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the Nation.

The five invitational priorities are:

(1) Increased independence of individuals with disabilities in the workplace, recreational settings, or educational settings through the development of technology to support access and promote integration of individuals with disabilities.

(2) Enhanced sensory or motor function of individuals with disabilities through the development of technology to support improved functional capacity.

(3) Enhanced workforce participation through the development of technology to support access to employment, promote sustained employment, and promote employment advancement for individuals with disabilities.

(4) Enhanced community participation and living for individuals with disabilities through the development of accessible information technology including Web access technology, software, and other systems and devices that promote access to information in educational, employment, and community settings, and voting technology that improves access for individuals with disabilities.

(5) Improved interventions and increased use of health-care resources through the development of technology to support independent access to healthcare services in the community for individuals with disabilities.

Amount: $75,000

Date due: February 13, 2012

For more information, click here.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)

The Department of Energy announces the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Phase I (Release 2). The objectives of these programs include increasing private sector commercialization of technology developed through Department of Energy supported research and development (R&D), stimulating technological innovation in the private sector, and improving the return on investment from Federally-funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation. DOE will support high-quality research or R&D on advanced concepts concerning important mission-related scientific or engineering problems and opportunities that are likely to lead to significant public benefit from promising research.

Amount: $150,000 (must partner with a small business)

Date due: January 31, 2012

For more information, click here.

Financial Education grants

The National Endowment for Financial Education, a nonprofit, national foundation wholly dedicated to improving the financial well-being of all Americans, has announced guidelines for its 2011 grant program.

The NEFE grants program seeks to fund innovative research and research-based development projects that can make a profound contribution to the field of financial literacy. Inquiries are encouraged from disciplines in fields as diverse as behavior, economics, neuroscience, sociology, psychology, marketing, finance, education, change theory, decision sciences, and others.

Of particular interest are pro-active research projects whose findings may cultivate critical thinking in the financial literacy community. Also of interest are development projects that put research recommendations into action. Project outcomes must be capable of achieving traction and measurable impact with audiences such as financial education intermediaries, researchers, practitioners, decision makers, and others who can achieve effective outreach to a target population with an unmet financial literacy need or to the general public.

Amount: Varies

Date due: June 7, 2011

For more information, click here.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.The SBIR program solicits proposals from the small business sector consistent with NSF's mission. The program is governed by Public Law 112-1. A main purpose of the legislation is to stimulate technological innovation and increase private sector commercialization. The NSF SBIR program is therefore in a unique position to meet both the goals of NSF and the purpose of the SBIR legislation by transforming scientific discovery into both social and economic benefit, and by emphasizing private sector commercialization. Accordingly, NSF has formulated broad solicitation topics for SBIR that conform to the high-technology investment sector's interests.The four broad topics are: Biological and Chemical Technologies (BC); Education Applications (EA); Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies (EI); Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, and Manufacturing (NM).

Amount: Varies

Date due: June 10, 2011

For more information, click here.

The NSF-Census Research Network (NCRN)

The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Census Bureau invite teams of researchers to submit proposals for the conduct of long-term interdisciplinary research and educational activities on methodological questions of interest and significance to the broader research community and the Federal Statistical System, particularly the U.S. Census Bureau. The activities will be expected to advance both fundamental and applied knowledge, and contribute to the training of the next generation of researchers in research skills of relevance to the measurement of economic units, households, and persons.

With these awards, NSF and the U.S. Census Bureau will create a Network of Nodes (NoN) with complementary research foci. The research program will be defined to include the major measurement challenges of the social, behavioral, and economic sciences relevant to the U.S. Census Bureau. When appropriate, research may be conducted in collaboration with scientists at the U.S. Census Bureau or other federal statistical agencies. Nodes may conduct independent research activities and/or partner with existing Census Research Data Centers (RDCs).

Date due: February 16, 2011

Amount: Varies

For more information, click here.

Institute for New Economic Thinking inaugural grants

The Institute for New Economic Thinking, launched in 2009 with a $50 million pledge from George Soros to promote changes in economic theory and practice through conferences, grants, and education initiatives, has announced that it is accepting proposals for its inaugural research grant program.

The program, one of the institute's major initiatives , will award grants to individuals and institutions pursuing ground-breaking, high-impact research in the field of economics.

The institute plans to award approximately fifty grants a year ranging between $30,000 and $250,000 each. The grants are primarily intended to fund individuals or organizations affiliated with academic institutions, think tanks, and critical research centers. The institute is especially interested in funding early stage research and research scholars of the next generation, and also recognizes that related disciplines such as history, political science, psychology, and adaptations from the physical sciences may offer much value for the institute's program.

The institute is currently accepting proposals for the inaugural grant program, with particular emphasis on the following areas of study: political economy(the state, economy, and their interaction); theories of finance, radical uncertainty, asset price swings, and the interaction between financial and real economic cystems; new approaches to empirical macroeconomics; network and systems theory; economic history; history of economic thought; human capital and growth; and development and economic inequality.

Date due: July 31, 2010 (Initial proposal)

For more information, click here.

Enterprise Solutions to Poverty

The SEVEN Fund is a virtual nonprofit entity run by entrepreneurs whose strategy is to markedly increase the rate of innovation and diffusion of enterprise-based solutions to poverty. SEVEN believes that such solutions already exist but are not sufficiently studied, analyzed, and exhibited as examples.

The SEVEN Fund has published its annual open "Enterprise-based Solutions to Poverty" Request for Proposals. The competition will award up to two research grants of up to $100,000 each to support innovative original research in enterprise solutions to poverty.

The RFP has four goals: 1) to expand scientific inquiry to include disciplines fundamental to a deep understanding of entrepreneurship and economic development currently unsupported by conventional grant sources; 2) to forge and maintain useful collaborations between researchers and on-the-ground actors of enterprise-based solutions to poverty; 3) to provide the public with a deeper understanding of this area and its potential implications; and 4) to find, research, and analyze role-model entrepreneurs and companies whose lesson may inspire others.

Amount: $100,000

Date due: October 15, 2010

For more information, click here.

FINRA Investor Education

The FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) Investor Education Foundation, formerly known as the NASD Investor Education Foundation, supports innovative research and educational projects that give investors the tools and information they need to better understand the markets and the basic principles of saving and investing.

Date due: March 4, 2010

Before submitting a full grant proposal, applicants must submit a simple, three-page Project Concept Form. Eligible applicants whose projects closely align with the foundation's priorities will be invited to submit a full grant proposal. The foundation accepts Project Concept Forms at any time during the year. Project Concept Forms received by March 4, 2010 will be entered into the application process for a September 2010 funding decision.

For more information, click here.

Milken-PennGSE Education Business Plan Competition

The First Annual Milken-PennGSE is a business plan competition sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) and the Milken Family Foundation.

Amount: $25,000 (first prize); $15,000 (second prize)

Date due: February 2, 2010

Educational entrepreneurship business plans should outline the problem they address, offer a solution, and discuss scaling possibilities for bringing the proposed innovation to additional settings. Broadly construed, educational entrepreneurship initiatives can address a wide range of educational issues. This competition encourages applications in every conceivable educational setting – from early childhood through corporate/adult training, in settings and contexts anywhere in the world.

For more information, click here.

Center for International Business Education (CIBE)

The purpose of the Centers for International Business Education (CIBE) Program is to coordinate programs of the Federal government in the areas of research, education, and training in international business and trade competitiveness; and to provide grants to pay the Federal share of the cost of planning, establishing, and operating Centers for International Business Education.

Amount: $350,000/year for 4 years

Date due: December 8, 2009

CIBE's should be designed to -- 1. Be national resources for the teaching of improved business techniques, strategies, and methodologies that emphasize the international context in which business is transacted; 2. Provide instruction in critical foreign languages and international fields needed to provide an understanding of the cultures and customs of United States trading partners; 3. Provide research and training in the international aspects of trade, commerce, and other fields of study; 4. Provide training to students enrolled in the institution, or combinations of institutions, in which a center is located; 5. Serve as regional resources to businesses proximately located by offering programs and providing research designed to meet the international training needs of these businesses; and 6. Serve other faculty, students, and institutions of higher education located within their region.

For more information, click here.

Science Master's Program (NSF)

The Science Master's Program prepares graduate students for careers in business, industry,nonprofit organizations, and government agencies by providing them not only with a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, but also with research experiences, internship experiences, and the skills to succeed in those careers. The program is intended to catalyze the creation of institution-based efforts that can be sustained without additional federal funding. This program is also intended to encourage diversity in student participation so as to contribute to a broadly inclusive, well-trained science and engineering workforce.

Amount: $700,000 (across 3 years)

Date due: November 20, 2009

Proposals submitted to the Science Master's Program should describe a STEM based Master's graduate education curriculum broadened with education that provides additional skills, such as through specially tailored courses in business and management, that prepare students to work in business, industry, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations. The fields and training activities should be in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics where there is high or emerging (anticipated) need. Proposals must demonstrate that the proposed programs meet the needs of the intended workplace and that careful market research and collaboration have led to the proposed model.

For more information, click here.

Woodrow Wilson Faculty Fellowships

The Woodrow Wilson Center awards approximately 20-25 residential fellowships annually to individuals with outstanding project proposals in a broad range of the social sciences and humanities on national and/or international issues. Topics and scholarship should relate to key public policy challenges or provide the historical and/or cultural framework to illuminate policy issues of contemporary importance.

Amount: $85,000

Date due: October 1, 2009

The Center devotes significant attention to the exploration of broad thematic areas. Primary themes are:

1. governance, including such issues as the key features of the development of democratic institutions, democratic society, civil society, and citizen participation;
   
2. the U.S. role in the world and issues of partnership and leadership—military, political, and economic dimensions; and
   
3. key long-term future challenges confronting the United States and the world.

For more information, click here.

Research Grant Program (Canada)

The Government of Canada announces the Research Grant Program that promotes research that contributes to a better knowledge and understanding of Canada, its relationship with the United States, and its international affairs. The grant is designed to assist individual scholars, or a team of scholars, in writing an article-length manuscript of publishable quality and reporting their findings in a scholarly publication and at scholarly conferences, thus contributing to the development of expertise on Canada in the United States. Efforts to integrate the research findings into the applicant's teaching load are welcome.

Amount: $15,000

Due: November 2, 2009

Topics that are highly relevant to Canada-U.S. relations include smart and secure borders; North American economic competitiveness; regulatory cooperation; Canada-U.S. trade and investment partnership; energy security and sustainability; environmental sustainability; emergency planning and management; Canada-U.S. security and defense cooperation; Canada in Afghanistan; global health policy; and changing demographics in North America. Projects that include collaboration with researchers at Canadian institutions are strongly encouraged.

For more information, click here.

Supporting Universities to Partner Across the Pacific

The United States Agency for International Development Mission to Indonesia is seeking applications from U.S. institutions of higher education that support USAID/Indonesia's development strategy through partnership activities between institutions of higher education in Indonesia and the United States.

Amount: $650,000

Due: September 8, 2009 (concept paper)

Priorities include improving the quality of teacher training institutions, improving economic research and analysis, improving public health services, supporting effective governance through policy making, public management and advocacy, and improving agricultural productivity.

For more information, click here.

Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

The National Science Foundation aims to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States and to reinforce its diversity by offering approximately 1,654 graduate fellowships in this competition pending availability of funds. The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees and is intended for students who are in the early stages of their graduate study.

Amount: Graduate Research Fellowship, $30,000; Tuition allowance, $10,500.

Due: November 2, 2009

NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. These individuals will be crucial to maintaining and advancing the nation’s technological infrastructure and national security as well as contributing to the economic well being of society at large. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is designed to provide opportunities for advanced education that prepares students for a broad range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary careers through its strategic investments in intellectual capital.

Applicable disciplines include chemistry, computer and information science, economics, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, mathematics, physics, psychology, and the social sciences.

For more information, click here.

Enduring Questions: Pilot Course Grant

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announces the availability of the Enduring Questions grant program supports a faculty member’s development of a new course that will foster intellectual community through the study of an enduring question. This course will encourage undergraduate students and a teacher to grapple with a fundamental question addressed by the humanities, and to join together in a deep and sustained program of reading in order to encounter influential thinkers over the centuries and into the present day.

Amount: $25,000

Due: September 15, 2009

An Enduring Questions grant supports the development of a new undergraduate humanities course that must be taught at least twice during the grant period. The grant supports the work of a faculty member in designing, preparing, and assessing the course. It may also be used for ancillary activities that enhance faculty-student intellectual community, such as visits to museums and artistic or cultural events. An Enduring Questions course may be taught by a faculty member from any department or discipline in the humanities or by a faculty member outside the humanities (e.g., astronomy, biology, economics, law, mathematics, medicine, psychology), so long as humanities sources are central to the course.

For more information, click here.

Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics

The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) announces the recompetition of the grants that fund partner institutions to administer the Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program.

Amount: $300,000

Due: September 15, 2009

The competition (1) provides renewed focus on economic aspects of food and nutrition assistance research, (2) stimulates new and innovative research on domestic food and nutrition assistance issues, (3) further broadens the network of social scientists who collaborate in expanding the understanding of the economic, nutrition, and health outcomes of participation in USDA’s food assistance programs as well as the issues surrounding program implementation and delivery, and (4) achieves cost savings through consolidation of RIDGE Centers from the previous five institutions to two institutions.

For more information, click here.