Strategic Initiatives

The College of Social Science 2024 Small Grants Proprietary Data Sets Acquisition

The College of Social Science is accepting a limited number of proposals from eligible faculty for the acquisition of restricted proprietary data sets that advance research programs and enhance funding opportunities in areas that contribute to College or University strategic goals. The purchase of these data sets for secondary data analysis should result in the development and/or enhancement of current or new research/scholarship and lead to external research funding.

We anticipate up to five (5) awards. Requests for the purchase of a proprietary data set typically should not exceed $25,000 although requests greater than $25,000 will be considered based on projected usage. Please contact Senior Associate Dean Santiago first for an informal assessment prior to development of the full proposal. A combined match of $2,500 (or 10% if the budget if request is less than $25,000) is required from participating faculty or their units/colleges. Requests exceeding $25,000 will require matching funds in excess of 10%.

 

Eligibility

This small grant competition is open to the following College of Social Science faculty who are eligible to serve as PIs on submitted proposals:

  • Full time tenured and tenure-track faculty with majority appointments in the College.

  • Faculty with uninterrupted, multiyear, fixed term appointments with majority appointments in the College that include a research focus.

  • Each academic unit in the College is limited to a maximum of three (3) submissions from their faculty members and priority ranking should be assigned by the unit leader if multiple submissions are forwarded.

  • College faculty can identify faculty members from other Colleges as part of their research teams but only Social Science faculty members as described above are eligible to serve as the PI.

 

Exclusions

This small grant competition will not support requests including the following individuals or activities:

  • Social Science researchers who have received College of Social Science research funding in the past three years as PIs (includes SPG, DFI, FIF, mini-grants, thematic area grants or any other College research support).

  • Proposals for acquisition of datasets that are already available free of charge (e.g., IPUMS/CPS) or available from the Inter University Consortium for Political and Social Research and/or the Michigan Data Research Center since MSU faculty already have access to these datasets at no additional cost.

  • Requests for collection of new data via surveys, focus groups, interviews, experiments, fieldwork or other means of primary data collection.

 

Proposal Requirements

Proposal narratives should be no more than 2 pages (single-spaced, 12-point Arial or Times Roman font) must include the following:

  1. Name(s), MSU affiliations, and contact information of all faculty users.

  2. Name(s) of student users and courses that will use the data set.

  3. Description of data set is being requested with vendor cost estimate (include vendor estimate as attachment) and expected procurement date.

  4. Justification of how these funds will support and/or enhance current or new areas of research and federal/state/nongovernmental sponsor objectives including specific grants or grant opportunities.

  5. Unit letter(s) of support from the applicants’ dean(s) or department chair(s) committing to a sum total of $2,500 matching funds (or 10% of proposed budget if less than $25,000); additional matching fund support required for requests over $25,000.

Proposals must clearly demonstrate potential for enhancing grant opportunities. Submissions impacting multiple users and/or with additional matching funds will be viewed favorably.

Upload your application by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2024 to SSCResearchDean@msu.edu.

Awardees will be notified by Friday, January 31, 2025. Instructions for accessing funds will be provided at the time of notification. Funds may be used for expenses related to the project as submitted, consistent with University Policy and Procedures, but may not be used for anything beyond purchase of the dataset. A brief narrative and financial report is required within 9 months of the award date describing outcomes and plans for follow-up research activities.

Questions: Please contact SSC.Researchdean@msu.edu

 

Proposal Review Criteria

  1. QUALITY AND TECHNICAL MERIT
    1. Does the proposal describe a sound methodology, analytic or technical approach?
    2. How feasible is the proposed project?
    3. Does the proposal suggest an innovation and creative approach to address a problem?
  2. IMPACT OF THE PROJECT
    1. Does the proposed work hold potential for the advancement of science?
    2. Is the proposed work relevant to policy and practice?
    3. Is this project likely to attract additional sponsored activities?
  3. BUDGET CONSIDERATION
    1. Is this CFP an appropriate mechanism to advance this work?
    2. Are the budgeted project costs appropriate?

 

Past Initiatives

  • Promoting Peacemaking and Peacebuilding in Communities Experiencing Conflict

    Promoting Peacemaking and Peacebuilding in Communities Experiencing Conflict

    Peace remains elusive in nations and communities across the globe. In 2023, the Global Peace Index – a composite measure of peacefulness based on country-level indicators of the absence of violence or fear of violence – declined again continuing a 13-year trend. Six out of nine world regions experienced a decline in peacefulness as did 79 countries including the United States. Indeed, the U.S. ranking dropped from 129 to 131 out of 163 countries, a decline attributed in part to rising homicide rates and declining public perceptions about safety. Moreover, findings from the Armed Conflict Survey 2023 show how efforts to promote global peace are diminished by the increased intensity of armed conflicts associated with a 14% increase in fatalities and a 28% increase in the number of events over the previous year. By the end of the year, 91 countries were involved in internal or external conflicts worldwide. War, injustice, human rights violations, and genocide continue to dominate world headlines in 2024.

    The College of Social Science invites proposals in two broad areas: (1) innovative approaches to the historical, ethical, legal, and/or philosophical issues that undergird our understanding of conflict, peacebuilding processes, and peacebuilding policies; or (2) the design and/or evaluation of novel interventions aimed at preventing conflict and promoting peacemaking and peacebuilding in communities experiencing conflict. Projects may focus on domestic or global contexts and should demonstrate an appreciation for and sensitivity to context, community and culture as well as consideration of situational dilemmas and challenges. These awards should ultimately result in the development and/or assessment of new research, scholarship and interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at mitigating conflict and building peace.

    We anticipate funding 5-6 grant awards of up to $10,000 each. A combined match of $1,000 (or 10% if the budget if request is less than $10,000) is required from participating units/colleges.

     

    Eligibility

    This mini-grant competition is open to interdisciplinary teams comprised of:

    • Full time tenured and tenure-track faculty with the Lead PI or one Co-PI of the team from the College of Social Science.

    • Faculty with uninterrupted, multiyear, fixed term appointments with the Lead PI or one Co-PI of the team from the College of Social Science.

    • Academic specialists in the continuing appointment systems who have majority of effort in the research category within the College of Social Science.

    • Social Science researchers who have received College of Social Science funding in the past three years are not eligible (includes SPG, DFI, FIF, mini-grants or any other College research support).

  • Social, Spatial, Economic, Behavioral and Cognitive Implications of Generative AI Technology

    Social, Spatial, Economic, Behavioral and Cognitive Implications of Generative AI Technology

    Technological advances in generative AI are expected to have a profound impact on the human experience, potentially changing workplaces, educational contexts, and even how people process information. Generative AI technologies also may change how scholars conduct their work and teach new generations. These technological changes may prove transformative at multiple levels ranging from societies to individual cognitive processes. Moreover, these technological changes may exacerbate existing disparities and create new ones.

    This Call for Proposals seeks to foster transdisciplinary collaborative research between social scientists and scholars from other disciplines to examine the social, spatial, economic behavioral or cognitive implications of generative AI technologies and their potential consequences for contemporary societies. We also encourage research proposals that examines the historical, ethical, legal and/or philosophical issues that undergird technological change emanating from the use or misuse of generative AI.

    We anticipate awarding up to five grant awards of up to $25,000 each with required 20% matching funds from participating units and/or colleges.

     

    Eligibility

    This SPG program is open to interdisciplinary teams comprised of:

    • Full time tenured and tenure-track faculty with at least one member of the team from the College of Social Science

    • Faculty with uninterrupted, multiyear, fixed term appointments with at least one member of the team from the College of Social Science

    • Academic specialists in the continuing appointment systems who have majority of effort in the research category within the College of Social Science

  • At the Intersections of Problematic Policing, Racial Injustice and Safety in Communities of Color

    Ongoing acts of violence, including aggressive policing, and distrust of the police and the criminal justice system in minoritized communities in Michigan and beyond underscore the significant need for new interventions that seek to mitigate the underlying environmental, social and institutional contexts in order to promote safety. The College of Social Science invites applications for competitive interdisciplinary strategic partnership grant (SPG) proposals that focus on the design and/or evaluation of interventions aimed at curbing violence found at the intersections of policing, racial injustice, and safety in communities of color in Michigan. These awards should ultimately result in the development and/or assessment of promising new initiatives in key areas of research, scholarship and interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at eliminating problematic policing, fostering racial justice, and enhancing safety and well-being in communities of color.

    We anticipate awarding 5-6 grant awards of up to $25,000 each with required 20% matching funds from participating units and/or colleges.

     

    Eligibility

    This SPG program is open to interdisciplinary teams comprised of:

    • Full time tenured and tenure-track faculty with at least one member of the team from the College of Social Science

    • Faculty with uninterrupted, multiyear, fixed term appointments with at least one member of the team from the College of Social Science

    • Academic specialists in the continuing appointment systems who have majority of effort in the research category within the College of Social Science

     

    Proposal Requirements

    Upload using link on Application Form by 5:00 p.m. on October 31, 2022.  Please compile and submit as a single PDF the following materials:

    1. Completed application.

    2. Project narrative (2 page maximum); must clearly articulate methods, offer a concise statement of expected outcomes and clearly articulate how the proposed research and scholarly work will contribute to knowledge and practice at the intersections of policing, racial injustice and community safety in minoritized communities.

    3. Proposed detailed budget (spreadsheet) and budget justification

    4. Unit letter(s) of support from the applicants’ dean(s) or department chair(s) committing to a minimum of 20% ($5,000 total) matching funds.

    5. Current researcher biosketches or CVs.

    6. Reference list for proposal narrative.

    7. Other documents as applicable.

     

    Selection

    Awardees will be selected by an interdisciplinary review panel and will be notified by Wednesday, November 30, 2022. Instructions for accessing funds will be provided at the time of notification. Funds may be used for expenses related to the project as submitted, consistent with University Policy and Procedures, but may not be used for faculty salaries. A brief narrative and financial report is required within 12 months of the award date describing outcomes and plans for follow-up.

    REVIEW CRITERIA

 

Questions

Please contact SSC.Researchdean@msu.edu

Information for Researchers/Faculty