social-sciences

Eligibility

• New, innovative projects that will help to transform faculty’s research and scholarly output in the social sciences
• Projects targeted for submission to a specific external federal, state, international, or private nonprofit entity that will benefit from the acquisition of pilot data or proof of concept or for which external funding is not readily available
• Projects of individual faculty members in the social and behavioral sciences as well as projects involving collaboration between physical and natural scientists or the arts and humanities as long as the PI’s primary focus of research is in the social sciences

Ineligible

• Renewals and continuation projects unless previously submitted for external funding and need additional pilot data to resubmit to agency.
• Proposals focused on the development of teaching or academic programs.
• Non-funded competitive renewal proposals. Funding for such non-funded renewal proposals should be sought through the Bridge Funding program.
• Proposals from commercial, industrial, and other for-profit entities.

Eligible as PIs

• All tenured and tenure‐eligible faculty members whose primary focus of research is in the social sciences.
• Research scholars and research scientists
• Research center directors
• Emeriti faculty members who are still active in research. Some budgetary restrictions may apply. Contact your fiscal officer or the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs for details.
• Non-tenure track faculty whose evaluation criteria are based on research activity.

Ineligible as PIs

• Visiting and adjunct faculty members
• Postdoctoral fellows and research associates
• PIs with outstanding final grant reports from previous OVPR-funded projects
• Previous recipients of OVPR funds for the same or highly similar projects
• Received SSRFP award in the past three years

Application requirements

Applicants must complete an electronic application, upload a completed budget worksheet, and upload a completed application form.

Application components include:

• Proposal cover sheet
• Letter of support from the chair or division head that includes endorsement and rationale for funding and timing of the proposed project and commitment to encourage the PI to apply for funding from an external agency within two years of project start date
• Project description. Must include:
  1. Motivation for or significance of the project
  2. Literature review
  3. Research questions or goals
  4. Description of methods to be used and analysis to be conducted
  5. Deliverable(s)
  6. Work timeline (with dates and descriptions)
  7. How the research will lead to a fundable application to an external agency within two years of SSRFP start (identify at least one specific funding opportunity and agency) or explanation of why external funding is not readily available
  8. A timetable for submission to that agency and URL of future grant solicitation
• Budget justification: Rationale for requested funds for all personnel, data collection, materials, equipment, and travel, as well as any item whose purpose or cost computation is not self-evident
• Personnel: Listing of all personnel (even if individuals have not been determined)
• Budget: Complete using the budget worksheet found on the application form. Funds must be expended at IU unless otherwsie noted. Budget guidelines are available on the InfoReady SSRFP application page. 
• biosketch (three-page maximum)