SSRC Funding Opportunities

Research Data Funding Program

The SSRC can provide a limited amount of financial support for the acquisition of datasets for social science research. Funds are limited; priority will be given to requests that will support collaborative, interdisciplinary research, and to requests that will strengthen future external grant applications. All faculty are eligible to apply; we welcome proposals involving graduate student collaborators. Requests for funding to support data purchases are accepted on a rolling basis and can be emailed to ssrc@indiana.edu. Requests should include information on the data of interest, the researchers, research project(s), and future grant application(s) it will support, and the amount of funds requested.

All tenured and tenure-track faculty, and non-tenure track faculty whose evaluation criteria are based on research activity, in the social sciences are eligible to apply. Applicants may only serve as the primary investigator on one application per academic year.

Please note that visiting, adjunct, and/or part-time faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and non-tenure track faculty whose evaluation criteria are not based on research activity are not eligible serve as primary investigators, though are eligible as personnel on collaborative projects.

Complete and submit your application to ssrc@indiana.edu, using the provided template, which includes:

(1) A cover sheet listing the project's title, primary contact, and a short abstract;

(2) A project narrative describing the project’s goals and its advancement of empirical knowledge, theories, or methods (maximum 2 pages);

(3) A budget, short budget justification, and statement about any other funding applied for and/or received for the project;

(4) A list of personnel involved with the project, their status (faculty, graduate student, staff, etc.), and their home schools and/or departments.

Reviewers will consider the proposed project's significance, innovation (advancing empirical knowledge, theory, or methods), approach (methodology), contributions to social science, personnel (investigators and support for graduate students), and broader impact (publications, future external funding, or community impact).

Grant recipients must submit a brief 1-2 page report of the outcomes of the funded project within 3 months of the end of the project period. Reports should address grant and fellowship proposals submitted or awards received as a result of the funded research, publications/presentations, and/or how the project advanced the recipient’s research agenda. Faculty must submit these progress reports and provide evidence of seeking external funding and/or publication in order to be eligible for SSRC funding in subsequent years.