The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Technology Innovation Program[1] and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago are pleased to announce a Research Development Funding Program for social science scholars interested in technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship research using a unique new source of firm level data available through the NORC data enclave. Research funding will be awarded in amounts up to $25,000 for the 2008-2009 program. There are three types of funding categories:
- Dissertations: for junior scholars wishing to use NIST innovation datasets through the enclave to write dissertations
- Database improvements: for scholars willing to improve the quality of NIST innovation data by merging outside datasets, and providing documentation for other researchers
- Methodological information that can be used to provide information for the Technology Innovation Program. These might include
- Defining and measuring critical national needs and societal benefits.
- Examining the role of collaboration among firms and other organizations undertaking high-risk R&D projects.
- Exploring the technology innovation process within firms.
- Expanding our understanding of the role of public-private partnerships (federal, state, and local) on regional innovation.
- Developing evaluation metrics and procedures whereby the process of innovation can be measured
Researchers will be required to report on research progress and to share preliminary findings that may be of interest to the program. They will present a final paper at NORC-sponsored conference in Fall 2009 to present their findings. Papers will be published as NIST working papers which does not preclude publication in journals.
More information about the data enclave is available at http://www.norc.org.DataEnclave. You may also contact Tim Mulcahy, the Program Manager, at 301-634-9352. To get on the mailing list for updates about the data enclave or on scholarship availability, please email dataenclave@NORC.org.
[1] In August 2007, the American Competes Act (PUBLIC LAW 110–69) created a new Technology Innovation Program (TIP). The purpose of TIP is to assist United States businesses and institutions of higher education or other organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit research institutions, to support, promote, and accelerate innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need that deal with major societal challenges.