Federal Research Funding Report Released

Find funding. Submit a proposal. Do good science!

SIOP is pleased to announce the release of the Overview of Federal Funding Opportunities for Behavioral and Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities, prepared by our government relations partners at Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC. Current SIOP members can access the report here.

Lewis Burke works closely with the ad hoc Government Relations Advocacy Team (GREAT Committee), chaired by Alexander Alonso, Chief Knowledge Officer, Knowledge Development & Certification for SHRM. He said, “Members will benefit from reviewing the document as it will provide a clear overview of Congressional priorities involving social science and general science funding. It will also provide background on the annual federal cycle for funding.”

“The federal research enterprise is quite extensive. If you know which agencies support your topics, it’s easy to stay on top of their interests,” said SIOP’s Research and Science Officer Steve W.J. Kozlowski, Professor of Organizational Psychology at Michigan State University. “But, if you don’t have a lot of experience, you might not know where to start or how to search out opportunities.”

Kozlowski continued, “This compendium is very broad and has all the opportunities in one place. A quick scan will reveal many opportunities for funding at agencies you may not have even thought of as relevant to your interests. In addition, because it is so broad, it opens up options for being part of a multidisciplinary research team.”

The last point is important. As the Overview introduction says, “In recent years, federal funding agencies have placed an emphasis on interdisciplinary and convergence research that has propelled researchers in the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities, and the arts to directly articulate the value and potential outcomes of their work. “

The GREAT Committee is part of the Research and Science Officer’s portfolio, and both Alonso and Kozlowski believe that the Overview is not only helpful for members but also important for advancing the profession of I-O psychology.

Alonso said, “This is a vital piece, making funding opportunities known to the I-O community who seeks federal funding to support both academic and applied research. Within the framework of GREAT, this is a clear link to our objective of helping I-Os understand federal funding in the coming years.”

“One key goal of SIOP advocacy is to get more federal funds allocated toward research that can enhance the workforce and organizational effectiveness A related key goal is to encourage I-Os to submit proposals for federal research support,” said Kozlowski.  “I interact with lots of program officers and find it remarkable how few I-Os seek federal funding for research on topics that are directly relevant to us. We really need our members to take advantage of these opportunities to fund their research, advance science and practice, and do good for society.”

Kozlowski notes that Lewis-Burke has guided SIOP’s federal advocacy efforts. “We’ve learned a lot in a relatively short time. Thanks to Alex Alonso and the GREAT Committee, SIOP now has a well-developed infrastructure (advocacy targets, people, and processes),” he said. “SIOP and I-O psychology are gaining visibility in Washington, DC. We need our members to be visible with respect to federal funding too. Find funding. Submit a proposal. Do good science!”