Research Fellows Program

The deadline for proposals is May 15, 2020, 5:00 p.m. 

The mission of the MSU IRAEA is to engage undergraduate and graduate students with faculty in academic research that will further the understanding of economic regulation and policy’s impact on societal well-being. IRAEA facilitates research and analysis of the impact of regulation and policy in agriculture, healthcare, technology, finance, natural resources, education, public safety, and other sectors.

IRAEA provides fellowships for MSU faculty members to pursue research programs related to the IRAEA mission. Fellowships are awarded through an MSU-wide competitive process.

Read about past Research Fellowships.

Consistent with the IRAEA mission, the involvement of students in research is important and strongly encouraged; research programs should focus on policy at the state, regional, and/or national level, and should have a high likelihood of leading to independent funding. Additional funding for student involvement in the research is available on a competitive basis through the IRAEA Undergraduate Research Scholars program. Additional funding to support research-related visits to MSU by visiting scholars is available through the IRAEA Visiting Scholars program.

Eligibility

Any MSU faculty member engaged in research related to regulatory and policy issues is eligible to apply. Fellowship applicants are expected to have a well-established research record. Research must include a component that addresses the impact of U.S. regulation and/or policy in agriculture, healthcare, technology, finance, natural resources, education, public safety, or other related sectors. Interdisciplinary research proposals and proposals directed by multiple project leaders are welcome, and faculty members outside economics are encouraged to reach out to Vincent Smith ([email protected]) or Wendy Stock ([email protected]) for assistance in identifying potential ways to include economic regulation and policy analysis in their projects.

Award Amounts

Under this call for proposals, research fellowships will be for 8/1/2020 to 8/1/2022. Successful applicants will receive $25,000 funding in each of two periods, 8/1/2020-8/1/2021 and 8/1/2021-8/1/2022 (a total of $50,000 over the entire period of the award). Research fellows may apply for competitive renewal in subsequent years.

Research Project Expectations

  • Conduct research on topics covered by the Initiative’s mission and submit their resulting research papers to peer-reviewed academic journals.
  • Work with IRAEA research staff to produce policy briefs (condensed versions of published papers written in language accessible to non-specialists) to inform law makers, policy advisors, and the general public of the research findings.
  • Present a research seminar on the research project that is open to faculty, students and the general public.
  • Submit a brief end-of-project report in PDF format outlining how the work fulfills each of the project expectations described above. Reports should be 1,000 or fewer words and submitted to IRAEA co-directors as well as the communications specialist.
  • Provide co-directors and the communications specialist with research presentations and any/all other outreach materials developed and presented that pertains to IRAEA-sponsored research projects. Fellows are also asked to participate in the Initiative’s outreach efforts including video interviews and news stories regarding research and outcomes.
  • Complete a brief survey twice per year detailing the status of any papers, presentations, etc. that are associated with the IRAEA-sponsored research.
  • Follow all MSU and academic journal policies regarding conflicts of interest and acknowledgement of financial support for their research. Fellows are also strongly encouraged to acknowledge IRAEA support in presentations as well as in academic journals and other publications upon acceptance of their work for publication.
  • Research Fellows are required to include undergraduate students in their projects.

Additional Expectations of Research Fellows

  • Organize and hold a workshop, seminar, and/or conference related to the research project(s) for lawmakers, policy advisors, interest groups and/or the general public.
  • Serve on selection committees for the Initiative's Research Grant, Visiting Scholar, and Undergraduate Research Scholarprograms (with the exception that fellows may not be part of the selection process for their own proposals).
  • Apply for external grant funding to sustain their research program beyond the fellowship period.
  • Apply for at least one IRAEA undergraduate research scholarship during the fellowship period to include undergraduates in the research.
  • Provide substantive professional feedback to other research fellows, research grantees, and visiting scholars about their research projects.
  • Participate in the Initiative's research seminars, workshops, conferences, and other events.
  • Provide leadership in one of the Initiative's areas of focus, identifying emerging policy issues and areas of potential emphasis for future research support.

Research Fellow Proposal Requirements

Proposals should include items 1-5 below, a current curriculum vita/biosketch (two-page limit) that provides either evidence of research experience in regulatory and policy analysis or evidence of potential to conduct high-quality research in regulatory and policy analysis, and a statement describing how the applicant will meet the additional expectations of Research Fellows.

  1. Proposal narrative (2-4 pages) with a description of the research plan written in the order listed below. Each section should begin with a section header (e.g., Abstract, Specific Aims, etc.).
    • Abstract (150 word limit).
    • Statement of Specific Aims of the Project: Statement of the regulatory/policy issue that the research will address, hypothesis, and a description of the rationale and economic basis for the proposed research.
    • Significance of the Project: Description of the importance of the regulatory/policy issue being addressed, how the research project will improve our knowledge regarding the regulatory/policy issue, including how the research could potentially help policy makers addressing the regulatory/policy issue, and a description of how the research fits into the IRAEA mission.
    • Innovation: Brief explanation of how the project is creative, unique, and innovative, and how the project moves the applicant’s research program forward.
    • Approach (Design and Methods): Provide a clear research plan that includes the various stages commonly used in economics research (e.g., assessment of current state of research on the issue, describing the underlying economic theory that applies to the research, specifying research methods to be used, obtaining data needed, generating research results, producing a working paper, getting expert feedback, and producing the research paper for submission).
  2. If applicable, researchers must abide by the human subjects requirements as described by the MSU Institutional Review Board. (http://www.montana.edu/irb/). Researchers must identify whether their research project includes human subjects (including human subjects data), and if so, provide a CITI human subjects training certification (see https://www.citiprogram.org/) and an IRB approval letter (or exemption letter) or evidence that IRB approval is pending.
  3. Itemized budget and budget justification for the proposed two-year grant period. The budget may include, but is not limited to, summer salary, equipment, data gathering, and other research-related expenses, and for the principal investigator travel to attend conferences to present results. Budget cannot be used for students, faculty, or staff who are not affiliated with MSU.
  4. Project timeline that clarifies the goals, objectives, and work to be accomplished during the granting period, including a timeline for writing white papers and policy briefs and presenting a research seminar on the research project that is open to faculty, students and the general public.
  5. Student Involvement: Where appropriate, researchers are strongly encouraged to include undergraduate students in their projects. If applicable, describe how students will be involved in the research. Additional funding for student involvement in the research is available on a competitive basis through the IRAEA Undergraduate Research Scholars.

Deadline and Submission Requirements

The deadline for proposals is 5:00 p.m. May 15, 2020.  

  • Applicants should complete an OSP Electronic Proposal Clearance Form via the Office of Sponsored Programs website: http://www.montana.edu/research/osp/. Prepare a “Full Proposal Form” and select the sponsor, “Charles Koch Foundation (CHAKOC) [P].”
  • Applicants should include their proposal as an attachment on the clearance form. Attachments must be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.
  • An electronic version of the complete proposal should also be sent to Tamara Moe, Department of Agricultural Economics & Economics, at [email protected].

Applicants are encouraged to contact Vincent Smith (994-5615, [email protected]) or Wendy Stock, (994-7984, [email protected]) with questions about the proposal format and/or instructions or to discuss potential project ideas or opportunities for joint collaboration with faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics.  

Proposal Review

Proposals will be reviewed by the IRAEA Research Fellows Selection Committee soon after the submission deadline. The selection committee is comprised of the IRAEA co-directors and the IRAEA Internal Advisory Board.

The selection committee will score proposals using the NIH 1-9 scale (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/peer/guidelines_general/scoring_guidance_research. pdf) for overall impact and individual review criteria (Significance, Investigator, Innovation, Approach, and Potential for External Funding) and will include written comments regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal.