Request for Proposals from BU Faculty

Opportunities for Institute Funding

Deadlines = March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15 annually
We will review proposals and issue awards quarterly following the above submission deadlines.

Research Question & Anticipated Impact

What is the challenge you intend to address within your work, your research question, and the anticipated impact it could have in furthering Mehrotra’s priorities? Please explain the high-level goals of your project in language that is accessible to a general business audience broadly interested in Mehrotra’s goals. Avoid field-specific jargon.

Research Gap

How is your work novel and unique from similar work? Provide a brief literature review and describe the research gap that you aim to fill.

Methodology

How will you answer your research question? Please explain your research methodology.

Research Team

Who will conduct your project work? Please describe your research team and their relevant qualifications.

Funding Request & Timeline

What is your timeline for this work and what funding do you seek from IMAP? Please specify how the funds will be used (e.g. funding researcher salaries, travel, buying datasets, funding survey participants, etc.).

Publication/Outreach/Dissemination

MIBMS seeks projects that can result in both academic publications and industry publications. We can assist you in preparing and selecting appropriate industry publications if needed. Please list the academic outlets that you plan to submit your work to. Please also describe any plans you may have for dissemination of your results via means such as podcasts, talks, webinars, social media, etc.

The mission of the Ravi K. Mehrotra Institute for Business, Markets, and Society is to advance research, education, and public discourse on the role business and markets do, can, and should play in creating prosperity and solving global societal challenges. To achieve this goal, we collaborate with many academic, business, and regulatory entities to improve the understanding of the role of business in society.

We are looking to fund research teams at Boston University that aim to explore the role of business in society. More specifically, we’re interested in projects that focus on the purpose and future of the corporation, corporate governance, the political economy of business, and the interaction of government and business in antitrust, innovation, and social impact. The research should address current market or government failures and propose better regulator frameworks or design market mechanisms that help to solve societal challenges.

We seek academically rigorous qualitative and quantitative research proposals that are well-grounded in academia and abstain from pure advocacy.

Mehrotra invests in academic research projects that will directly contribute to improvements in the functioning of free markets and the organizational structure and strategic decision-making of corporations. We encourage our researchers to speak directly to a large and influential audience of industry professionals. We believe that our facilitation of conversations between academic researchers, regulatory bodies, and industry helps to close the gap between the challenges currently faced in industry and the ideas emerging from academia that can alleviate such challenges.

We award monetary grants based upon demonstrated need and anticipated impact of the results. Our grants are most often awarded in 2 phases.Phase 1 – Proof of Concept: Awards up to $20KIn Phase 1, Mehrotra introduces the project team and plan to our Internal Advisory Board and select members of the External Advisory Board of academics and industry professionals. During this phase, both academic and industry feedback is solicited to help refine the research concept.Phase 2 – Full Proposal: Awards up to $250KWe award larger grants to proposals that clearly demonstrate the ability to produce actionable research of high value to both industry and academia.

We expect recipients of our grants to:

lead bi-weekly or monthly status-check meetings for their project
participate in Mehrotra events and activities beyond their own project
present their work to the Mehrotra Advisory Boards and/or other Mehrotra audiences
provide their pre-publication working papers to be included in a “working papers” section of Mehrotra’s webpage
The Mehrotra team will promote your work through our communication platforms and seek opportunities for collaboration with other researchers and industry in order to ensure broad impact of your work

All applications will be read and reviewed by the Mehrotra Directors and Internal Advisory Board. Those proposals that best align with Mehrotra’s priorities may be awarded Phase 1 funding. All Phase 2 funding will be awarded only after the Mehrotra Directors receive additional feedback on the proposal from both our Internal and External Advisory Boards and a selection of academic peers relevant to the specific project.

Applicants can expect to receive feedback from Mehrotra by the end of the month following their submission deadline. (For example, submissions received by June 15 will receive feedback by July 30.)

We welcome discussion of proposal ideas prior to formal submission. Please reach out to Susan Fredholm Murphy, Mehrotra’s Interim Program and Product Director, to discuss potential proposals.

To formally submit a proposal, please answer the questions below in no more than 10 pages, in a format of your choosing. Submit your answers, together with the CVs of the PI and other lead researchers, to Susan Fredholm Murphy. (Note: the CVs do not count towards the 10-page limit.)

Select past research topics

What does public sentiment towards business look like over time and within different constituencies – and what drives those opinions?
What role should business have in addressing societal challenges?
Can markets correct the spread of misinformation?