Special Programs

Overview

The Social & Behavioral Science Institute (SBSI) Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program supports ambitious and innovative research that will advance social and behavioral science to solve societal problems related to at least one of SBSI’s five impact areas. Bringing together distinct disciplinary perspectives, methods, and forms of evidence produces more complete understanding of complex problems and more robust solutions than any single field can offer alone. To that end, the SBSI Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program supports team-based, interdisciplinary research. All proposals must include collaborators who contribute distinct intellectual perspectives, expertise, methods, or approaches to the project. Interdisciplinary collaboration is not defined solely by participation from different departments or units. Competitive proposals will demonstrate how the integration of multiple disciplinary perspectives strengthens the project in ways that would not be possible within a single field alone.

For the purposes of the SBSI Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program, interdisciplinary collaboration involves the intentional integration of different forms of expertise to address a research question, challenge, or opportunity.

Competitive interdisciplinary projects may include:

• integration of theories, frameworks, or conceptual approaches across disciplines,
• use of complementary methods or analytic approaches,
• collaboration across distinct areas of substantive expertise,
• shared development of research design, interpretation, or dissemination activities,
• or coordinated efforts that produce outcomes unlikely to emerge from a single disciplinary perspective.

Proposals should clearly explain why the interdisciplinary structure of the team is necessary to achieve the project goals. Research proposed for the Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program must be guided by social and behavioral science theory and evidence. The Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program supports the development and evaluation of ideas and applications that produce innovative, generalizable knowledge with the potential for significant impact. Projects can be oriented toward elucidating fundamental phenomena (i.e., basic research) or practical solutions (i.e., applied research). Regardless, projects should show promise for external funding.

The SBSI Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program supports:

• The collection and analysis of new data to advance social and behavioral science to address societal problems
• Compilation and/or analysis of data already collected at the local, state, national, or global level to advance social and behavioral science to address societal problems
• The development and testing of novel methodological approaches that advance social and behavioral science
• The development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions or publicly engaged programming based in social and behavioral science

The SBSI Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program does NOT support:

• Reviews of theory and/or research, including meta-analyses and AI-assisted reviews
• Development and/or delivery of public engagement programming without a significant evaluation of its effectiveness
• Development of apps or other technology without a significant evaluation of their effectiveness
• Development and/or delivery of training programs (e.g., for undergraduate or graduate students), unless such programs are the focus of the research

Award Range: $5,000 to $30,000
Project Duration: 18-month project performance period

Please refer to the SBSI Interdisciplinary Small Grant Program website website for more information.

Eligibility

Primary Investigator (PI): Only tenure-track faculty members at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are eligible to serve as PIs.

Co-Investigator (Co-I): Eligible Co-Is include tenure-track faculty, external faculty, research professionals, specialized faculty, postdoctoral research associates, and community partners. Students are not eligible to serve as Co-Is.

PI Requirements

• PIs can only submit one pre-proposal per funding cycle.
• PIs can only hold one SBSI (formerly CSBS) small grant every 5 years.