The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the 2017 Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship Request for Proposals. During the 2016–2017 academic year, the Kauffman Foundation will award up to 20 Dissertation Fellowship grants of $20,000 each to Ph.D., D.B.A., or other doctoral students for the support of dissertations in the area of entrepreneurship.
This initiative has helped launch a cohort of world-class scholars into this exciting field, thus laying a foundation for future scientific advancement. We hope that the findings generated by this effort will be translated into knowledge with immediate application for policy makers, educators, service providers, and entrepreneurs.
DESCRIPTION OF GRANT
Proposals submitted for the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship must address research issues of theoretical and practical importance to the domain of entrepreneurship. While dissertations can be written on any topic of importance to entrepreneurship, for the 2016–2017 cycle, the Kauffman Foundation is particularly interested in regional dynamics and local ecosystems, demographic dimensions of entrepreneurship, economic growth, entrepreneurship policy, declining business dynamism, future of work, economic inequality and mobility, and programmatic research (research that investigates entrepreneurship programs such as accelerators, training programs, etc.).
ELIGIBILITY
Ph.D., D.B.A., or other students seeking doctoral degrees from accredited U.S. institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for a Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship grant. This fellowship is intended for students who are in the process of formulating their dissertation proposal as well as doctoral candidates with recently approved dissertation proposals. It is expected that applicants will complete the dissertation by the conclusion of the 2017–2018 academic year. Grants will not be distributed until doctoral candidates have received their institution’s approval for the dissertation proposal. Note: Kauffman Foundation employees and family members of Kauffman Foundation employees are not eligible for this fellowship
FUNDING
Grant awards may be used to pay for costs associated with the student’s dissertation, including data collection and analysis, travel, and course buyouts. In addition, grant funds may be used to purchase databases or specialized hardware/software. The individuals who are selected as Kauffman Dissertation Fellows will receive their monies directly, not through their affiliated institutions. $17,000 of the grant award will be disbursed by January 2017. (Note: Dissertation proposals accepted for funding through the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship must also be approved by the applicant’s dissertation committee before any funds will be disbursed.) The remaining $3,000 will be disbursed upon completion of the dissertation and after the Kauffman Foundation has received all deliverables. It is expected that the dissertation will be completed by the conclusion of the 2017–2018 academic year. Requests for extensions will be considered on an individual basis.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Only submissions that comply with these guidelines will be considered. The Foundation reserves the right to withdraw from consideration any application that violates the proposal guidelines outlined in this request for proposals. 1 Each submission to the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship must include a completed online form and a letter of recommendation from the applicant's supervising professor (also submitted online). All recommendation forms/letters MUST be received by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, August 17, 2016.
The research proposal should be organized as outlined here. See Item 3 for specific formatting instructions. TITLE Do not create a title page. Author information appears only in the online form described in Item 1. The title of the research proposal should be centered on the first page of the proposal. ABSTRACT The abstract should summarize the proposal in 100 words or fewer.
RESEARCH QUESTION(S)
This section of the proposal should present the background of the research, as well as delineate the research questions, theories, and hypotheses that it will address. It should clearly defend the theoretical and/or practical importance of the research, expressing the “why” behind the investigation. In this section, reviewers will be looking for research that is compelling.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology section should describe how the work is to be accomplished. In this section, it is important to demonstrate that the methods are appropriate to the research question(s) described above.
TIMETABLE The proposal should contain a schedule for the completion of the research project. This timetable should include milestones and action steps as well as the expected date of completion for the dissertation. Reviewers will be evaluating this section to determine if it is realistic and logical. It must show that the research can be accomplished in a timely manner.
BIBLIOGRAPHY The bibliography cannot be longer than 1 page in length, and does not count toward the 10-page limit. If you have more than one page of referenced works, select only the most important for your proposal. The bibliography should be listed separately as the last page of the proposal.
3. You must format your document as instructed below (http://www.kauffman.org/~/media/kauffman_org/microsites/kdf/2017/kdf_rfp_2017.pdf). Proposals must be uploaded as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx), and must be unprotected. Protected Word documents will not be accepted. Proposals not conforming to the stated formatting guidelines may be altered and lose content before being submitted for review.
4.The proposal and letter of recommendation must be submitted online at www.kauffman.org/kdf. Simply visit this website and follow all of the instructions for completing the application form and attaching your proposal. Individuals submitting proposals will be notified via email that their submission has been received. Proposals may not be mailed or faxed. All proposals MUST be received by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, August 17, 2016.
5 Direct all inquiries to: Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation 4801 Rockhill Road Kansas City, Missouri 64110-2046 kdf@kauffman.org
http://www.romstudyabroad.com/