Academic Year 2022-2023

Law, Policy, and Engineering (LPE) is pleased to announce the availability of seed funding intended to cultivate multidisciplinary teams and catalyze innovative interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research at the intersection of law, policy, and engineering.

LPE will distribute seed funds ($5000 each) to support up to five (5) “IdeaLabs” to initiate and support new collaborative relationships. The goal of IdeaLabs is to bring individuals from different disciplines together to interact in an intensive way, learn from one another, create an integrated vision for future research projects at the intersection of law, policy, and engineering, and identify funding opportunities for such projects. IdeaLabs are expected to focus on a unifying topic or theme and bring together individuals (representing at least three Penn State departments or colleges, or one or more Commonwealth campuses) to form new collaborations or expand existing collaborations. IdeaLabs should be intensive (e.g., a meaningful commitment of focused effort, such as a full day of discussions and activities or a series of shorter sessions) and foster interaction to stimulate creative thinking and the development of innovative research strategies at the intersection of law, policy, and engineering. During the IdeaLabs, individuals should work together to identify obstacles (such as differences in terminologies, disciplinary cultures, practices, priorities, community and government engagement, and resources) to important and urgent research of this sort and develop a roadmap not only for overcoming those challenges (such as identifying collaborators with expertise that is missing but necessary) but also for successfully addressing multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research questions. IdeaLabs should involve teams of no fewer than three and no more than 10 faculty members, and the involvement of collaborators situated across the university. Collaborations that extend beyond the College of Engineering, Penn State Law, or School of International Affairs and that include Commonwealth campus collaborators are encouraged.

The deadline for submission of IdeaLab proposals is Noon EST on November 28, 2022. IdeaLab awards will be announced by December 5, 2022. Awardees will be expected to host the IdeaLab and spend the awarded funds by February 5, 2023.

Eligibility Criteria

The primary applicant (Principal Investigator, PI) must be a member of the Penn State faculty (tenured or tenure-track). Collaborators must be either members of the Penn State faculty (tenured, tenure-track or professional track) or working as researchers (post-doctoral scholars, PhD students, or JD students) under the supervision of a member of the Penn State faculty (tenured or tenure-track). PI’s from the College of Engineering, Penn State Law, or School of International Affairs are preferred, though not required so long as at least one LPE affiliated faculty member is involved in the proposal in some capacity. While proposals are expected to involve multiple collaborators, only one individual may serve as the primary applicant (PI). An individual may only be PI on one proposal but may be involved with more than one IdeaLab proposals.

Proposal Submission Instructions

Proposals should be submitted by email to LPE Associate Director Christine Kirchhoff at cxk475@psu.edu using the subject line “LPE IdeaLab Application—[Insert PI Last Name].”

The proposal should consist of a .pdf document of no more than five (5) pages in length (single-space, 11-point font, ½ inch margins) that contains the following items:

  • Title and brief abstract (< 250 words) for the proposed IdeaLab, which will be made public if awarded
  • Identification of a clear and important topical or thematic focus at the intersection of LPE
  • Identification of individuals confirmed as participants for the IdeaLab including their name, title, email address, affiliation, area of expertise and how it fits with the topical focus, and career level
  • Description of the significance of this IdeaLab topic/theme to advancing research at interface of LPE at Penn State and why the focus on LPE is central to the work
  • Description of the structure and schedule for the proposed IdeaLab, what you intend to achieve, and any planned outputs
    • Include an agenda and schedule of the interactions planned (appendix, excluded from page limit)
  • Beyond the IdeaLab, describe the likely outcomes (such as a plan for possible publications, subsequent external research funding proposals, and continuation of the collaboration after the IdeaLab)
  • Budget and budget narrative explaining how the funds awarded will be used

Selection Criteria and Timeline

Proposals will be evaluated for the following factors:

  • Collaborative team (e.g., involvement of collaborators from multiple Penn State departments, colleges, and campuses; attention to diversity; articulation of the strengths each collaborator brings to the IdeaLab)
  • Intellectual merit (e.g., articulation of a compelling topical/thematic focus; explanation of diverse perspectives needed to address that topic/theme and why an inter- or transdisciplinary approach is essential)
  • Appropriateness of the IdeaLab structure (e.g., alignment of interactive activities with goals; reasonable schedule sufficient to achieve goals)
  • Potential impact (e.g., clearly articulated outcomes; feasible but ambitious plans for leveraging this seed funding to secure external funding and strengthening affiliations of faculty members with Penn State’s LPE initiative)

The deadline for submission of IdeaLab proposals is Noon EST on November 28, 2022. Successful IdeaLab applicants will be notified by December 5, 2022, and IdeaLabs must be completed by February 5, 2023.

This is the first LPE call for proposals for seed funds. A separate call for proposals that will support multiple LPE research proposals (with up to $50,000 each) is expected to be issued by January 31, 2023, with proposals due by March 3, 2023 and an announcement of awards by March 27, 2023. Note: participating in one of the supported IdeaLabs is not a prerequisite for the 2023 research project funding opportunity; however, it is expected that individuals who participate in an IdeaLab will gain a competitive advantage.

Questions

Please direct any questions about this funding opportunity to LPE Associate Director Christine Kirchhoff at cxk475@psu.edu.