Student Mini-Grants

Call for proposals

Mini-Grants for Cross-Campus Collaborative Graduate Student Research

March 2010

Overview

To encourage research collaboration between other Southern California UC campuses and UCLA, the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) is making a small pool of research funds available for graduate student research on work and employment issues. Funds available include $12,000 each for UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara, and $24,000 for UCLA. Students may apply for any amount, but we expect that most awards will be in the $3000 range.

Eligibility and Research Priorities

Graduate students in all disciplines currently enrolled at the five southern California campuses are encouraged to apply for research funds. Students at the four non-UCLA campuses must identify a UCLA collaborator (faculty member or graduate student) with whom they will be communicating regularly; they may, however, produce individually authored research products. Funds may be used for any research-related purpose. Funds must be expended by May 1, 2011.

We particularly welcome work related to UCLA IRLE’s current priority areas, but proposals on any topic are welcome. IRLE’s current priority research areas are:

  • Work and inequality in the global economy: China, Mexico, and the US. This encompasses research that looks at work-related inequalities in China, Mexico, or the US, and/or policies or strategies to address these inequalities. Of particular interest is research looking at comparisons or connections (economic, social, or other) between at least two of the three countries.
  • Work and inequality in Southern California. Given our location, a particular priority is work- and employment-related issues in the Southern California region.
    For more information on research activities of IRLE, please visit our web site at http://irle.ucla.edu

Proposal Submission

Before applying, please read the Conditions of Award.

Applications should include:

1. A 500-word summary of the research project and its relevance to the student’s academic career at the University of California. Include the approximate dates during which work on this project will take place. For non-UCLA applicants, the summary should also name the UCLA collaborator. (We realize that it may not be easy for non-UCLA graduate students to identify a collaborator, and strongly encourage them to get in touch with their campus coordinators for advice on this.)
2. A current CV.
3. A budget of no more than one page detailing expenses. Students may apply for any amount, but we expect that most awards will be in the $3000 range. Students applying for significantly more than this should be prepared to offer a highly compelling rationale.
4. A list of dates and amounts of any previous funding received from the UC Labor and Employment Research Fund or the UCLA IRLE.
5. One letter of recommendation is optional but preferred.

Please combine all items except #5 in a single Word or PDF file, with each item starting on a new page. Applications should be sent to the coordinator at the graduate student’s home campus; these coordinators will perform initial screening.

The deadlines for submissions are:
• UCLA, UCSD: April 9, 2010
• UCSB, UCI, UCR: April 19, 2010

The campus coordinators are:

Selection criteria

The selection committee will consider the applicant’s potential to contribute creatively to research in the field of labor and employment, broadly conceived. Important consideration will be given to the intellectual abilities of the applicant, as well as to the usefulness of their proposal to their overall scholarly career. The selection committee will review the applicant’s proposal, CV, budget, and letter of recommendation (if any) in awarding funds. Previous receipt of funding will also be taken into consideration.

Reporting

Awardees must report to their own campus coordinator and to the UCLA coordinator (Joanna Lukowicz) by June 1, 2010; they are welcome to report earlier. They must provide an electronic copy of any paper or research product when it is completed, and must submit any resulting paper for consideration in the IRLE Working Paper series. They may also be asked to present their research at an IRLE-organized conference.