Data Acquisition Grants

Request for Proposals from University of Chicago Faculty & Graduate Students

Data Acquisition Grants Issued by the Becker Friedman Institute


The winter 2022-23 call for applications opens December 2, 2022. Interested applicants should respond by January 20, 2023 through BFI's online application.


If you prefer, you may also submit a one-page application to bfi-datagrants@uchicago.edu detailing:

  • Description of project including the research plan, scale of project, need for data and intended use, and assessment of potential for campus research community to use the data

  • Data source (vendor, publisher, foundation, government, web, research, subscription or one-time, etc.)

  • Description of dataset including domain, size, format, raw or processed, required analysis tools, and known use restrictions, etc.

  • Period of agreement and estimated cost for acquisition

  • Discussion of co-funding plan (where applicable)

Please email bfi-datagrants@uchicago.edu with questions.


Introduction

The Becker Friedman Institute in Economics (BFI) serves as a hub for cutting-edge economic thought and research across the entire UChicago economics community. BFI unites researchers from the Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Law School in an unparalleled effort to uncover new ways of thinking about economics challenges and brings those insights directly to key decision-makers globally.

BFI recognizes the importance of providing researchers with access to the tools needed to perform ground-breaking research while also translating new insights into real-world impact through outreach and engagement. As part of its support for faculty, BFI issues data acquisition grants on a bi-annual basis to stimulate the development of new research. Grants support the acquisition, management, and maintenance of specialized research data sets used in current and future data research projects in economics.

You can see a list of past grant recipients here.

Eligibility

All proposals for data acquisition grants must include a PI-eligible faculty member from the University of Chicago. Graduate students at the University of Chicago may apply for grants for their own research, but in such cases their faculty adviser must provide a letter of support and indicate willingness to remain involved in a supervisory role throughout the lifetime of the project. Preference will be given to PhD students who have completed required coursework. Proposals of all kinds may include collaborators from outside the University of Chicago.

Administrative Requirements

The terms of the grant are as follows:

  1. Data Use Agreement: The University of Chicago and the data provider must enter into a Data Use Agreement (DUA) to acquire and access data for the research project; University Research Administration (URA) must review for confirmation that the terms of the agreement do not restrict creation and dissemination of knowledge, or contain other unacceptable terms pertaining to licensing, security, or other data restrictions. Funding is restricted for data obtained contractually through a DUA signed by the University's authorized official.

  2. Data publication: BFI will work with grantees and URA to secure university-wide licensing when possible. Our goal is to share all data acquired and generated with the aid of the grant as appropriate and as permitted within the restrictions of the DUA. BFI will grant exceptions in cases where legal or ethical reasons preclude data release.

  3. Progress reporting: Researchers awarded funding for data acquisition grants will be required to provide a brief two- page progress report on a quarterly basis to align with internal reporting requirements. Requests for additional funding will be contingent on the progress of the project and the probability of concrete data-driven results within the extension period.

  4. Research publicity: BFI expects to publicize all research results flowing from research publications associated with data acquired through these grants. BFI policy and communications staff will work closely with researchers to disseminate research results.

  5. Working Paper Series: Grantees are expected to disseminate research through the BFI Working Paper Series at https://bfi.uchicago.edu/paper-submission.

  6. Participate in activities: Grantees may be requested to participate in BFI activities when possible. Activities may include workshops or presentations to BFI donors and potential partners.

  7. Credit Becker Friedman Institute: Any presentations and publications intended for the public domain, including academic papers, policy briefs, press releases, blogs, and newsletters that emerge from the project should credit the Becker Friedman Institute with the following text: “This research is funded by the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago.” Wherever possible the official logo of the BFI should also be included.