The Social Sciences Research Institute awards Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DRIG) of up to $5,000 to support dissertation research projects proposed by graduate students in the School of Social Sciences. All subject areas and methodologies within the School of Social Sciences will be considered equally.
DRIG awards are intended for students who are ready to begin their dissertation research. Students seeking support for earlier exploratory, pilot, or preliminary research should consider the SSRI Pre-Dissertation Research Grant (PDR) competition.
Requests may be up to $5,000 and must be clearly justified in the application. The amount awarded may differ from the amount requested, and there is no minimum budget request. Funds must be used for the approved project and within the approved award period.
Applications will be evaluated by a review panel that includes faculty representatives from multiple departments in the School of Social Sciences, the Dean of Social Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Research. Proposals must be written for a multidisciplinary academic audience.
All research must comply with applicable Rice University policies and requirements, including Institutional Review Board approval for human subjects research, when applicable. IRB approval must be obtained before human subjects research begins.
All funds remaining at the time of award expiration will be returned to SSRI. The student, advisor, or student’s home department is responsible for covering any budget overruns or deficits, which must be paid from non-sponsored funds. No-cost extensions will not be granted.
Application Deadline (Due by 11:45 p.m. CST)
Fall cycle: Sunday, October 25, 2026
Spring cycle: Sunday, April 11, 2027
Award Information (FY27)
Estimated Number of Awards: 6
Anticipated Funding Amount per Award: Up to $5,000
Award duration: 18 months.
The expected start dates are as follows:
- Fall cycle: January 1, 2027
- Spring cycle: July 1, 2027
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled Rice University graduate students in a School of Social Sciences discipline. Applicants must have completed their graduate coursework and advanced to candidacy, or must do so by the time the award is made. The student’s thesis or dissertation committee must have approved, or be expected to approve by the time of the award, both the research topic and the proposed approach. The advisor's letter must confirm the student’s candidacy status and committee approval status.
Proposal Guidelines and Application Packets
Applicants must submit the completed online DRIG application at the bottom of this page by the stated deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.
All application materials must be written in at least 11-point Arial or Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins and single spacing, and saved as a PDF.
The application must include the following components.
- Applicants must submit a single proposal document that includes the proposal narrative and the references cited. The proposal narrative may not exceed three pages. References do not count toward the three-page narrative limit. Appendices or other supplemental materials are not allowed. The proposal narrative should describe the proposed dissertation research and clearly explain the research question, project goals, proposed methods, and justification for the methods. The proposal should be written for a non-specialist academic audience. The proposal narrative should address the significance and innovation of the proposed research in the context of existing literature; the research question or problem being addressed; the methods or approach that will be used; the anticipated end product of the DRIG-funded research; and the feasibility of completing the proposed work within the anticipated timeline. The proposal narrative must include a project timeline within the three-page narrative limit. The timeline may be presented as a brief subsection, paragraph, table, or other clear format within the narrative and should indicate when the research will begin, where it will be conducted, major project milestones, and when the research activities will end. References cited must be included at the end of the proposal document. Each reference should include the names of all authors, in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication; article and journal title, if applicable; book title, if applicable; volume number; page numbers; and year of publication.
- The itemized budget and budget justification may not exceed two pages. The budget should include each requested item, cost, quantity, and rationale. The justification should explain how each cost directly supports the proposed dissertation research. Examples of allowable costs include research-related travel, human subject payments, research supplies, software directly tied to the project, data set purchases, specialized computer or technology needs directly tied to the project, and other necessary research expenses. The maximum budget request is $5,000. There is no minimum budget request. Requests for travel funding must be based on actual dollar estimates. Meals and other subsistence costs, including per diem for meals or incidental expenses, are not allowable. Conference travel is not allowable.
- Applicants must include a curriculum vitae. The CV may not exceed two pages.
- Applicants may include a description of other funding agencies or Rice funding sources to which the dissertation research proposal has been or will be submitted. The description should identify the funding source, amount requested or awarded, and current status, if known.
- A letter from the student’s advisor is required and must be submitted to Chris Rodriguez at carod@rice.edu. The letter must be received no later than three business days after the DRIG proposal deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the advisor letter is submitted by this deadline. The advisor letter must include the following:
- Confirmation that, by the time the award is made, the student will have advanced to candidacy and the student’s thesis or dissertation committee will have approved both the research topic and the proposed approach
- Discussion of the impact and feasibility of the proposed research
- Assessment of the appropriateness of the proposed budget
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the significance of the proposed research; innovation of the research question or approach; feasibility of the proposed work within the planned timeframe; appropriateness and justification of the budget; potential to improve or advance the student’s dissertation research; and clarity and accessibility of the proposal for a multidisciplinary academic audience.
Successful Applications
Recipients of an SSRI Dissertation Research Improvement Grant are required to submit a final research report within 60 days after the award expiration date.
The report should be one to two pages and should summarize the research activities completed, findings or outcomes, whether and how the anticipated findings differed from the actual findings, and whether and how the project evolved. A detailed financial report is not required, but recipients are encouraged to include a summary of how funds were generally spent and, if applicable, why actual expenditures differed from the proposed budget.
If additional support for the dissertation project is received from an external sponsor or Rice funding source after receiving the SSRI DRIG award, the recipient must notify Chris Rodriguez at carod@rice.edu and provide the award information, including sponsor, award amount, and project period, if available.