Pre-Dissertation Research Grants (PDR)

The Social Sciences Research Institute provides Pre-Dissertation Research (PDR) grants of up to $3,000 to support expenses related to preliminary dissertation research for graduate students in the School of Social Sciences.  All subject areas and methodologies within the School will be considered equally. Normally, PDR applicants will be in their second to fourth year of graduate study. The PDR grants are intended for exploratory research that will enable the student to conduct pilot or other preliminary projects in order to better formulate a dissertation plan. This preliminary work should enable the student to prepare a stronger dissertation and/or submit more competitive dissertation research applications to other internal or external funding sources.  For students who are ready to fully embark on their dissertation research project, the SSRI’s Dissertation Research Improvement Grant competition is more appropriate.

Proposals will be evaluated by the School’s Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC), chaired by the Dean of Social Sciences and a six-member panel of faculty, one from each department (Sport Management excepted).

Awards have a duration of 18 months, beginning 1 January and expiring on 30 June of the following year.  No-cost extensions will not be granted and any remaining funds will be reclaimed by the SSRI.  Students may only receive one PDR grant during their graduate career at Rice. 

Application Deadline (Due by 11:45 p.m., CST)

Fall:  TBD

Award Information (FY21)

Estimated Number of Awards:  TBD
Anticipated Funding Amount per Award:  $3,000

Eligibility

Students must be a currently registered Rice University graduate student in a Social Science discipline other than Anthropology.

Proposal Guidelines and Application Packets

Submit the completed online PDR application by the deadline (the online PDR application may be found at the bottom of this page).  Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

Prepare all materials using a minimum of 11 point Arial or Times New Roman font, with one inch margins all around.  Upload as a PDF.  Be sure to include the following:

1. The proposal narrative (single spaced, 3 pages maximum) should discuss the preliminary research proposed and explain how it is preparatory to and expected to strengthen the anticipated dissertation research.  The research question of interest and the methods to be used should be clearly explained and accessible to a non-specialist, academic audience.  Explain how and why this research question is significant and/or innovative in the context of existing literature in the discipline.  Relevant literature should be included in a separate References/Bibliography section.  Explain the anticipated end product of the research and its role in relation to the dissertation itself.
2. Timeline.  In a separate section,  outline your schedule for the proposed research. Indicate when you plan to begin the proposed research, where it will be conducted, and when it will end.
3. Potential funding sources for dissertation research.  Include a list of possible funding sources to which you might apply in the future.
4. Itemized budget and justification, maximum of two pages.  Be sure to include item, cost, quantity, and justification for each item. Examples of allowable grant expenses include, but are not limited to,  ­research-related travel (subsistence expenses and conference travel are not allowed), human subject payments, supplies, software, data set purchases, and other miscellaneous research expenses. The maximum budget amount is $3,000.  There is no minimum.
5. A curriculum vita, maximum of two pages
6. A letter from the student’s advisor is required and should be submitted to Chris Rodriguez at carod@rice.edu.This letter should discuss the significance and feasibility of the research and its preliminary role in the student’s dissertation plan.  This letter must be received no more than three business days after the PDR proposal deadline.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the letter has been submitted  by this deadline.

Evaluation Criteria

The primary criteria are the significance of the proposed research, its feasibility within the planned timeframe, and its potential to enhance or improve future dissertation research and competitive funding applications. The FAC panel will more readily appreciate these aspects of the proposal if it is written clearly and for a non-specialist, academic audience.

Successful Applications

Those who receive a PDR grant are required to submit two additional pieces of information:

1) A 1-2 page research report should be submitted to the SSRI within 60 days of the expiration of the award.  There is no specific report format that must be followed, but reports typically include information such as a summary of the research and results, how the actual results differed from the expected results (if applicable), and how the preliminary results have impacted the dissertation plans.  It is not necessary to provide a detailed financial report of how the funds were spent, but it is helpful to include a summary of how budget needs changed during the course of the research in the report. 

2) If additional dissertation support is received from an outside agency or a Rice funding source after the SSRI PDR grant is received, please notify Chris and provide award information (sponsor, amount received, etc.).