Research Grant Guidelines
Required Components
Cover Page
The cover page should include project title and author contact information
Abstract
The abstract should not exceed 250 words and should be written in non-technical language. It should describe the problem, importance, methodology, and expected outcomes.
Project Description
The project description, including the references, should not exceed 2,500 words.
The project description has three parts:
- Research Problem and brief discussion of related literature - This section should clearly define the research problem/question to be investigated. The applicant should specify how the project contributes to applied knowledge in the insurance and risk management field.
- Methodology - The methodology to be employed should be described in specific terms and clearly relate to the research problem, objectives, and expected outcomes.
- References - The bibliography should provide a current list (i.e. when possible, some applied topics may have very little previous research to report) of related works keyed to the project description. The bibliography should be reasonably comprehensive, but not exhaustive.
Expected Outcome
In addition to the final report, clearly define the products that will be generated from this project (For example, presentations at professional meeting or journal article submissions).
Grant recipients are strongly encouraged to submit a paper from the grant to the American Risk and Insurance Association, Western Risk and Insurance Association, or the Southern Risk and Insurance Association Conference for annual conferences.
The Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services will pay for each grant recipient's membership fee for the American Risk and Insurance Association, the Western Risk and Insurance Association, or the Southern Risk and Insurance Association, as well as the registration and travel expenses (up to $1,500 plus registration) of any grant recipient who has a paper, resulting from the grant, accepted for presentation at the American Risk and Insurance Association, the Western Risk and Insurance Association, or the Southern Risk and Insurance Association Conference. Information about ARIA, WRIA, and SRIA submission deadline can be obtained from their Web sites or the Katie School of Insurance office in room 432 of the College of Business.
Outcome Due Dates:
- September 15 (of funding year) - A rough draft of the working manuscript, as well as specific goals and timetables in terms of future professional presentations and publication.
- March 15 - A progress report stating the reason for delay is required if the project is not completed by this date. September 15 (one year following funding) - “Final” version of manuscript is due with an indication of journal submission. A one-page executive summary stating the question, the reason for the research, the issues, the findings, and the practical applications. This final report and executive summary will be sent to the fund contributors and posted on the Katie School Web site as part of an online working series. An electronic version is required for this.
Failure to provide timely reports demonstrating substantial accomplishment will disqualify a faculty member from further research grant funding from the Katie School.
Disclaimer Requirement: Award recipients are required to append the following disclaimer to all versions of their work resulting from the grant project (e.g. conference papers, journals articles, etc.): "The findings reported and the views expressed in this research are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services."
- Acknowledgment of Support: Award recipients should acknowledge, as a footnote in their work, that the research was funded and supported, in part, by a grant from the Katie School of Insurance & Financial Services
Importance to the Discipline
Describe how this proposed research will make a significant contribution to the field of study. This section may not exceed half of a single-spaced page.
- Scholarly Record of Authors: List publications and scholarly accomplishments of the past five years.
- Previous Katie School Grants (if applicable): List the titles of all your previously funded Katie School Research and Faculty Development Grants and the year each award was received. Under each grant list all professional outcomes generated from that grant (e.g. project outcomes, conference papers, journal articles, etc.).
Final Report Format
Reports in electronic format (word file) will be submitted to Richard MacMinn at the Katie School and should be around five pages in length, including the following:
- Executive Summary (one page, will be distributed among all members of the Katie School's Advisory Board)
- Project Description including Research Questions
- Research Methodology
- Results
- Implication for Insurance Industry
The following is an example of a well-written proposal.
Proposal Evaluation Criteria
- Relevance and practical significance to the industry
- Contribution to the faculty member's discipline
- Clarity and specificity of the proposal
- Thoroughness of theoretical and literature background
- Soundness of methodology
- Professional outcomes (if any) generated from the applicant's past Katie School Research and Faculty Development Grants
The final decision to fund proposals rests with the Katie School Research Selection Committee which will be composed of a combination of industry and academic members.