Boilerplate Language for Grant Applications
- Jill Ferguson
The Maxwell Research Office maintains the following boilerplate language to facilitate writing grant proposals. Investigators are advised to (1) tailor boilerplate language to reflect the specific aims of their research project and (2) directly contact the department/institute/center in question when seeking a more in-depth resource description, particularly if a specific resource is integral to the research proposal.
If you need assistance with getting a letter of support from one of these areas for a grant proposal, contact Jill Ferguson (jsfergus@syr.edu) at least two workweeks before the submission deadline.
General Information
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University is the nation’s top-ranked school for public affairs. Maxwell offers undergraduate and graduate degrees across the social sciences, professional programs in public administration and international affairs, and signature interdisciplinary undergraduate programs in policy, civic engagement, environmental sustainability, and international relations. Maxwell scholars and students conduct wide-ranging research through 14 interdisciplinary centers, each focused on a topical area and providing dynamic intellectual and administrative infrastructure for large-scale sponsored research. Research in the Maxwell School is supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the New York Health Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the W.T. Grant Foundation, among other prominent funders.
Syracuse University
Syracuse University, a top-tier international university, is the applicant organization for this proposal.
Institutes, Centers, and Labs
Aging Studies Institute
The Aging Studies Institute (ASI) stems from interdisciplinary collaborative efforts across Syracuse University addressing population aging, health, and well-being. Designed to generate meaningful systemic change through policy change, education, and research, the Aging Studies Institute boasts over 65 faculty affiliates from more than 17 academic departments. ASI faculty affiliates work with many community-based organizations and centers, including the Movement for Healthy Aging, to promote healthy living and aging to communities across Syracuse City.
Autonomous Systems Policy Institute
The Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI) is dedicated to interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching related to the design, governance, and wider societal implications of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence. Involving faculty affiliates from across Syracuse University, ASPI aims to critically engage and shape the policy and ethical frameworks that will guide the design and use of these emerging technologies. Across its initiatives, ASPI endeavors to be the leader in uniting interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching related to emerging autonomous technologies, in integrating and thinking across different sociotechnical systems, and in bringing academic insight, community needs, and industry developments into conversation and joint action. Affiliated research groups and labs include the Autonomous Unmanned Systems Laboratory, the Governance of AI Research Group, and the Institutional Grammar Research Initiative.
Campbell Public Affairs Institute
The Campbell Institute draws its large faculty membership from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Working to promote and disseminate a wealth of perspectives on nationally and internationally relevant topics, the Campbell Public Affairs Institute frequently hosts its popular Lecture Series. This Lecture Series serves as a central place for scholars to speak on subjects relating to the state of citizenship, democracy, ethics, leadership, and public responsibility nationally and internationally.
Center for Aging and Policy Studies
The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) brings together academics and health professionals across Upstate New York invested in improving the overall health and well-being of aging adults and building systems of intergenerational support. Part of Syracuse University’s Aging Study Institute and the University of Albany’s School of Public Health, the Center for Aging and Policy Studies supports research that explores the interconnection of policy, place, and uniquely lived experiences of populations. Faculty and community collaborators use these research findings to promote healthy and stable living among middle-aged and older adults and their families. Institutions such as NIH-NIA, The American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Retirement Research Foundation, and the Templeton Foundation have recently funded faculty research.
Center for Environmental Policy and Administration
The Center for Environmental Policy and Administration (CEPA) supports Maxwell faculty and students whose research and teaching address and reveals issues related to the environment. Working with the Maxwell’s Center for Policy Research and Syracuse University’s Environmental Finance Center and Center of Environmental and Energy Systems, CEPA promotes interdisciplinary research between social and natural scientists, engineers, and law professionals. CEPA also houses the Dynamic Sustainability Lab, which evaluates the potential risks and outcomes of transitioning to new forms of sustainable technology, strategies, and policies.
Center for Policy Design and Governance
The Center for Policy Design and Governance (CPDG) provides academics, community members, and government leaders a space to explore the creation and implementation of public policies. Part of the larger Center for Policy Research, CPDG gathers scholars from around the world and at all career levels through analysis and training opportunities such as the Policy Design Studio, The Computational Institutional Science Lab, and the Institutional Grammar Research Initiative. CPDG also sponsors events, student engagement, and research activities through its Policy Studies Journal.
Center for Policy Research
The Center for Policy Research (CPR) provides an interdisciplinary space for social scientists to explore and grapple with policy issues related to education, the environment, housing, and social welfare. Fostering collaboration between faculty, graduate students, and several government agencies and institutions, CPR sponsors research that engages with areas such as econometrics methodologies, education, energy and environmental policy, health studies, public health, public finance, social welfare, and urban and regional studies. These collaborations frequently produce findings that local and national community and government organizations can transform into meaningful change, such as the Education Finance and Accountability Program.
Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry
The Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry (CQMI) helps researchers across the Maxwell school develop exceptional qualitative and multi-method research and increase research transparency and accuracy. The Center promotes methodological training and education to faculty and students through its annual Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research and notable publications such as the Strategies for Social Inquiry Book Series. The American Political Science Association also hosts the Organized Section on Qualitative and Multi-Method Research of the American Political Science Association through the CQMI.
Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media
The Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media (IJPM) promotes the interdisciplinary study of law, politics, and media through classes, lectures, conferences, and symposia. Built to support faculty, research fellows, and graduate students affiliated with the College of Law, the Maxwell School, and the Newhouse School, IJPM provides annual grants for scholars working on projects related to the themes of the Institute. IJPM also frequently hosts academics, lawmakers, judges, and journalists to promote discussion and debate about issues relevant to multiple audiences.
Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health
Guided by the principles of scientific rigor, equity, justice, community engagement, and collaboration, the Lerner Center’s mission is to improve population and community health through research, education, outreach and health-promotion programming focused on the social, spatial, and structural determinants of physical, mental, and behavioral health and health disparities. With faculty affiliates from public health, sociology, psychology, economics, medicine, and public administration, the Lerner Center’s approach to research is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Major research groups and projects within the Lerner Center include the Population Health Research Brief Series, the Faculty Fellows Program, the Policy, Place, and Population Lab, the Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging, and Demographic Change in Rural America.
Maxwell X Lab
The Maxwell X Lab works with community organizations and non-profits to help policymakers design and implement effective long-lasting solutions. Collaborations between the Maxwell X Lab and government and non-profit organizations are funded through the Walters Community Partnership fund and work to improve client communication, make service delivery more effective, reduce administrative burdens, and test new services. Past projects include the CNY Diaper Bank Data Collection System, City of Syracuse Taxes, and ProLiteracy Adult Literacy.
Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs
The Daniel Patrick Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs works to build relationships with international communities to transform research findings into meaningful action. Funded by the U.S. Congress, the Moynihan Institute houses regional centers that unite scholars studying Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South Asia. To unite scholars at every level of their careers, the Moynihan Institute hosts several undergraduate and graduate degree and course offerings, study abroad opportunities, funding opportunities, and multidisciplinary research projects. Notable research projects and programs affiliated with Moynihan include the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry; the Mapping Global Insecurity Initiative; the Sovereignty, Order, and Conflict Seminar Series; and the Transnational Non-Governmental Organization Initiative.
Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration
The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) supports research that grapples with advocacy and activism, collaborative governance, environmental conflicts and collaboration, and international and intra-state conflict. Within the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, PARCC draws its 84 faculty members from 25 academic disciplines and supports advocacy and activism through the PARCC Mini-Grant Program. This research center provides multiple resources to scholars around the globe, including its online directory of published articles E-PARCC, training opportunities in conflict and collaboration theories through the Conflict Management Center and the Summer Institute, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Conflict and Collaboration.
Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law
The Institute for Security Policy and Law (ISPL) unites Syracuse University faculty with military scholars and professionals to develop collaborative projects and initiatives related to national and international security policy and law. Training the next generation of national security professionals, ISPL offers three certificates of advanced study in National Security and Counterterrorism Law, Security Studies, and Postconflict Reconstruction. The institute produces a wealth of publications through the Journal of National Security Law & Policy and other journals.
Research Support
Maxwell Research Computing
The Information and Computing Technology (ICT) Group at the Maxwell School provides faculty and students complete support for research projects that require all levels of computing resources, security plans, data and grant applications, remote access to statistical software for course work and much more. The technology environment is network centric with data stored on network servers and backed up centrally. Server systems are patched weekly, automated audits of permissions occur daily, and a human review of each system occurs weekly. Desktop computers are centrally patched, run anti-virus software, and are audited for conformance to current patch, antivirus levels, and security standards at each login. Remote-access services are provided via encrypted virtual private network (VPN) connections. Maxwell faculty and staff have access to the full suite of software resources, including spatial mapping and statistical software. In addition to desktop computing resources, faculty have 24-hour access to the University’s Academic Virtual Hosting Environment (AVHE), which features Windows Virtual Computers with up to 64GB of memory and 64 CPU cores for computationally intensive projects, as well as a high-throughput distributed computing environment when even more resources are needed. Maxwell also houses several secured data facilities for restricted data.
Learn more about Maxwell Research Computing.
Office of Research
Within SU’s central Office of Research, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) assists all members of the University community with the submission of proposals for external support of research, creative, instructional, and service activities. The Office of Sponsored Accounting (OSA) provides post-award financial administration of approved sponsored projects, contracts, and cooperative agreements on behalf of SU. Between OSP and OSA, staff provide award establishment and maintenance including budgeting and accounting assistance, and financial tracking and reporting. A full set of standard operating procedures and internal controls are in place to monitor spending and compliance for grants and contracts. The Office of Research Integrity and Protections (ORIP) supports the institution in ensuring the University’s solid commitment to compliance with all applicable regulations and accreditation standards. ORIP provides assistance to faculty, staff and students who are working with animals or humans in research and provides administrative support for the Institutional Review Board and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. ORIP also works collaboratively with the Environmental Health Office and Microbiological Safety Program to address issues concerning Biohazards in Research.
Learn more about the Office of Research.
Syracuse University Libraries
Advancing discovery and research is a core mission of the Syracuse University Libraries. For 150 years, the Libraries has built and curated the collections that a world-class research institution needs. Accordingly, it provides services that make its massive holdings convenient to use. The Libraries maintains SURFACE, the Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative Environment, a full-text, multimedia online database that provides open access to the extensive and diverse array of scholarly, professional, scientific and creative output produced at SU. The Libraries has facilities across campus, including the Bird Library for the social sciences and humanities, audiovisual resources, government publications, and maps, and the Carnegie Library for the natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, engineering and computer science, library and information science, nutrition and health, photography, technical arts, and military and naval sciences.