Entrepreneurship Research Grants: Addressing Disparities and Barriers for People of Color Call for Proposals

Due by: Friday, February 24, 2023 by end of day

Call for Research Proposals
The Morgan State University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center invites all faculty and doctoral students to apply for a 2022-2023 Entrepreneurship Research Grant. This grant supports faculty research and scholarship (e.g., research, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, book chapters, monographs, e-books, digital materials, and other intellectual contributions) which advances knowledge related to innovation and entrepreneurship among people of color or entrepreneurship education for people of color. Awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 depending upon the proposal.

This grant is funded by the PNC Foundation through a sub-award from Howard University. Each grant awardee is required to present their research at the Howard University National Entrepreneurship Center’s annual conference.

Research Project Examples
This call for research proposals is for any faculty or doctoral student at Morgan State University with an interest in innovation or entrepreneurship among people of color. The research project should advance scholarship and knowledge relevant to Black innovation or entrepreneurship. Projects may be at any stage of development.

Projects that could be funded include, but are not limited to: 

• Research which provides insight into the issues, challenges, and barriers facing Black entrepreneurs and Black owned businesses
• Research which highlights best practices for increasing the odds of success for Black entrepreneurs and business owners
• Research which studies ecosystem building for Black entrepreneurship
• Case studies, books, article series, and/or multimedia content which feature Black entrepreneurs as protagonists
• Research which investigates entrepreneurship education for disadvantaged people and/or people with limited education, experience, and resources and considers best pedagogical practices
• Research which considers the financing and funding of Black-owned businesses

Schedule for Research Proposal Submissions and Award
Pre-application workshop: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 4:00 PM, via video conference:  
Research proposals due: Friday, February 24, 2023 by end of day
Center notifies grant award recipients: Friday, March 24, 2023
Howard University National Entrepreneurship Center’s annual conference: TBD

Guidelines for Proposal Submission
The following should be prepared as a part of the research proposal:

1. Cover Page
   1. School/College
   2. Applicant(s)/PI Name(s)
   3. Position/Title
   4. Department/Office/Center:
   5. Research Project Title
   6. Research Project/Intellectual Contribution Summary Description
2. Research Proposal
   1. Not to exceed four-six (4-6) typed double-spaced pages (excluding references and appendices)
   2. Explain the research problem, prevalence/scope of problem, brief overview of what we know about the problem, a brief overview of what we don’t know about the problem, statement of purpose, research questions, research design, sample and procedures, measurements, analysis plan, and workplan/timeline for the research project.
   3. Different types of research or intellectual contributions may call for different types of proposals, use the research proposal approach most suited to your type of intellectual contribution.
3. Recent CV/resume

Research Proposal Structure
The proposal (four-six pages) shall contain three main sections as set forth below. Different types of research or intellectual contributions may call for different types of proposals, use the research proposal approach most suited to your type of contribution.

1. Introduction (research problem, prevalence/scope of problem, brief summary of what we know about the problem, a brief summary of what we don’t know about the problem, statement of purpose, research questions)
   1. Statement of the problem and research question(s) to be addressed
   2. Major objectives of the research project
   3. Significance of the project in relation to the current state of knowledge.
2. Research Design and Methodology (research design, sample and procedures, measurements, analysis plan)
   1. Research design, including hypotheses to be tested (if applicable)
   2. Sample and procedures
   3. Measurements
   4. Analysis plan
   5. Data and sources, collection procedures (if applicable)
3. Timeline of project activities and expected date of completion of project