Unique Challenges and Opportunities for Business Schools in Pursuing Federal Research Grants

Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc., Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical Description: Despite having many strengths and unique assets that create the strong potential for outstanding NSF-funded research, many business schools also face unique challenges that impede the pursuit and acquisition of research grants to support scholarship as is common in other disciplines. Therefore, both NSF and many business schools may be missing outstanding funded research projects because of these dynamics. To the extent that business schools could become more oriented toward grant funding in the future, the present workshop will be timely and helpful for both NSF and business schools. More importantly, if research funds can be leveraged further to bring stronger research to market, this is valuable to all constituents and stakeholders that could benefit from greater insights into issues that affect well-being of individuals, competitiveness of the workforce, innovativeness of research, partnerships between academia and industry, and increased economic competitiveness--all concerns of both business schools and NSF. Greater insight into, awareness of and ultimately better alignment of high value research resources at a national level could have transformative effects across the United States business school research markets in which NSF could play an increasingly key role as a sponsor and partner in the coming decades. Technical Description: The objective of the workshop is to conduct a needs assessment involving the unique challenges and opportunities that business schools specifically face in applying for and administering federal research grants. The workshop attendees will be sampled from college leadership at research-oriented colleges of business in the United States. These leaders will discuss such issues as the barriers that prevent business faculty from pursuing research proposals and the challenges colleges of business face in supporting the acquisition and administration of grants; the unique strengths and assets that business schools possess that make them very competitive for doing outstanding research and for obtaining funding for that work; possible strategies and best practices to enhance and leverage opportunities for pursuing grants, while minimizing the challenges; and ideas for future business school-NSF coordination, communication and initiatives to enhance funded research activity that would benefit all relevant stakeholders. A white paper will document this workshop and will be disseminated. This will make a unique contribution because the match between business school research orientations and values important to NSF is potentially high: Business school research combines science and knowledge from many disciplines, including mathematics, economics, psychology, philosophy, sociology and others while applying increasingly rigorous methods and standards in research. In addition, this research is conducted within a profession that values practical relevance to business and society. Thus, business school research reflects high value on intellectual merit, the potential for multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research, as well as value on broader impacts or contributing to the achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Further, human capital market dynamics may result in top scholars from various disciplines being attracted to business schools resulting very active and influential researchers doing business-related research. Yet, despite potential for outstanding NSF-funded research, many business schools wrestle with unique challenges in scholarship, such as an emphasis on journal lists to evaluate research which may present difficulties for pursuing interdisciplinary research as well as a culture that does not promote the pursuit of research grants to support scholarship as is common in other disciplines.