Limited Submission Funding Opportunity: Public Interest Technology University Network Challenge – Year 3
URLs: Public Interest Technology University Network Challenge Year-3 RFP & Public Interest Technology University Network Challenge Year-3 FAQs
OBJECTIVES:
The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) is a partnership of colleges and universities committed to building the nascent field of public interest technology and growing a new generation of civic-minded technologists. Member universities are encouraged to try innovative tactics to produce graduates with multiple fluencies at the intersection of technology and policy.
The PIT University Network Challenge seeks to encourage new ideas, foster collaborations, and incentivize resource- and information-sharing among network members. BU joined this network in 2020 and is one of 43 member universities nationwide. In 2020—PIT-UN’s second year—42 proposals from 28 institutions were awarded a total of $4,404,595 in grant funds. BU received two of these grants.
For its third year, projects addressing any of the priority areas below are welcome.
- Educational Offerings
- Career Pipeline/Placement
- Faculty & Institution Building
- Strengthening the PIT University Network
Projects may include such ideas as:
- Experiential learning opportunities, such as clinics, fellowships, apprenticeships, or internships that give students real-world exposure to the practice of Public Interest Technology.
- New models of career training, placement, and/or financial support for individuals who seek to pursue careers in the nascent field of Public Interest Technology.
- Partnerships with nonprofit, private sector, or affinity group partners that demonstrate the real-world application of Public Interest Technology to center community voice in pursuit of solutions for pressing problems, particularly challenges experienced by marginalized communities least well served by existing systems and policies.
- New models to aid pre- and post-tenured faculty participation in (and recognition for) the research, curriculum development, teaching, and service work that builds Public Interest Technology as an arena of inquiry and training.
- Platforms or practices to connect educators focused on Public Interest Technology so they may share curricula and strategies for improving Public Interest Technology programs.
- Projects that aim to identify and pursue the central issues and questions that animate Public Interest Technology as a field of study.
See here for past grants: https://www.newamerica.org/pit-un/about/network-challenge/
The PIT-UN Challenge will prioritize projects that center the needs of communities who have historically been denied access to new technologies, been systematically left out of conversations at the intersection of technology and policy, and who have been denied opportunities to join the technology workforce, in efforts to further the positive social impact of technology for all communities. Centering community needs may be demonstrated by incorporating community partners in the design and execution of proposed projects.
Please reach out to Rosie Sullivan at rosies@bu.edu if you have any questions.
FUNDING INFORMATION:
Proposals are invited in three funding tranches. Budgets should be inclusive of an indirect rate, set at 20% of total direct costs.
- Up to $45,000 for direct and indirect costs
- Up to $90,000 for direct and indirect costs
- Up to $180,000 for direct and indirect costs
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS:
BU is allowed to submit up to 3 proposals for new projects. 1 of these can fall within the funding range $91,000-$180,000. The other 2 must be under $90K.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS:
Interested investigators should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review by DATE: 6/4/2021
- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application;
- A brief statement (up to 2 pages) by the candidate describing the proposed project and how it aligns with the priority areas;
- A brief budget outline for the proposed research
- Up-to-date CV or biosketch.
BU applications will be reviewed by the DS4G committee consisting of. Foundation Relations will work with the nominees to develop and submit the institutional nomination letter and applicant materials by 7/15/2021
DEADLINES:
Internal Materials Due: Friday, June 4, 2021
Sponsor Deadline: Thursday, July 15, 2021