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DePaul Migration Collaborative: Solutions Lab Research Grant Program

DMC Solutions Lab Research Grant Program

The DMC Solutions Lab Research Grant 2023 application cycle
opens April 14, 2023 and closes on May 15, 2023.
Click here to download the application guidelines packet today!


The DePaul Migration Collaborative seeks applications for its 2023-24 Solutions Lab Research Grant program. This program was established with funds from the Schreiber family to support interdisciplinary, community-engaged research projects aimed at directly addressing key challenges facing migrants in the United States and across the world.  Successful projects will address critical areas of need as collaboratively identified by the scholars and community partner(s) on the project. The funding runs from June 15, 2023-June 15, 2024, though individual project timelines may vary.  

  • The program funds grants up to $45,000 for six to twelve months of work, awarded to interdisciplinary teams comprised of DePaul faculty, staff, students, and/or, if desired, external academic colleagues.  

  • Each team must also include a community partner organization with whom the research project has been co-designed and for whom the project will be beneficial.  

  • Grant funding will be shared between the academic team and the community partner organization, with the academic team receiving up to $25,000 and the community partner receiving a direct payment of between $6,000-$12,000, depending on the length of the project timeline, for its commitment to working with the team on the project through the life of the award.  

  • A team may elect to partner with two organizations, in which case the community partner award will be divided between the two. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, projects must be co-designed by faculty and a community partner organization; it must also create opportunities for students to participate as researchers on the team. In addition, 

  • The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a full-time faculty member at DePaul University who has a track record of academic or community-engaged work in the area of migration, immigration, or asylum. If a term faculty member is acting as PI, the award will be contingent on contract renewal for the following academic year.   

  • The Community Partner organization must be a non-DePaul domestic non-profit, governmental, or non-governmental organization. 

  • Additional subject matter experts may include full-time or adjunct faculty from across DePaul as well as researchers or practitioners external to the university.  

  • Faculty with experience working with external organizations in an academic context, or who have experience in community-based research are particularly encouraged to apply. 

Application Timeline

The application timeline for academic year 2023-24 is outlined below. Note that you are strongly encouraged to review the FAQ before applying. Please contact Dr. Shailja Sharma at SSHARMA@depaul.edu with any questions.  

Stage
Date
Call for Proposals and Application Guidelines posted 
April 14 
Online application opens 
April 14
Online application closes
May 15
Application notifications
May 26

Application Preparation

Applicants for the DMC Solutions Lab Research Grant Program should review the Application Guidelines packet, which provides details of all materials that must be submitted through the online application.   

Guidelines & Preparation 

Click here to download the Application Guidelines for easy offline review.

Ready to apply? 

The application deadline is May 15, 2023. Contact Dr. Shailja Sharma at SSHARMA@depaul.edu with questions about the application or apply below. Apply now 

DMC Solutions Lab Research Grant FAQs 

The Principal Investigator must be a full-time faculty member at DePaul University who has a track record of academic or community-engaged work in the area of migration, immigration, or asylum. If a term faculty member is acting as PI, the award will be contingent on contract renewal for the following academic year.   

The Community Partner organization must be a non-DePaul domestic non-profit, governmental, or non-governmental organization. 

Additional subject matter experts may include full-time or adjunct faculty from across DePaul as well as researchers or practitioners external to the university.  

Faculty with experience working with external organizations in an academic context, or who have experience in community-based research are particularly encouraged to apply. 

The grant can fund one course release for the PI, calculated at 11.1% of base salary.  All course release requests must be accompanied by a letter of support from the faculty member’s Chair or Program Director.  

The community partner organization will receive direct payment of at least $6,000 and up to $12,000 for their participation as an active member of the research team. The amount of this funding corresponds to the length of the project, which must be at least 6 months but no more than 12 months.

Yes, as a contracted subject matter expert, as long as the faculty member is not already receiving grant funds from another entity to pay for the same work.

Yes. Grant funds may be used to compensate research participants not on staff at the community partner organization for their time and local travel (for focus groups or other research activities), to purchase refreshments for participants visiting campus, for services rendered, or for the costs of renting space from a community partner for research activities. This list is meant for illustrative purposes; all expenses will be reviewed at the time of application.

Yes. Grant funds may be used to fund reasonable domestic and international travel expenses incurred to conduct research, up to $3500. Please explain any extenuating circumstances that would justify spending more than this amount.

All DePaul faculty on the team may be paid up to 1 month summer salary (calculated at 1/12th of base salary) on the grant; however, summer salary or research expenses that are covered by grants or payments from other sources (internal or external) cannot also be funded by a DMC grant.  The DMC grant can be held at the same time as another grant, provided the funds do not cover duplicate work.  In no case may a grant from this program, combined with other grants or salary, result in more than two summer salary units for full-time faculty. 

Projects involving human or animal research subjects must receive IRB approval before DMC funding can be authorized. A description of the proposed research and the consent forms must be submitted to the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects or to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The relevant committee(s) will review the research protocol and will notify both the principal investigator and the LAS Research Committee of their decision. For more information on either the IRB or the IACUC review process, please visit the website of The Office of Research Services.

Faculty will receive stipends as summer salary; expenses will be reimbursed per university guidelines. PIs will submit honoraria payment requests for subject matter experts; consultants will submit invoices as outlined here. Students on the grant will be hired by the PI as student workers and paid hourly. Please consult the university’s hiring guidelines and review the university’s pay scale guide before applying.

No. Teams are encouraged to apply for the amount that is justified by the scope and nature of your project, up to a maximum of $25,000.

Up to, but not longer than, 12 months, beginning on June 15, 2023. All awarded funds must be used by June 15, 2024. Special extensions from the duration of the approved UCCRI project proposal and/or carry-over funds that are not expended during the period of the award must be justified by unanticipated extenuating circumstances and approved by the DMC. 

No. The only exception is if the training is part of a wider research project.