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  • Project Liberty’s Institute

    Call for Expressions of Interest for Research Projects

    Shaping Our Digital Future: How to Build, Invest In, Deploy, and Regulate New Technologies for the Common Good

    Deadline for submission: December 1, 2023

    BACKGROUND AND GOALS 


    Project Liberty’s Institute (PLI) aims to enhance ethical governance by supporting timely, actionable research on digital technology and responsible innovation. It serves as an international meeting ground for technologists, policymakers, academia, investors, civil society, entrepreneurs and governance experts. Together, these interdisciplinary partners and leaders from the public and private sector create frameworks for how we build, invest in, deploy and regulate new technologies for the common good.

    Sciences Po and Project Liberty’s Institute (formerly McCourt Institute) have agreed on a partnership to promote research in social sciences pertaining to the use and development of new technologies for the common good. This partnership includes funding of new research carried out by Sciences Po. The research should aim at producing both scientific and solutions-focused impact beyond academic circles. It should help the PLI to translate the research into evidence-based governance innovation through groundbreaking insights to help key actors spanning technologists, governments, international organizations, entrepreneurs, investors and civil society  to address political, economic, and social challenges arising due to the rapid development of new digital technologies.

    Within this framework of cooperation, Sciences Po and PLI are launching the third iteration call for expressions of interest that aims at providing funding for high-impact research projects. The list of current grantees can be viewed here.

     

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  • GRANT CONDITIONS

    The applications for funding should be submitted by December 1, 2023. Applicants are required to use this online jotform for submission to ease the work of the reviewing process. Only complete applications will be considered.


    The research projects will be assessed by the Steering Committee, composed of representatives from Sciences Po and the PLI.


    Projects must meet the following requirements in the spirit of the shared vision: Shaping Our Digital Future: How to Build, Invest In, Deploy, and Regulate New Technologies for the Common Good.

    Project Liberty’s Institute seeks to catalyze solutions- and impact-oriented research for governance of the next wave of technological innovation that can provide evidence and guidance for policymakers, businesses, investors, technologists, civil society and users.

    The projects should be related to one or more of the following vertical and horizontal topics regarding new technologies: 


    Horizontal scope:

    • Ethical governance frameworks
    • Governance innovation (incl. agile frameworks, transnational frameworks, multi stakeholder cooperation and international instruments, etc. )
    • The roles of policymakers, SMEs and incumbents, investors, technologists, civil society and users
    • Responsible innovation
    • Impacts on society (democracy, mis/disinformation, safety, wellbeing etc.) 
    • Impacts on the economy (market concentration, decentralization, innovation etc.)  
    • Technical and infrastructure governance 
    • Rethinking business models
    • Ethical technology by design 
    • Trends detection and forecasting 

    Vertical scope: 

    • Web3 and blockchain 
    • Digital Identity
    • Artificial Intelligence 
    • Extended Reality 
    • Public interest technology 
    • Personal and non-personal data
    • Social Web
    • Neurotechnology and computer-brain interfaces 
    • Infrastructure Protocols for a better digital economy (e.g. Decentralized Social Networking Protocol)


    Novelty: The projects should be novel, i.e. not already in progress. The Steering Committee will also consider the projects’ potential for co-funding.


    Impact: The impact on technologists’, policymakers’, academia, civil society’s, entrepreneurs’ and governance experts’ ability to meet the challenges of digital transition should be clearly stated. Details regarding how to translate the findings into governance changes and solutions through engaging key stakeholders during the research phase and valorization strategies upon publication, for example, are encouraged.


    Research team:  Project teams should include at least one Sciences Po permanent Faculty member. The Principal Investigators can be either members of Sciences Po’s permanent faculty or other researchers affiliated with Sciences Po. Project teams can include researchers outside Sciences Po faculty and/or create collaborations with researchers of the network of institutions that cooperate with the Institute, including, but not limited to, Georgetown University and Stanford University, as well as researchers outside of the existing network (e.g. researchers involved in NGOs conducting research).


    Interdisciplinary: The projects that are interdisciplinary (social sciences, policy, law, business, management, engineering etc.)  are encouraged.


    Duration: The projects can last for up to three years.


    Budget: Wages and salaries for visiting researchers, doctoral students, post-doc, research assistants, and temporary staff are eligible. Recruitment of relevant personnel should follow the relevant procedures at Sciences Po.


    Administration: The project will be managed by the administrative staff of a research lab at Sciences Po.

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  • DELIVERABLES


    Deliverables should be clearly stated in the application.


    Researchers selected for funding will be invited on a voluntary basis to participate in PLI activities such as events and panels and to collaborate on policy briefs and presentations before the general public. PLI will cooperate with project researchers on the valorisation and promotion of their research work.


    Research teams will be invited to regular meetings (in accordance with the progress of their research) with SciencesPo and the PL Institute.


    Annual interim reports will be expected from research teams to update the Steering Committee on the advancement of the project. The reports should include both the administrative information as well as scientific and impact results.

    FURTHER INFORMATION

    To learn more about the partnership with Sciences Po: 

    https://www.sciencespo.fr/nous-soutenir/fr/nos_projets/le-partenariat-avec-mccourt-institute/  


    To learn more about Project Liberty’s Institute:

    https://www.projectliberty.io/institute


    To learn more about previously selected projects:

    https://www.projectliberty.io/accelerating-research

    Should you have any questions, feel free to contact Inga Chelyadina, Sciences Po - Project Liberty’s Institute Liaison Officer (inga.chelyadina@sciencespo.fr).

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  • APPLICATION FORM

  • 0/300
  • 0/500
  • DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC

  • 0/300
  • 0/300
  • 0/300
  • POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF THE PROJECT

  • Describe both the scientific productions or events to which the project will lead, as well as any other planned release or event formats that you plan for practitioners to foster good governance of new technologies (e.g. shorter papers with concrete recommendations; policy briefs; conferences with practitioners, media engagement; etc.

  • 0/500
  • 0/500
  • STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

  • 0/300
  • 0/300
  • 0/300
  • DESIRED RESSOURCES

    Please upload your desired project’s budget including the standard items (human resources including % of involvement time from the PI, other costs, etc ) and a summary of how funds would be used. Please note that the Steering Committee may decide to approve projects under the condition to revise the budget.

    You can use the following template: 

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ7ZZcS5JTUkMJv4aeSrZMX7Y-WVnWZwY2sot6EJv-75JUjTKGucTtHL3iMobaD7RRadfXKgrZAcDGA/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true

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