Research >> Current Call for Proposals

2008 Call for Research Proposals

The Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance (the Q Group) provides financial support for superior academic research projects with potential applications in the field of investment management.  The research should have important implications for institutional fund management, though not necessarily in the short run.  Q only supports projects proposed by post-doctoral researchers who are employed full-time in academic organizations.

Nature of Financial Support

The Q Group awards approximately five grants of $10,000 apiece each year.  We pay directly to the researcher, unless otherwise requested.  The Institute’s policy is to not pay university overhead expenses.  We pay 40 percent of the grant when we award the contract.  We pay the remainder upon receipt of a suitably completed manuscript within three years of the award.  All publications (including working papers) that are an outcome of the funding must acknowledge the support in an introductory footnote.

Additional Benefits

Completed papers will receive timely distribution to the Institute’s sponsors as part of the Q Group’s research program.  This distribution does not in any way preclude subsequent publication of the paper in a journal of the researcher’s choice.

We may also invite authors to present their completed papers at the Q Group’s Spring or Fall Seminars.  The Q Group will pay the researcher’s reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the seminar.  We encourage invited researchers to stay and participate for the entire two and one-half day seminar.

Application Procedure

The Q Group collects research proposals through the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).  The SSRN system was designed to collect papers for conferences.  Accordingly, much of the language that you will see applies to conferences and not to this proposal competition. 

To submit a proposal, first log on to SSRN.  Then go to

http://hq.ssrn.com/conference=Q-Group-2008

Follow exactly the Additional Instructions for Q-Group Submitters that appear on this page to resolve any potential confusion about references to conferences as opposed to our proposal competition. 

The submission should consist of a single PDF file with the following:

1. A cover page with the proposal title followed on separate lines by the author name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.  If the proposal has multiple authors repeat the name and address block on separate lines for each additional author.
   
   
2. A short abstract of no more than one page.
   
   
3. A statement of research objectives and a literature review placing the study in context.
   
   
4. A clear and detailed description of the research method and the expected form of the results, together with a discussion of the practical value of the project.
   
   
5. A proposed timetable.
   
   
6. A copy of each researcher’s resume.
   
   
7. A related paper, if available, may be attached, but is not required. 

Decisions on proposals are made annually by Institute members on the Q Group Research Committee.  Further questions may be directed to Larry Harris at research@q-group.org or by voice to (323) 244-1154. 

Application Deadline

The deadline for consideration in the next evaluation is August 15, 2008.

Other Grant Opportunities

Q Group’s sister organizations, INQUIRE-UK and INQUIRE-Europe also fund academic research proposals.  More information about their research programs appears at www.inquire.org.uk and www.inquire-europe.org.