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The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization -- societies, institutions, groups and demography -- and processes of individual and institutional change. The Program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender roles, and the sociology of science and technology. The Program supports both original data collections and secondary data analysis that use the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools. Theoretically grounded projects that offer methodological innovations and improvements for data collection and analysis are also welcomed. Click here for information on Strengthening Qualitative Research through Methodological Innovation and Integration. The Sociology Program also funds doctoral dissertation research to defray direct costs associated with conducting research, for example, dataset acquisition, additional statistical or methodological training, meeting with scholars associated with original datasets, and fieldwork away from the student's home campus. Please click here for additional information on the Sociology Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant.

Please Note in Grants for Research Sociology Program : Principal Investigators should select PD 98-1331 in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet for submission of projects to the Sociology Program.

Projects are evaluated using the two Foundation-wide criteria, intrinsic merit and broader impacts. In assessing the intrinsic merit of proposed research, four components are key to securing support from the Sociology Program: (1) the issues investigated must be theoretically grounded; (2) the research should be based on empirical observation or be subject to empirical validation or illustration; (3) the research design must be appropriate to the questions asked; and (4) the proposed research must advance our understanding of social processes, structures and methods.

The NSF also offers a number of specialized funding opportunities through its crosscutting and cross-directorate activities; some of the Sociology related opportunities are listed below.

Crosscutting Research & Training Opportunities:

* ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers
* Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
* Education & Human Resources Program
* Graduate Research Fellowship Program
* Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program
* Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program
* SBE Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPRF)
* Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
* Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)
* Science of Learning Centers (SLC)
* Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships
* Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5369&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund