Fordham Social Innovation Research Fellow and Intern Program

2021-2022 Program Guidelines

I. Purpose

The Fordham Social Innovation Research Fellow and Intern Program is designed to promote university-wide social innovation research, develop faculty-student research collaborations, and facilitate internal and external research partnerships in the area of social innovation. The program will create a core group of interdisciplinary faculty that will bring internal and external visibility and recognition to Fordham’s role in social innovation.

Social innovation, as defined by the World Economic Forum, is innovative, practical, sustainable, market-based approaches that benefit society, with special focus on the vulnerable. It is for the development of mindsets and capabilities to create innovative, practical, financially and environmentally sustainable solutions that benefit society. A social innovation should be novel, socially purposed to improve society in some way with scalable and measurable outcomes. It also uses society’s resources more efficiently and effectively and empowers sectors in society that may have been left out in the past.

The program will select faculty research fellows who will select student research interns to work collaboratively with internal Fordham scholars and/or external research partners in 2021-2022.

II. Benefits

A. The faculty Research Fellow will receive up to $7,000 as a stipend in support of their research activities.

B. Each student Research Intern will receive a stipend of up to $1,500 as research support to the faculty Research Fellow.

C. The fellows will cover the following categories: 1) Business; 2) Humanities; 3) Interdisciplinary Research; 4) Law; 5) Sciences; and 6) Social Sciences

III. Process

A. All Fordham tenured, tenure-track and clinical faculty members are invited to submit their applications to the Office of Research by March 29, 2021.

B. The Steering Committee of Social Innovation Collaboratory, co-chaired by Dr. Donna Rapaccioli, Dean of the Gabelli School of Business, and Dr. Maura Mast, Dean of Fordham College of Rose Hill, will organize a review committee to evaluate the applications and select five Fellows by April 21, 2021.

C. Each selected Fellow must select and hire Fordham undergraduate and/or graduate students as the Social Innovation Research Interns for 2021-2022.

D. The Steering Committee will call for students’ participation based on the selected Fellows’ research areas. A review committee will be formed with all selected Fellows. Each Fellow must consult with the dean of their school or their designee, regarding the hiring of the students. The hiring process must be completed by May 15, 2021.

E. The Research Interns must be current full time and degree seeking Fordham students until May 2022. They can work with their faculty Fellows in summer, fall, 2021 and spring, 2022.

F. The project duration will be from July 1, 2021 to May 1, 2022; all projects must be completed by this deadline.

IV. Faculty Eligibility

Fordham faculty applicants must meet the following requirements:

A. Be a full-time tenure-track, tenured, or clinical faculty member;

B. Have strong research credentials that include publications and/or grant funding in the field of social innovation;

C. Have a solid research plan for collaborating on research with internal and/or external research partners and Fordham students.

D. The research topics should encompass social innovation listed below including, but not limited to:
   1) Sustainability
        a. Economic development
        b. Food security and sustainable living
        c. Sustainable cities
        d. Sustainable fashion
        e. Sustainable finance
   2) Entrepreneurship
        a. Social entrepreneurship
        b. Socially responsible investing
        c. Technology and social good

   3) Civic Participation/Law
        a. Civil society
        b. Community-centered planning
        c. Diversity and inclusion
        d. Ethics
        e. Human rights
        f. Inter-faith dialogue
        g. International labor standards
        h. Social justice
        I. Immigration
   4) Business & Management
        a. Corporate governance
        b. Fair trade
        c. Financial inclusion
        d. Impact investing
        e. Microfinance
        f. New form of cooperation (business models)
        g. Transformative service research
   5) Education
        a. Charter and non-traditional schooling
        b. Innovative teaching and learning
        c. Social impact
   6) Environment
        a. Ecology
        b. Habitat conservation plans
        c. Health care

V. Application

Fordham faculty applicants must submit the following application materials to the Office of Research by March 29, 2021:

A. Priority will be given to the research proposals focusing on anti-racism and COVID-19 research.

B. A two-page project summary, including objectives, project description, role of student research intern, expected outcomes for student learning, connections between faculty research and teaching, as well as a dissemination plan for this research that articulates the impact of the produced work;

C. Applicants must fill out the cover page of the application indicating up to two of seven categories mentioned in section II. C.; https://www.jotform.com/build/91675541542157

D. A two-page resume.

VI. Outcomes

A. Fellows are required to attend two research forums where they will be expected to report on the progress of their research work. The objective of these forums is to encourage interdisciplinary research collaboration.

B. Fellows will be expected to produce scholarly publications and/or submit external grant proposals, as well as delivering conference presentations.

C. Fellows and Interns will also be required to submit a comprehensive report by September 1, 2022.

VII. Program Management and Facilitation

A. The Office of Research will provide academic and administrative facilitation to
the program.

B. Deans will be responsible for financial and budgetary affairs in support of fellows
and interns.