McCourt School of Public Policy
McCourt School of Public Policy

Grants Program

Tech & Public Policy 2024-2025 Request for Proposals

Technology for the Common Good: Understanding, Designing, Developing, and Regulating New Technologies to Advance the Public Interest

Working in partnership with Project Liberty’s Institute, the 2024-2025 Tech & Public Policy (TPP) Grant Program supports Georgetown University research that explores how technology might better protect values such as democracy, freedom and autonomy. The TTP program in the McCourt School of Public Policy connects threads of research, innovation and engagement to build a vibrant learning community dedicated to examining and advancing policy that addresses the challenges posed by current and future technologies. Through technologists, ethicists, legal scholars and social scientists working in collaboration, TPP grantees consider novel uses and misuses of new digital technologies, their effects on individuals and society, and new governance models to replace outdated regulatory frameworks.

The TPP Grant Program draws upon the depth and breadth of the University’s teaching, learning and scholarship in the areas of technology, public policy, ethics and law, and its rich history of interdisciplinary work to invest in innovative, impact-oriented research.

Project Liberty’s Institute (formerly the McCourt 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.Project Liberty’s Institute (PLI) supports the TTP call to promote research in social sciences pertaining to the use and development of new technologies for the common good. PLI aims 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.

Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

Note: These areas of interest may be combined. 

Funding Criteria

The Tech & Public Policy 2024-2025 Grant Program will support work that meet the following criteria:

50% Research Team’s Academic Expertise, Ability to Contribute to Academic Literature, Academic Merit
The research team has experience and expertise in technology and public policy and the proposal demonstrates understanding of a range of policy, ethical, technological and/or legal issues raised by the problem being studied and the solutions being proposed. PIan also demonstrates a track record of delivering funded work on time and on budget and present a defensible budget, staffing profiles and timeline for completing the work. Plan offers clear potential for the project to contribute to the academic literature and/or policy debate (we seek a mix of projects). The project proposes an innovative approach to studying or researching a defined problem, can be applied in existing policy or technology or other proposes alternative policy or technology impact and applicability, and demonstrates that it meets established criteria for scientific, scholarly and policy merit, such as:

25% Connection to Tech & Public Policy and Project Liberty’s Institute Programming and Values
The research being proposed is consistent with Tech & Public Policy’s mission and programming, such as projects undertaken by past Tech & Public Policy’s grantees. The research being proposed is consistent with Project Liberty’s Institute’s mission to enhance ethical governance by supporting timely, actionable research on digital technology and responsible innovation, such as the organization’s support of Frances Haugen’s Beyond the Screen organization.

25% Impact Orientation, Collaboration and Innovation
The plan is action and impact-oriented, with metrics defined to measure this impact. The plan is multi-stakeholder-driven and interdisciplinary and describes strategies for translating research findings into policy impact and for communicating research findings beyond academic circles. For example, the plan might describe partnerships with NGOs, governmental entities, the Tech & Public Policy program, and other collaborations inside and outside of Georgetown to broaden outreach and education efforts. Such networks may include Project Liberty’s Institute partners Sciences Po of Paris, Stanford University, and the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University, as well as non-Project Liberty’s Institute affiliates at other universities. 

Application

Interested Georgetown faculty and research staff should submit a proposal at the following link: Tech & Public Policy 2024/5 Request for Proposal

Interested non-governmental entities, principle-driven organizations, and researchers who would like to explore a collaboration with GU researchers should contact those researchers directly.

The application asks for the following materials:

  1. Cover page with project summary, with basic information on the primary investigator, additional researchers, funding request amount, and proposed start and end dates.
    (2 pages)
  2. Project narrative that includes (5 pages or less): 
    • Project goals and objectives.
    • Research methods.
    • Relevance for public policy and/or technology development. (1 page)
    • Plan for impact, including partnerships/collaborations, dissemination of findings to key stakeholders, and engagement with stakeholders before, during and after research publication. (2 pages)
    • Any new or existing external funding sources which you intend to leverage.
    • Existing track record of completing work of this kind.
  3. Project budget outlining broad categories of spending (e.g., personnel, student assistance, data acquisition/collection, equipment, convenings, travel, etc.) over the proposed funding period.
  4. A short description of how the work will be impact driven, metrics that will be used to measure impact, engagement with stakeholders (e.g. academic institutions, civil society, government, NGOs) and/or other collaborations and anticipated activities (e.g. briefings for Hill offices, outreach campaign, building technical specifications). (2 pages)

Awards Process and Timeline

Awards of funding will be determined by a committee, which includes Georgetown faculty, representatives from partner universities, and representatives of Project Liberty’s Institute. 

11/15 Call for proposals

1/4 Final proposals due

2/15 Announcement of grantees

About the Tech & Public Policy Program

The Tech & Public Policy program at the McCourt School of Public Policy works to shape technology’s promise for a better world. Tech & Public Policy incubates and catalyzes cross-disciplinary research, supports emerging leaders, and connects  experts and policymakers to address the challenges and opportunities posed by our ever-evolving digital society.

The McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University is a diverse community of problem-solvers, committed to moving bold ideas to action. We are global citizens, conducting policy-relevant research, and building bridges between our work and the communities we serve.

About Project Liberty’s Institute

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.

Questions? Please contact Michelle De Mooy, Director, Tech & Public Policy program at md1888@georgetown.edu