Early Career Research Grant Program

The Strategy Research Foundation (SRF) of the Strategic Management Society (SMS) announces its 2025 Early Career Research Grant (ECRG) Program. ECRG aims to support early career strategy scholars in advancing a research project in the field of strategic management.
 
Early Career Research Grant Program funds are intended to supplement other financial resources available to early career scholars to support elements of their research that enhance the quality, expand the scope, augment the research design, or in some other way enrich a research project.

2025 Call for Applications

Target Applicant: A full-time faculty member or post-doctoral researcher affiliated with a university, who has received their Ph.D. degrees in Strategic Management or other relevant disciplines within 4 years of the start of the funding cycle. All applicants must also be a current member of the Strategic Management Society.

Funding & Key Terms: Grants of up to US$15,000 to support direct research expenses such as data collection and research assistance. No institutional overhead will be paid.

Submission Deadline: October 1, 2025

Grant Period: January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027

Eligibility

All proposals are required to identify a Principal Investigator (PI). The PI, who leads the research effort and to whom the grant is awarded, must be a full-time faculty member or post-doctoral researcher affiliated with a university and a member of the Strategic Management Society at the time of submission and throughout the grant period. Also, the PI is the sole recipient of a grant even when proposal includes Co-Investigators (CIs).
 
At any time, a single individual is permitted to serve as a PI or CI on only one proposal across all SRF programs. Further, individuals named in a previously funded SRF proposal may not participate in a new proposal until expiration of the prior award.
 
Early career scholars who have been WMDRG grant recipients in the past are eligible to apply for this grant, conditional on demonstrating that the project in the current proposal is distinct from their previously funded research and on having submitted all deliverables for their WMDRG grant.
 
Individuals named on a proposal must disclose any prior SRF awards and demonstrate that the project in the current proposal is distinct from their previously funded research. All SRF grants aim to support research that has not been undertaken. Thus, completed work is not eligible for funding.

Funding & Deliverables

The SRF plans to award multiple ECRG grants of up to $15,000 each during the 2025 funding cycle. Recipients will be named SRF Scholars. Recipients are expected to use the awarded funds within the grant period.
 
The SRF program provides financial support to cover direct research expenses for data collection, student research assistance, and other activities that enable the conduct of the research project.
 
Examples of ineligible expenses include conference travel and registration fees, compensation for PI or CI time, teaching buyouts, purchases of software or equipment, and university overhead. As the program aims to foster future research, reimbursement for previous expenditures is not permitted. Determination of eligible and ineligible expenses rests with the SRF.
 
For proposals accepted for funding, the SRF will prepare an agreement to be executed by the PI detailing the responsibilities of both the PI and the SRF. Grant funds awarded will be disbursed at the start of the two-year grant period beginning January 1, 2026.
 
The SRF requires regular progress reports as well as a final report on the project. The PI will submit a progress report every six months of the grant and a final report within three months of the end of the grant. The final report will include an executive summary of the research findings and documentation of expenses incurred.

Submission Guidelines

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Applications (in English) are to be submitted by the PI through the online submission system. Submissions will include the following:

  • Submission title
  • Amount requested in US Dollars
  • Name and academic affiliation of PI
  • Names of any other CIs and their affiliations
  • Summary (500 words) of the proposed research project
  • Research application of up to 10 pages, single spaced, with the following structure:
    1. Specific research question(s) to be addressed, including how the research addresses the 2023-2024 RSM program theme, review of the relevant literature from the field of strategic management, and expected contributions to both the theory and the practice of strategic management
    2. Research design, including descriptions of data and analysis techniques
    3. Cited references
  • Timetable/schedule (including a description of any work completed to date)
  • Detailed budget in US Dollars, including disclosure of other sources of funding
  • Expected impact of SRF funding on the quality of the research
  • CVs for the PI and any CI(s)
  • Disclosure of any personal or business relationship between researchers and organizations providing data, field access, or other assistance that could potentially create a conflict of interest
  • A description of any non-disclosure agreements governing the research, including discussion of restrictions on publishing outcomes
  • A letter from the Dean’s Office of the PI’s primary academic institution confirming support for the funding application and acknowledging any institutional financial resources provided to the project
  • Disclosure of any relationship with SRF Co-Chairs or the RSM Program Director, which may create the perception of a conflict of interest: potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, advising, co-authoring, or consulting relationships

Proprietary Right & Acknowledgements

Grant recipients will retain copyright to all materials prepared in connection with the funded project. However, the SRF will retain an irrevocable, royalty-free license in perpetuity to use such materials for non-commercial purposes furthering the mission of the SRF. The SRF requires that any publication of the resulting research in articles or other forms includes an acknowledgement that the research was funded in part by the SRF of the Strategic Management Society.

Timetable & Evaluation Process

The SRF submission deadline is October 1, 2025. Notification of RSM grants awarded will be made by January 1, 2025. Submissions will be reviewed using the following criteria:

  • Contribution to strategic management theory: Are the frameworks employed, the data to be used, and/or the potential results to be obtained likely to make a new and substantial theoretical or empirical contribution to the academic field of strategic management?
  • Contribution to strategic management practice: Is this research likely to yield important advice for managers in private or public organizations and make a significant contribution to the practice of strategic management?
  • Novelty of the research topic/question: Is this research likely to start or redirect a line of inquiry in the field of strategic management?
  • Research design and methodological rigor: Are the data appropriate for the theory being developed or tested? Are the procedures appropriate for the research questions? Is the description of the methods to be used adequate? Is validity properly justified?
  • Likelihood of project success: Are the qualifications of the research team appropriate for the proposed research? Do the researchers have sufficient access to resources (financial and non-financial) to carry out the project?
  • Expected impact of the funding: Is SRF funding likely to make a significant difference to the quality, scope, or other characteristics of the project that will enhance its conceptual or empirical contributions to theory and practice?

Important ECRG Dates

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JULY 1, 2025 – Submission System Opens
OCTOBER 1, 2025 – Submission Deadline
LATE DECEMBER 2025 – Notification of Review Committee Decisions
JANUARY 1, 2026 – Grant Period Begins
DECEMBER 31, 2027 – Grant Period Ends