Call for Proposals: The Network for the Digital Economy and the Environment (nDEE), an initiative of the Environmental Law Institute, the Yale School of the Environment, and the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley School of Law, is soliciting proposals for research on the indirect energy and environmental impacts of digital technologies. The nDEE’s priority areas include: Artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, internet of things (IoT), and sharing/e-commerce platforms. This initiative is generously supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The overarching goals of this request are to:
Catalyze research that provides robust empirical data on the second-order and third-order impacts of digital technologies (for example, rebound effects);
Promote the exploration of methodologies to better understand and estimate the system-wide impacts of the digital economy; and
Facilitate an inclusive and interdisciplinary community of practice that is focused on complex and varied effects of the digital economy.
The maximum grant amount is $50,000 and projects must be completed by December 31, 2022. Indirect costs are limited to 16 percent of total direct costs on all grants. Proposals from international applicants for projects with relevance to the US context will be accepted.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested researchers should submit a brief description of the proposed project (2 pages only). This submission should outline:
A problem statement and what contribution your research will make to this issue;
Methods and project plan, including data needs and analytical approaches or tools;
Expected outcomes of the research;
Estimated project duration and budget; and
Project team, including a statement on diversity.
Proposals should be submitted by October 15, 2021, to: networkDEE@berkeley.edu. Questions can also be directed to this email. Researchers who submit concepts that are of interest will be notified by October 30, 2021. Five research teams will be selected to submit a brief narrative and participate in a virtual pitch session. A stipend will be provided to support the development of the narrative and virtual presentation. Of these five research projects, three will be selected for funding (by December 31, 2021). For more information, please visit www.networkdee.org.