By offering $20,000 to UF faculty, the PIE Center is reinvesting in its mission to understand public opinion and its influence on important agricultural and natural resources issues.
The PIE Center Program Enhancement Grant will provide UF researchers or interdisciplinary teams up to $5,000 to strengthen an already existing research program or assist in the development of a new project, according to Alexa Lamm, associate director of the PIE Center and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication.
Faculty can submit proposals using the guidelines today through Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. Awardees have to become affiliate faculty upon receiving a grant.
The broad topics in which the PIE Center is interested opens the application process to applicants involved in a wide range of studies and fields, Lamm said, adding that proposals demonstrating a clear plan for further external funding will be given a higher ranking.
PIE Center research ultimately focuses on enhancing the ability of the public and policymakers to make informed decisions to preserve the state’s agricultural and natural assets. Specific areas of interest include:
- Understanding what the public thinks about particular issues;
- Helping organizations communicate effectively about agricultural and natural resources issues;
- Examining the impacts issues have on the industry and communities; and
- Transferring research results into usable and understandable information to assist in decision-making.
The PIE Center will select and notify grant recipients by Feb. 21, and the money must be spent by June 30. Recipients will discuss their research in a PIE Center guest blog post or webinar later this year.
“We are excited about engaging faculty across UF,” Lamm said. “We want the PIE Center to be the hub for discussion, and we want people to think broadly. The goal is to connect people doing valuable research to create a stronger message.”
