The Innovation and Organizational Sciences (IOS) program supports scientific research that advances our understanding of organizational phenomena, including innovation and innovation management, as well as other aspects of organizational effectiveness, competitiveness, dynamics, change or evolution. Levels of analysis may include (but are not limited to) individuals, groups, organizations, cross-organizational phenomena and/or institutional arrangements. Intellectual perspectives may involve (but are not limited to) organization theory, strategy, organizational behavior, social or industrial psychology, technology and innovation management, organizational sociology, entrepreneurship, organizational economics, communication sciences, information sciences, public administration, or decision and management sciences. Research methods may span a broad variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, including (but not limited to) archival analyses, surveys, simulation studies, experiments, comparative case studies, and network analyses. Research may involve industrial, educational, service, government, not-for-profits, voluntary organizations or interorganizational arrangements.
IOS-funded research must be grounded in theory and generalizable. It must advance our scientific understanding of innovation and organizations. Scientific inquiries that are relevant to real problems and organizations in generalizable ways are encouraged. Proposals that aim to implement or evaluate innovations or particular organizational change programs rather than to advance fundamental, generalizable knowledge about innovation and organizations are not appropriate for IOS.
Researchers who seek to conduct IOS-appropriate research in an industrial site and/or via an industry-university collaboration are invited to also look at the Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaisons with Industry (GOALI) homepage https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13706.