COVID-19 Working Groups for Public Health and Social Sciences Research

Based on the outpouring of interest from the research community and our mission to advance convergence science for the benefit of humanity, CONVERGE is offering $1,000 awards to those who wish to launch COVID-19 Working Groups for Public Health and Social Sciences Research.

CONVERGE and the Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) Network will fund up to 30 COVID-19 Working Groups focused on issues and advancements in methods, ethics, and empirical topics. To read more about this please follow this link

Applications for Working Groups will be accepted between April 4 and April 13, 2020. Please keep reading for program requirements and to access the application form. The funding announcement for Working Groups will be made no later than April 17, 2020. Working Groups and their members will be featured on the CONVERGE website and through the SSEER network to highlight the activities and scientific leadership of the group.

Researchers who are interested in leading or joining a Working Group are encouraged to take part in our next CONVERGE Virtual Forum on Friday, April 3, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. MDT. During this forum, researchers will have the opportunity to share ideas for Working Groups while connecting with one another. We will also discuss the Working Group application requirements and begin the process of prioritizing areas of pressing societal and scientific concern.

The requirements for the COVID-19 Working Groups include:

have a clear focus area that will contribute to knowledge that can benefit science and humanity
be led by a public health researcher or a researcher in the social, behavioural, or economic sciences (preference will be given to those who are members of SSEER)
involve a diversity of researchers from at least three different disciplines from either inside or outside the social sciences to encourage convergence science approaches
indicate one of the following categories:
- Actively Recruiting Working Group (in early stages of formation and actively recruiting collaborators)
- Open Working Group (core Working Group is formed and is open to accepting new collaborators)
- Closed Working Group (Working Group is formed and not open to additional collaborators)
provide a brief budget justification for how the Working Group will use the $1,000 award to advance their efforts
submit a one- to two-page research agenda setting paper by no later than June 19, 2020, that highlights key ethical, methodological, or empirical gaps that could be addressed by the broader research community; this paper will be published on the CONVERGE website.

Working Groups are encouraged that focus on specific areas of inquiry or topics of societal concern including, for example:

empirical considerations associated with the social, economic, and behavioural dimensions of this event (e.g., anti-Asian backlash, mental health implications of social isolation, impacts on women- and minority owned businesses, novel risk communication strategies, pandemic and natural hazards mitigation strategies, altruism and mutual aid, etc.)
population groups and/or core social institutions such as persons with disabilities, children and schools, healthcare workers and hospitals, gig workers, hourly-wage workers, etc.
geographic locations or opportunities for cross-regional comparisons
ethical concerns and advancements
methodological innovations
social, economic, or environmental justice

If multiple applications are received for the same general area, we will take this as an opportunity to encourage researchers to join together to amplify their efforts.

Working Groups must submit a brief budget justification to explain how they will use the $1,000 award to amplify or advance their efforts. The award will be issued directly to the Working Group and can be used for equipment, student support, data processing or purchasing expenses, journal publication fees, conference fees, or a range of other research-related expenses. These examples are meant to be illustrative rather than restrictive.