The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) announces its Accounting Education Research Grants Program. This program seeks to advance research on educational issues impacting certified public accountants (CPA), the public accounting profession and state boards’ charge to protect the public.

BACKGROUND

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) serves as a forum for the 55 boards of accountancy. NASBA’s mission is to enhance the effectiveness of state boards of accountancy in their charge to protect the public.

NASBA’s goals are to:

  • Provide high quality, effective programs and services,
  • Identify, research and analyze major current and emerging issues affecting state boards of accountancy,
  • Strengthen and maintain communications with state boards to facilitate the exchange of ideas and opinions, and
  • Develop and foster relationships with organizations that impact the regulation of public accounting.

DESCRIPTION

Research grants are available for faculty and postdoctoral researchers at institutions of higher education. The grants are competitive. Research in areas helping NASBA and the state boards of accountancy protect the public and be better resources to the public accounting profession are encouraged. NASBA will work with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the American Accounting Association (AAA), and other organizations to present and publish results of the funded research.

Research interests of NASBA include, but are not limited to:

  • Characteristics of successful CPA candidates,
  • Ideal or model curricula for successful CPA candidates,
  • Effective sections or rules of code of professional conduct to protect the public,
  • Characteristics of the best work experience requirements, and
  • Barriers (i.e., education, examination, or experience) for minorities and other groups seeking a CPA license.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be affiliated with a U.S. academic institution. Applicants must have received their doctoral degree by the start date of the grant. Applicants may not be related to employees, officers, or board members or Education Committee member of NASBA or its affiliates.

AWARDS

NASBA will fund and award grants totaling up to $25,000 for one-year research projects. A maximum of 3 research grants will be awarded per year. Funding will be provided only for expenses directly related to the project. Grant funds will not provide for institutional indirect costs or overhead. Although NASBA does not want to determine the specific use of these awarded funds, the proposed budget outlined in the proposal will be evaluated for efficient and effective use of the awarded funds.

Although somewhat flexible, the awards will be distributed based on quarterly progress reports submitted by the researcher(s). Additionally, the researcher(s) will be expected to finalize the research within one year of the grant award date and may be asked to present their findings to NASBA’s Board of Directors or at its national meeting.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

All research grant applications must comply with the guidelines as follows. Proposals should not exceed 5 pages, excluding the cover page and the appendices described below, and should contain the following basic elements:

1. A cover page with the following information:

  • Name and affiliation of each member of the research team and his/her role in the research. Researchers’ names and their academic affiliations should not appear anywhere else in the proposal.
  • Single-paragraph abstract summarizing the research question, the research method to be used, and how the research will benefit the public accounting profession and its regulation.

2. The proposal which includes the following information:

  • Problem statement/question and its relevance to accounting education or the accounting profession,
  • Statement identifying how this research advances previous work or establishes new benchmarks,
  • Statement of the research hypothesis being tested, if applicable,
  • Statement of the research methodology being used,
    • Detailed information about any data that the researcher would require from NASBA or the state boards,
  • Statement of the expected results and the benefits to accounting education, the public accounting profession, or regulation of public accounting,
  • Statement of the expected or targeted publication output(s) from the project,
  • Timetable for completion of the project,
  • Detailed statement of required funding,
  • List of other funding sources, if applicable,
  • Appendixes described below

* Proposed interview questions and guidelines, survey information, or experimental instruments, if applicable,
* Curriculum vitae (CV) for each researcher (3 page maximum)
* Researcher’s affiliation with NASBA, if applicable

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Proposals must be submitted electronically. Applicants should read the entire Call for Proposals prior to submitting their proposal. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on April 4, 2011. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals in advance of the deadline. Grants will awarded by May 16, 2011.

Submissions must be made to [email protected]. Questions regarding the submission process should also be sent to this same address.