SLOAN INDUSTRY STUDIES FELLOWSHIPS The Alfred P…

                  SLOAN INDUSTRY STUDIES FELLOWSHIPS


   The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of Industry Studies
Fellowships for 2008, to support the development of industry studies, a multidisciplinary field of
research on industries that is grounded in direct observation. The Sloan Industry Studies Program,
which includes twenty-six Sloan Industry Centers as well as affiliated faculty members working
independently in many other university settings, encourages research cooperation between academics
and industry in order to stimulate new lines of inquiry and broaden the impact of related scholarship.

  Modeled after the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships for early-career scientists, Industry
Studies Fellowships are intended to recognize and support junior faculty members in a wide range of
academic disciplines. Awards are made to scholars who show the most outstanding promise of making
important contributions to understanding the complex systems of companies, product and labor
markets, institutions and their interactions that shape the multifaceted environment of modern
industrial enterprises.

   The historical roots of industry studies extend back to intellectual leaders such as Adam Smith
(1723-1790) and Alfred Marshall (1842-1924), who demonstrated that the scientific foundation and
social effects of economic analysis are enhanced by grounding scholarship in the direct observation of
production processes and in the practical experience of industry. The creation of the Sloan Industry
Centers program in 1990 was based on the fundamental principle of academic research grounded in
direct observation that involves interaction by scholars with people in their workplaces.

   To qualify as industry studies research, a candidate's scholarship should demonstrate significant
personal investment in developing an understanding of the markets, firms and institutions that
characterize a particular industry. Generally this involves the integration of direct observation with
appropriate theory and analysis. Therefore, the role of direct observation should be evident in the
research of any fellowship candidate, as reflected in the selection of the topics addressed, the
methodologies employed, related analysis, and/or the interpretation of findings. The candidate's
research may be multidisciplinary or it may contribute to a single discipline; however, narrowly
technical research within a single discipline will not usually qualify as industry studies.

  The Sloan Industry Studies Fellowships will be awarded to up to five (5) junior faculty members
who are conducting such research on a topic important to a specific industry. At its discretion, the
Foundation may choose to award more than five fellowships in a given year. The Foundation
anticipates that financial assistance at this crucial point in a scholar's early career, even in modest
amounts, will produce research results that ultimately may provide important benefits to industrial
development and economic competitiveness.

  Sloan Industry Studies Fellows, once chosen, are free to pursue any direction of original
investigation in industry studies, subject to an expectation that they will establish or maintain close
working relationships within a chosen industry.
Procedures

1. Who is eligible

    Candidates for Sloan Industry Studies Fellowships are required to hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in
economics, management, engineering, political science, sociology, or in a related or interdisciplinary
field, and must be members of the regular faculty (i.e., tenure track) of a college or university in the
United States or Canada. They may be no more than six years from completion of the most recent
Ph.D. or equivalent as of the year of their nomination, unless special circumstances such as military
service, a significant change of field, or child rearing are involved or unless they have held a faculty
appointment for less than two years. If any of the above circumstances apply, the nomination letter
(see below) should provide a clear explanation. While Fellows are expected to be at an early stage of
their academic careers, there should be strong evidence of relevant research accomplishments.
Candidates in all fields are normally below the rank of associate professor and do not hold tenure, but
these are not strict requirements. The Foundation welcomes nominations of all candidates who meet
the high standards of this program, and strongly encourages the participation of women and members
of under-represented minority groups.

   Nomination for the fellowship award in any given year does not preclude re-nomination of that
candidate in a subsequent year, as long as the prerequisites for nomination are met and the candidate
did not receive a fellowship in a previous year.

2. The nominating and selection process

    Candidates may be nominated by directors and faculty members at the Sloan Industry Centers,
affiliates of the Sloan Industry Studies program, department heads, or other senior scholars.
Candidates and nominators are not required to have a formal relationship with a Sloan Industry
Center. Direct applications are not accepted. Nomination forms are available at www.sloan.org. In
addition to this form, the nominator should submit a letter describing the candidate's qualifications and
must see that the Foundation receives three supporting letters directly from other scholars or
professionals, preferably not at the same institution. Missing support letters are generally detrimental
to a nominee's prospects. The nominee's curriculum vitae, a list of academic and professional
publications, plus one copy of no more than two representative publications (single-sided, letter-size
paper), and a brief statement (one to two pages) by the nominee describing his/her significant
independent work and an initial plan for research in a specific industry should accompany the
nomination form and letter.

   These materials must describe the extent to which the nominee has experience in conducting
observation-based, field research; detailed studies of this (or another) industry; and/or collaborative,
interdisciplinary work. Strong evidence of the nominee's independent capabilities to contribute to the
field of industry studies, as defined above, is one of the most important considerations in the review
process. The nominee's scholarship should demonstrate excellence by evidence such as peer review,
public recognition, awards, and similar markers of achievement. In the review process, significant
weight is attached to the nominee's tangible record of scholarship once established in a faculty
position. Because of this, nominees at the very beginning of their careers can be at a relative
disadvantage. Such nominees, if unsuccessful, may be good candidates for renomination in a later
year.
   Nominations are due by October 15 for awards to begin in the following academic year.
Nominations are reviewed and candidates selected by a Program Committee of scholars representing
the participating disciplines from the industry studies community. Candidates selected for awards are
notified early in February.


Nomination forms and supporting letters should be mailed to:

Sloan Industry Studies Fellowships
Gail M. Pesyna, Program Director
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
630 Fifth Avenue ­ Suite 2550
New York, NY 10111-0242

3. Terms of awards

    Fellowships are awarded for a two-year period; if unexpended funds remain at the end of two
years, an extension of the termination date may be obtained. Extensions are limited to a maximum of
two years; funds remaining at the end of that period must be returned to the Foundation. If a Fellow
transfers to another institution during the term of the fellowship, the Foundation will transfer
unexpended funds to the new institution. The size of the award is $45,000 for the two-year period.

   Funds are awarded directly to the Fellow's institution and may be used by the Fellow for such
purposes as travel to field locations, survey design and implementation, research assistance, faculty
course buy-outs, summer support, or any other activity directly related to the Fellow's research. They
may not be used to augment an existing full-time salary or for indirect or overhead charges by the
Fellow's institution. Expenditures must be approved by the Fellow's department chair and must be in
accord with the policies of the institution.

4. Reporting

   The Fellow's institution is required to report annually on expenditures from the fellowship grant,
and the Fellow must submit a brief annual research progress report and a final report. Reprints or
preprints of academic papers may be submitted in lieu of such reports.

Evolution of the Program
   The Sloan Industry Studies Fellowship program was launched in 2004, with the first awards granted
for the 2005-2006 academic year. Fifteen Fellows have been selected since 2004 on the basis of their
exceptional promise to contribute to the field of industry studies, to the advancement of knowledge,
and to industrial development and economic competitiveness.