Look out for the Family Research Fund

The Family Research Fund (FRF), by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, aims to contribute to the growth of quality research on family trends and issues in Singapore.

The proposed research should promote the understanding of issues affecting families in Singapore, and preferably inform local family policy. For examples of relevant family research issues, please refer to the Family Research Agenda and Focused Research Topics. Applicants can choose to develop their research proposals based on these focused topics. The research is to be solely funded under the FRF. No co-funding is allowed.

Successful applicants may receive funding of up to S$100,000 per project which should not exceed 3 years in duration. The awarded grant should be used solely and exclusively for the research, including:

• hiring of a survey company or research assistants;
• transport costs incurred during fieldwork (research fieldwork is expected to be undertaken in Singapore);
• incentives or tokens to respondents for participating in the research;
• printing of questionnaires or materials used for research; and/or
• other items needed for conducting the research (please note that the purchase of hardware or equipment is not supported under the FRF).

The FRF Evaluation Panel assesses the applications based on several factors, as follows:

• the relevance of the research in promoting understanding of family trends and issues in Singapore;
• the contribution of the research to family policy development in Singapore;
• the rigour of research methodology and analytical techniques used;
• the review and feedback from academic reviewers and/or relevant MSF divisions.

Applications are open to undergraduates as well as postgraduate students, academic and researchers. The Office of Research will inform the SMU community when the grant is open for applications.

Please feel free to contact Ms Joanne Liang (joanneliang [at] smu.edu.sg) for clarifications.