Purdue Policy Research Institute accepting project bids for new Purdue partnership with U.S. Department of State’s Diplomacy Lab

The Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) is inviting spring project bids for Diplomacy Lab, a U.S. Department of State initiative collaborating with Purdue to explore policymaking solutions.

The partnership will see teams of Purdue students supervised and led by a faculty member to conduct research in areas of interest relevant to the State Department’s affairs. Topics cover a wide array of international issues and challenges, including climate change, sustainable development, human rights, economic policy, global health, energy security, conflict and stabilization, and more.

Coordinated by PPRI, the project bidding process will be spread across two rounds and is currently open to faculty at the West Lafayette campus. Project bids must be submitted in a Word document or directly in an email to ppri@purdue.edu by 11:59 p.m. ET Oct. 22. The project bid must state the project of interest, how the chosen project will be conducted (i.e., as a course, capstone, stand-alone project, etc.), the proposed approach(es), and whether the student team is composed of undergraduates, graduates, or a combination of both. Proposals are not to exceed 200 words. Purdue will submit up to six bids for projects.

U.S. Department of State officials will review submissions from the first round of bidding and respond with decisions the week of Oct. 25. Round 2 of project bidding is anticipated to begin the week of Nov. 1 for all remaining projects.

The menu of projects available for the spring semester is available in a PDF file. General queries regarding the Diplomacy Lab initiative or the bidding process should be directed to Krista Kelley, operations manager at PPRI, at kokelley@purdue.edu. To learn more about Purdue’s partnership with the Diplomacy Lab program and to view pertinent information for faculty applicants and students, read this earlier news release.

Launched by the Department of State in 2013, Diplomacy Lab enables the State Department to “course-source” research related to foreign policy challenges by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty experts at colleges and universities across the United States. Diplomacy Lab underscores the department’s commitment to engage the American people in the work of the State Department, and the need to broaden the department’s research base in response to a proliferation of complex global challenges.  

The Purdue Policy Research Institute catalyzes and leverages extant policy-relevant transdisciplinary research among members of the Purdue research community, facilitates enduring connections among local and global actors, and generates impact on policymaking and beyond. The institute is guided by the principle that policy development must consider the interdependencies among technological, economic, ethical, and social factors. Together with collaborators in academia and the public and private sectors, PPRI inspires the development of nonpartisan policies that solve pressing global challenges.