IRLE Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

UC Berkeley

Working Groups

IRLE provides funding to support a group of faculty working together to develop a new research agenda or collaboration, with the goal of building a larger project for the future. The working group program seeks to foster scholarly dialogue, exchange of ideas, and seed research initiatives around a broad range of topics.

IRLE also offers the following support to working groups:

  • Convening space (three meeting rooms, gathering space and work spaces)
  • Event support (publicity, logistics, planning)
  • Grant application support (we provide pre- and post-award support)

Award amount: Up to $5,000

Eligible expenditures

  • Compensation for GSRs or undergraduate student assistants to help coordinate and organize the working group.
  • Light refreshments at working group meetings, speaker honoraria etc. 
  • Funds must be spent by May 30th, 2021.

Reporting requirements and expectations

  • Awardees must submit a one-page report on the research project’s status within two weeks after the grant period ends.
  • Awardees should also submit documentation of when the working group meets and who is in attendance.

Applicant eligibility

  • Applicants must be in residence at UC Berkeley and not on leave during the grant period.
  • Both ladder-rank and adjunct faculty are eligible.
  • Preferences will be given to junior faculty members, to applicants who have not received IRLE awards recently, and to applicants who have fully complied with all IRLE reporting requirements for past awards.
  • Applications from non-senate faculty members will be considered on a case by case basis. 

Application instructions

To apply, complete this form to submit the following: 

  1. Cover letter that includes 
    • your interest and experience related to IRLE’s mission, 
    • a short description (500 words) of the intended goals and approach of the working group, and 
    • if you have received funding from IRLE in the past 3 years, the status of the research that resulted from those awards, including citation information for any publications.
  2. Short budget that specifies how the funds will be spent.

Deadlines

  • The application period for 2020-2021 working group funding is now closed.
  • Decisions will be communicated by May 15, 2020.
  • IRLE will consider proposals on a rolling basis pending fund availability.

2019-2020 Working Group Awardees »

Questions? Contact irle@berkeley.edu.