Data for Economic Measurement Projects is sponsored by National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) / Economic Measurement Research Institute (EMRI). These grants support early-career faculty members and dissertation-writing doctoral students for small data acquisition grants for research projects on economic measurement.

Grants to Support Data for Economic Measurement Projects | NBER Grants to Support Data for Economic Measurement Projects To support the launch of research projects on economic measurement, the Economic Measurement Research Institute (EMRI) at NBER, with the support of the National Science Foundation, invites proposals from early-career faculty members and dissertation-writing doctoral students for small data acquisition grants.

Economic measurement can include price measurement, national or regional income and product measures, employment and wage statistics, technology indicators, and a range of other economic measurement topics. Examples of the types of data purchases that are envisioned include, but are not limited to: Data sets from payroll service providers that specialize in small employers to measure their employment and wage trends.

Extracts of government administrative data to better capture output and employment for sectors that are not captured with existing official surveys. Subscriptions to or acquisitions of proprietary data sources to measure quality-adjusted prices for emerging technologies. Location data sold by aggregators to measure economic activity for small businesses based on traffic patterns.

Grants generally will be between $2,500 and $7,500 and may only be used to cover costs associated with data purchases, including subscriptions to data providers. Grants may not be used to hire research assistants, to cover the salaries of project investigators, or to support the acquisition of data for projects that are not focused on economic measurement and the creation of new or improved economic statistics.

The NBER will not cover any indirect costs associated with data purchases or make sub-awards to other institutions. Invoices for data purchases may be paid directly by the NBER, or project investigators can be reimbursed for data purchase expenses. Research proposals should include: A cover page with a title.

A short abstract and names of the investigator(s). No more than three pages of project description. The investigator(s) curriculum vitae(s).

In addition, proposals from doctoral students should include a one-page letter of support from a senior researcher with knowledge of the project. The letter of support may affirm that: The project is an economic measurement project as outlined in this call for proposals. The proposal is a good faith representation of the project and the proposed use of data.

The student is currently working or intends to work on the project, including the proposed use of data. The senior researcher plans to advise or supervise the project to some degree.

Research proposals should be compiled into a single PDF file and submitted via the following form (please note that a Google account is required in order to access the link): The letter of support for doctoral students should be included in the single PDF file with the research proposal or may be emailed separately to Dylan Rassier at rassierd@nber. org . Researchers who submit proposals must be at a US college or university.

Proposals are welcome from researchers with and without NBER affiliations. Grantees will be expected to provide a summary of research work completed, or a preliminary working paper, by July 31, 2027. Proposals will be reviewed by EMRI co-directors Katharine Abraham (University of Maryland and NBER) and Matthew Shapiro (University of Michigan and NBER) and executive director Dylan Rassier.

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and this call will remain open until 11:59 pm ET on July 31, 2026 , or until all funding has been allocated. Proposals will be reviewed within six weeks of their submission, and researchers will receive notification of the reviewers’ decision but will not receive comments or a justification for the funding outcome.

The NBER expects to post another call for similar data acquisition proposals in the fall of 2026. Please direct any questions to Dylan Rassier at rassierd@nber. org