MAXQDA Research Grants 2021 – FAQs

• Q: What do you mean by climate change and climate action?

  One of the goals of MAXQDA Research Grants is to embody our values in action, thereby striving for a better world. With this goal in mind, we have chosen climate change and climate action as this semester’s grant theme.

  The theme-framework for this year’s #ResearchforChange Grant is based on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in particular the October 2018 special report, which states that “some impacts of global warming may be long-lasting or irreversible”, and that “future risks depend on the rate, peak, and duration of warming…Pathways that limit global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot show clear emission reductions by 2030. Avoiding overshoot and reliance on future large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) can only be achieved if global CO2 emissions start to decline well before 2030.” In short, we are beginning a decade in which global CO2 emissions must decline in order to limit the damage done by global warming to diverse systems.

  In order to qualify for this semester’s #ResearchforChange Grant, the researcher’s fieldwork process should include efforts to study/address/raise awareness about issues affecting climate change and/or climate action. You do not need to be majoring in ecology to qualify – we are open to applications from a diverse range of academic disciplines and research topics.Please describe the relevancy of this theme to your research project in the Research Proposal section of your application.

  If you are unsure if your research topic falls within this semester’s theme, please e-mail us with any questions you have: grants@maxqda.com

• Q: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my fieldwork cannot take place before September 29th, 2021. Can I still apply?

  We are taking the COVID-19 pandemic and international health guidelines very seriously. We understand that you may have to reschedule or postpone their fieldwork. It is entirely possible that fieldwork may not be possible in the context of the pandemic. We ask you, thereby, to include a short description in your application if the pandemic will foreseeably affect your research project.

  For those applicants who are able to conduct online fieldwork, online data collection methods will, of course, be accepted as meeting the fieldwork requirement. Please address these methods in the Research Proposal section of your application.

  For those applicants who cannot begin their fieldwork before September 29th due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please send us an e-mail explaining your new fieldwork timeline and we will be happy to consider extending this eligibility requirement deadline on an individual basis: grants@maxqda.com.

• Q: I am conducting research, but I am not focusing on climate change or climate action. Do I still qualify?

  No, not this semester. MAXQDA Research Grants will be awarded in the future to researchers within a wide variety of themes . Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to hear about our latest projects, including MAXQDA Grants.

• Q: I am not registered as a student this semester but will be by the time I start my fieldwork next semester. Am I still eligible to apply?

  No. The #ResearchforChange Grant has been specifically created to support student-researchers who are conducting qualitative or mixed methods fieldwork. The applicant must be a student or PhD candidate enrolled at a higher learning institution (college, university, trade school, etc.) at the time of application.

• Q: I am currently a student and my research proposal has been approved, but I will not be conducting fieldwork until 2022. Am I still eligible to apply?

  No, not for this semester’s grant. The current #ResearchforChange Grant is to be applied for, and received by, the end of the summer semester 2021. This means, that fieldwork must commence by September 29th, 2021.

  For those applicants who cannot begin their fieldwork before September 29th due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please send us an e-mail explaining your new fieldwork timeline and we will be happy to consider extending this eligibility requirement deadline on an individual basis: grants@maxqda.com

• Q: I have already started or finished the fieldwork portion of my research. Am I still eligible to apply?

  The #ResearchforChange Grant contains a $850.00 scholarship that is to be received before the researcher’s fieldwork commences. As long as you plan on remaining in/returning to the field to continue your research, you will still qualify, even if you have already begun conducting fieldwork.

  However, if you have already finished the fieldwork portion of your research project then no, you are not eligible to apply.

• Q: I am conducting my interviews/survey in a language different from English, and will be writing my thesis in a different language as well, am I still eligible?

  Yes! MAXQDA is available in 15 languages and is used by thousands of researchers in more than 150 countries. It is also fully Unicode-compliant software, allowing you to import, code, and analyze data in any language you choose.

  We require that the application form be filled out in English and that the two fieldwork diary entries submitted by the research grant recipients be written in English. This does not exclude non-native speakers! However, you should feel confident enough in your language abilities to write texts (between 750-1,500 words each) about your academic research methods and data analysis methodologies using MAXQDA.

• Q: What do I need to submit as “proof of current or upcoming fieldwork”?

  As a part of the application process, you must prove that you will be conducting fieldwork- including online fieldwork. The #ResearchforChange Grant contains an $850.00 USD research scholarship, which is specifically designated to help researchers cover the financial costs of researching in the field.

  We have given the following examples of how to prove this in the application form: correspondence with the host institution, interview confirmation e-mails, or an internship contract. You can also have your research supervisor write a formal confirmation (you can find a template here) or request an official letter from your home institution’s international office, for example. Please note: a ticket from a transportation company will NOT be sufficient.

  If you are still unsure if you qualify, please feel free to send us an e-mail explaining what documentation you have now or give us an idea of what you will be submitting, and we will be happy to confirm if it is sufficient for our application requirements: grants@maxqda.com

• Q: Can the #ResearchforChange Grant be applied for by a research team?

  No. The #ResearchforChange Grant is to be applied for and received as an individual researcher. If the research is done in conjunction with a team and the grant recipient wishes to pass on their scholarship, then that it is up to their discretion. However, the MAXQDA license, training sessions, and entrance fee waiver to the MQIC will only be issued to the grant recipient and are non-transferable.

• Q: I am applying for/receiving other scholarships/grants. Am I still eligible to apply?

  Yes! The #ResearchforChange Grant will be awarded based on the following selection criteria: The relevance and applicability of the theme „Research for Change“ described in the letter of motivation; Originality and creativity of the research proposal; A well-defined research question; Description of the research methods in the field and analysis methodology using MAXQDA; Content of the letter(s) of recommendation submitted.

• Q: What needs to be included in the Letter of Recommendation section of the application?

  Please have a professor, research supervisor, academic mentor, or program coordinator write a custom LoR for this application. Specific reference to your name, research project, and the 2021 MAXQDA ResearchforChange Grant should be made. The writer’s contact information, signature, and date signed should also be included. If possible, please have the LoR sent directly to you and submit it alongside your application (one PDF).

  Please note: you may submit other (older) LoRs if you wish, but at least one must be customized for this specific application.

• Q: When will the $850.00 Research Scholarship be awarded?

  The application deadline for this semester‘s #ResearchforChange Grant is May 26th, 2021. We will be selecting the three grant recipients shortly thereafter (July 1st at the latest) and then the researchers will receive their cash scholarship by August 31st, 2021 at the latest.

  VERBI Software will wire USD$850.00 (converted into the researcher’s preferred/home currency) via bank transfer. The MAXQDA Analytics Pro Student licenses will also be awarded via e-mail, and the training seminars will be scheduled between the Professional MAXQDA Trainers and the individual researchers directly. The first training session is to be completed by October 14th, 2021 at the latest.

• Q: If I am awarded the grant, when do I have to submit the first fieldwork diary entry?

  One of the main conditions of the #ResearchforChange Grant is that the recipients submit 2 fieldwork diary entries (between 750 -1,500 words each) to MAXQDA at the middle and end of the research process. The timeline as to when these will be submitted is therefore dependent on the individual’s research timeline.

  However, the first fieldwork diary entry is to be submitted no later than November 3rd, 2021. The grant recipient must also complete the necessary edits of each entry with the MAXQDA webteam. The content of the diary entry will be discussed on a case-by-case basis, as will the submission dates of the following entry and any other texts/articles the researcher wishes to submit.

• Q: I will graduate shortly. Can I still apply?

  One of the requirements is that the applicant must be a student or PhD candidate enrolled at a higher learning institution (college, university, trade school, etc.) at the time of their (online) fieldwork. If this is the case, then you can certainly apply.

• Q: My research project is not required by my institution and is not a part of my thesis or dissertation. Can I stilll apply?

  Yes, as long as you meet 3 following criteria:

  • You are a student or PhD candidate enrolled at a higher learning institution (college, university, trade school, etc.)
  • You are conducting qualitative or mixed methods (online) fieldwork related to climate change and/or climate action.
  • Your fieldwork will commence by September 29th, 2021.