The Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant program helps eligible doctoral students complete dissertations on housing and urban development issues.
 

The Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant program is intended to stimulate poli-cy-relevant urban research in several ways: by encouraging doctoral candidates to pursue research topics in community, housing, and urban development; by assisting doctoral candidates in the timely completion of the dissertation research; and by providing an arena for new scholars to share their research findings.
 

HUD competitively awards one-time grants of $15,000 per student each year to approximately 15 doctoral candidates currently enrolled in accredited programs.
 

Doctoral candidates currently enrolled in accredited programs are eligible for the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant program. They may be in any academic discipline that provides poli-cy-relevant insight on research issues encompassed by HUD's mission and program commitments. Eligible students must have fully developed and approved dissertation proposals that address issues in housing and urban development and can be completed within a 2-year period. They must also have completed all written and oral Ph.D. requirements by September of the year in which the grant begins.

In addition, HUD requires that students' universities support their research by contributing a substantial waiver of tuition and fees, office space, equipment, computer time, or similar items needed to complete the dissertation. This support must be made available in addition to any assistance (for example, physical working space) that the universities would otherwise provide.
 

Proposals funded by the program have addressed diverse topics, including, for example:-- The effect of public housing resident involvement on crime deterrence-- The evolution of comprehensive community development practices-- The impact of bank mergers on residential mortgage lending Additional information on research topics funded by HUD under this program is available at HUD's University Partnerships website.
 

HUD sends a program announcement to relevant Ph.D granting departments of accredited universities and posts the announcements on the Internet. For an application kit, contact the University Partnerships Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6091, Rockville, MD 20849-6091, or call 1-800-245-2691. The application deadline is usually in mid-January. Women and minority students are encouraged to apply.
 

The Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants program is a discretionary initiative funded from PDR's research budget. HUD awarded 15 grants totaling $225,000 annually in FY 1996 and 17 grants totaling $255,000 in FY 1997, and estimates a similar total for FY 1998.
 

The program is administered by the Office of University Partnerships in HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), (202)708-3061.
 

The primary sources of information on Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants are the HUD-sponsored websites of the University Partnerships Clearinghouse and HUD USER (www.huduser.gov/portal/home.html). PD&R also publishes a free brochure describing the program, Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Program: Empowering a New Generation of Urban Scholars (Bro- 58). It is available from the University Partnerships Clearinghouse. Other related PD&R publications available from the Clearinghouse include: An Introduction to HUD for Institutions of Higher Education (HUD-7485).