Science & Society Initiative

Science & Society Initiative

Many of the most pressing issues facing modern society can be addressed to a large extent by social and behavioral science research. For example, poverty, behavioral health, misinformation, global warming, food insecurity, lost human capital, and fast-paced technological innovation are challenges that, at their core, involve social and behavioral phenomena. By tackling these and other relevant topics, social and behavioral science research has the potential to improve the quality of life for people across the nation and around the world.

Key to realizing this potential is ensuring findings yielded by social and behavioral science research reach the public. Indeed, translating findings into meaningful and applicable activities that enhance people’s lives is increasingly important to funding agencies. For instance, compelling broader impacts activities are now a crucial element of funding decisions at the National Science Foundation, and many private foundations often fund research only if the societal benefits are clear.

Our Science and Society Initiative provides support for social and behavioral scientists to communicate and connect with a wider audience, generate scientific and learning opportunities for communities outside the traditional academic realm, and ultimately, secure research funding.

Stages where we help

The Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) offers support at every stage of the process. Regardless of where you are in your research and proposal development, we are here to assist you in:

Design & Concept

Effective science and society activities are woven into research from the onset. CSBS can help you design feasible and effective activities that benefit society.

Proposal Development

CSBS can provide guidance on how to integrate science and society activities into your proposal to maximize the appeal of you research to proposal reviewers.

Implement & Execute

CSBS can help you implement your activities to amplify the contribution of your research to society. We can also aid in tracking, as well as reporting outcomes relevant to stakeholders.

Strengthen your Science and Society activities

CSBS can help take your science and society activities to the next level in several strategic areas. While we plan to expand our services in the future, we are currently providing support in the following areas:

  • Partnering and collaborating with the community. CSBS can facilitate and guide your engagement and partnership with local organizations to build successful and sustainable relationships that empower our community and improve society.
  • Communication, translation, and dissemination. CSBS can help you design products to share your findings with community members, policymakers, and others. Examples of communicative products include educational materials, white papers, podcasts, and more.
  • Monitoring and evaluation. CSBS can assist you in evaluating the effectiveness and impact of your activities, from evaluation design to measurement consultations. Use your evaluation results to show funders the societal impact of your work in your next proposal.

Do you want to work with CSBS on your science and society activities? For example, are you working on a National Science Foundation proposal and would like assistance with your broader impacts? No matter what stage you are at, we are here to help. Contact us at CSBScience@illinois.edu.