Now Live: Applications for the 2026 APSA Institute for Civically Engaged Research (ICER), a four-day, residential institute offering political scientists training to conduct ethical and rigorous civically engaged research.
APSA’s Institute for Civically Engaged Research (ICER) is a four-day, residential institute that provides political scientists with training to conduct ethical and rigorous civically engaged research.
Up to 20 scholars will be selected as ICER Fellows and invited to attend the 2026 Summer Institute. ICER Fellows will network with other like-minded political scientists, and together, learn best practices for conducting academically robust, mutually beneficial scholarship in collaboration with communities, organizations, and agencies outside of academia. ICER is organized in partnership with UCLA Social Sciences and the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with generous support from the Haynes Foundation.
The 2026 Summer Institute
The 2026 Summer Institute will be held in person at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA, from July 13–16. Approximately twenty fellows will meet each day for intensive discussions and workshops. Thanks to support from the Haynes Foundation, participants will have access to complimentary housing on the UCLA campus, along with scholarships to help defray the costs of meals and travel.
Applicants are expected to seek financial support from their home institution, but admission will not be affected by financial need.
To apply, please complete the form located here. Applications are due by April 15, 2026.
What is Civically Engaged Research?
Scholars across disciplines are grappling with how to produce rigorous scholarship that addresses significant social challenges in collaboration with communities, organizations, and agencies outside of academia. Civically engaged political science research involves collaborating in a mutually beneficial way with partners beyond the academy to co-produce, share, and apply knowledge related to power or politics that contributes to self-governance.
APSA’s Institute for Civically Engaged Research
ICER trains political scientists at all career stages in best practices for conducting civically engaged research (CER). The 2026 Institute Directors are Peter Levine (Tufts University), Samantha Majic (John Jay College & The CUNY Graduate Center), and Adriano Udani (University of Minnesota).
How to Apply
ICER is not intended for scholars who already have extensive CER experience; it is designed for political scientists who wish to learn about or transition into CER. The program is best suited to early- and mid-career scholars, and advanced graduate students nearing completion of their doctoral program are also welcome to apply. ICER is especially interested in gathering scholars interested in partnering with government officials, policy practitioners, and/or community organizers for CER projects.
To apply, please complete the form located here. Applications are due April 15, 2026 (11:59 pm PT), and applicants will be notified of decisions by early May 2026.
Topics to Be Covered
- How to do civically engaged research: Practical guidance on initiating, designing, and sustaining collaborative research across fields and sectors.
- Scholarly engagement: What political scientists uniquely contribute to CER, the limits of scholarly expertise, and the value of working across disciplines and practitioner/community knowledge.
- Ethics: Sharing credit and resources fairly; managing disagreement; navigating IRB and other institutional constraints.
- Career considerations: Aligning engaged research with publication, tenure/promotion, and funding.
- Communicating impact: Strategies for sharing findings and articulating value to partners, communities, policymakers, media, and the public.
- Engaging with different kinds of partners: Why and how to engage with governments, communities, social movements, and other partners.
For more information about ICER, please visit our website. If you have further questions about the institute, please contact APSA’s Centennial Center at centennial@apsanet.org.
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