The International Institute of Forecasters and SAS® are funding two $10,000 grants to support research on forecasting. Per the announcement:

For the eighteenth year, the IIF, in collaboration with SAS®, is proud to announce financial support for research on improving forecasting methods and business forecasting practice. The award for this year will be (2) $10,000 grants. The deadline date for applications is October 1, 2021.

Forecasting research has seen major changes in the theoretical ideas underpinning forecasting effectiveness over the last 40 years. However, there has been less impact on forecasting practice. This grant award will offer financial support for research on how to improve forecasting methods, and business forecasting practice, including organizational aspects of management of the forecasting process.

This grant was created in 2003 by the IIF, with financial support from the SAS® Institute, in order to promote research on forecasting principles and practice. The fund is divided to support research on (1) how to improve forecasting methods and (2) business forecasting practice and applications. To learn more and to apply for this grant, visit our website.

Application Details

For more details, click here IIF-SAS award. Applications must include:

• Description of the project (4 page max)
• Brief c.v., including references (4 page max)
• Budget and work-plan for the project (1 page max)

All applications must be in pdf format and sent to IIF Business Director

Criteria for the award of the grant will include likely impact on forecasting methods and business applications.

Consideration will be given to new researchers, and whether supplementary funding is likely to be gained. It is also expected that the research supported by the SAS/IIF grant be presented in an International Symposium on Forecasting (ISF) organized by the IIF. The applications will be assessed through a committee appointed by the IIF directors. The results of the evaluation will be announced to the applicants within 12 weeks of the closing date.

Grant recipients are also required to author a paper reporting on their research for possible publication in the International Journal of Forecasting (IJF). Therefore it is useful to keep in mind the IJF suggestions for authors.

In addition to the advances made at our academic research institutions, there is also considerable innovation coming from practitioners -- as we've seen in the M4 and M5 Forecasting Competitions. Practitioners are encouraged to submit proposals.

Learn about previous recipients, on the IIF website. Last year's recipients:

• Hussain Syed Kazmi, KU Leuven; and Maria Paskevich, King (Activision-Blizzard), for the project proposal in the category of Business Applications, Incorporating Downstream, Task-Specific Information in Forecasting Models.
• Ahmed Aziz​ Ezzat, Rutgers University, for the project proposal in the category of Methodology, Forecasting in Unknown Territory: Towards Physically Motivated Learning for Local Wind Fields.

Application deadline is October 1, 2021.