The American Institute of CPAs’ Assurance Research Advisory Group has released a request for proposals on assurance-related research that it can fund with up to $15,000.

The RFP is looking for research on assurance-related topics of interest to CPAs. The AICPA plans to use the research to inform its private company standard-setting process, along with the AICPA’s Enhancing Audit Quality initiative.

The AICPA’s Assurance Research Advisory Group is a group of practitioners and academics who are collaborating with the American Accounting Association on reviewing and approving academic research proposals on topics such as audit quality, risk assessment and response, materiality, levels of assurance, emerging technologies and specialization. The research topics came from various AICPA and state CPA society committees, focusing on domestic assurance engagements that aren’t required to be performed under PCAOB auditing standards. The AICPA hopes to support empirical research using any appropriate research method, along with literature reviews and syntheses, descriptive analyses and meta analyses.

“The AICPA is once again welcoming assurance-related research that plays a pivotal role in our mission to enhance audit quality,” said AICPA executive vice president for public practice Susan S. Coffey in a statement. “This year’s areas of interest will offer the academic community an opportunity to provide important audit and assurance insights in six key areas, including emerging technologies, like blockchain and artificial intelligence.”

Approved research proposals can receive up to $15,000 in funding and, where relevant, access to personnel, peer reviewers or firm data gathered by the AICPA Peer Review Program with the consent of the firm. The AICPA developed the program with the Center for Audit Quality, whose research award program has a public company focus.

Any accounting educator can to submit a proposal. The AICPA is encouraging research teams to use the ARAG proposal template to make sure all the required elements are included. The deadline for submission is on or before 12:00 midnight EDT, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018. The recipients of the research grant awards will be announced no later than Feb. 28, 2019.

For proposal submission instructions and other relevant information, click here.