Focused Research Program (FRP) Proposals (Closed for 2026 cycle)

The KEAN-KMI Center for Supply Chain and Maritime Logistics is calling for Focused Research Program (FRP) proposals for the Academic Year 2026-2027. CSCML is excited to support research within the Kean University community. Full-time faculty and research professionals are strongly encouraged to submit proposals that focus on enhancing connectivity, visibility, and traceability along trade routes between Asia and North America, and on finding solutions to ongoing global supply chain disruptions. Funding decisions will be announced in September 2026 for the 2026–2027 academic year. 

The goals of the Focused Research Program (FRP) are to advance Kean's research in supply chain, logistics, and multimodal transportation, and to collaborate with KMI in support of global logistics and supply chain initiatives. This is achieved through strategic planning, design, management, operations, and analytics. The program is specifically designed to support research by faculty and research professionals, with the goal of strengthening future funding opportunities and expanding the program's broader impact. 

The Focused Research Programs (FRPs) are research programs that last for a semester or a year. They are designed to tackle current critical issues in the United States and beyond, reaching across Asia. This program has a defined list of research themes, and their proposals seek faculty and professional staff responsible for managing the project's budget, milestones, and deliverables. Depending on their interests, individuals may propose modifications to the themes or subthemes. The proposal themes cover a list of focused topics as follows, but not limited to: 

1. (Structure & Connectivity) Mapping U.S. Maritime–Rail Intermodal Freight Networks 
2. (Data Connectivity) Integrating Maritime, Port, and Rail Data for End-to-End Freight Visibility 
3. (Tracking PoC) Port-to-Market Multimodal Freight Tracking: A Corridor-Based PoC 
4. (Lead time & Reliability) End-to-End Lead-Time and Reliability Analysis of U.S. Maritime–Rail Supply Chains 
5. (Cost & Route Optimization) Optimizing U.S. Port–Rail Routes under Cost, Lead-Time, and Reliability Trade-offs 
6. (Resilience & Disruption) Resilience of U.S. Maritime–Rail Intermodal Supply Chains under Disruptions 

• Hosting keynote speaker, panel, and conference presenter 
• Hiring student assistants 
• Providing training and career development 
• Purchasing software licenses, data, or equipment 
• Sponsoring conference attendance 
• Supporting publication 
• Sponsoring course release with a department chair’s approval 
• Others (please consult with the CSCML Directors) 

The program directors will review all proposals submitted by the deadline. Each proposal will be evaluated against four key criteria: innovativeness, real-world applicability, thematic alignment, and likelihood of project success. By focusing on these criteria, we aim to ensure the selected projects are innovative, practical, relevant to the missions of CSCML and the University, and achievable. 

The program is for semester or year-long projects. Projects should finalized by the end of June, for each academic year. Each project will be funded for up to $7,500.  

• Project completion: By the end of June 2027 

Requirements:  

• Acknowledgment should be included in conference presentation slides and/or proceedings and/or in publication, if available.  
• The authors should submit the research report, but they will retain the copyright. 
• The center and KMI will share the deliverables and accomplishments through different platforms and channels.  
• The final report should clearly explain the data sources, their availability, and their reliability. 
• The project milestone should include the following activities: 
• Deliver a presentation with preliminary results or a significant literature review and findings at the 4th Annual Conference on Global Supply Chain hosted by the Center on November 18th. 
• Deliver a draft of the final report to reflect feedback from subject experts at a special session organized by the Center (KMI) during the NEDSI Annual Conference 2027. 

Send your proposal in PDF format to the Executive Director, Dr. EunSu Lee, no later than Sunday, September 27, 2026, via https://shorturl.at/csE0J. Dr. Lee will contact the principal investigator (PI) of the selected applications. 

The application should include title, investigator(s), project description and timeline, rationale, budget (itemized), data sets, methodology, primary deliverables, and references. 

NOTE:

Feel free to submit multiple topics, but please note that only one proposal will be funded per PI. We prioritize collaborative research between faculty, professional staff, and students. The purchase of licenses and data is subject to the procedures and approval of the IT guidelines.