ORCA Launches the MA3 Challenge Round 2
The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA), in partnership with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (the Academy) and the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program, has launched the second round of the Modernizing Academic Appointment and Advancement (MA3) Challenge. The program is designed to close the gap between what U.S. higher education institutions value and what their incentive systems actually reward.
The second round will award up to six new $250,000 grants for institution-wide or large-division reform efforts, complementing our inaugural awardee cohort already piloting meaningful incentive reforms that foster a collaborative, responsive, and transparent research environment. Applications open on September 14 and close on January 8, 2027.
The grants are paired with participation in a community of practice, which will meet regularly over the two-year duration of the program to exchange insights, troubleshoot obstacles, identify promising avenues for reform, and accelerate learning across institutions.
“Changing academic incentives is not simply a matter of identifying better policies or writing new criteria,” says ORCA Executive Director, Greg Tananbaum. “Institutions need the capacity, leadership, relationships, and support to make change possible. Through this next round of grants, our landscape analysis, and the learning generated by the MA3 community, we hope to better understand not only what reform should look like, but what it actually takes to make it happen and sustain it.”
ORCA and the Academy will also continue to convene higher education leaders and other thought partners in 2027 to explore the next frontier of academic incentive reform, including how reform can take hold within the distinct cultures and incentive structures of academic disciplines.
Academy President Laure Patton shares, “academic careers are shaped by the scholarship, collaboration, and contributions that universities value. The Academy is partnering with ORCA and the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program to understand, assess, and reform the systems that create the professoriate. Together, with higher education institutions, we can promote lasting and positive change.”
The MA3 Challenge is supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Dana Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Office hours are held weekly on Thursdays to support potential applicants. Check the website for application details and to register for upcoming information sessions.
About ORCA
The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) is a non-profit focused on making science more engaging, accessible, and actionable. More about our work may be found at https://www.orcaopen.org/work
Learn More / Apply
Visit: https://MA3Challenge.org
Media Contact:
Caitlin Schleicher, Director of Community and Partnerships at ORCA
