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Advisory

AICPA Seeking Assurance Research Proposals

ARAG, a group of practitioners and academics formed in collaboration with the American Accounting Association, will review and approve academic research proposals that address questions with a nexus to the following topics.

Jul. 19, 2016

The American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) Assurance Research Advisory Group (ARAG) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for research that addresses assurance topics of interest to the CPA profession. The new initiative will help support the AICPA’s Enhancing Audit Quality (EAQ) initiative.

ARAG, a group of practitioners and academics formed in collaboration with the American Accounting Association, will review and approve academic research proposals that address questions with a nexus to the following topics:

  • Audit Quality
  • Audit Documentation
  • Risk Assessment and Response
  • Limited Assurance

Research topics were solicited from various AICPA and state CPA society committees and are focused on domestic assurance engagements that are not required to be performed in accordance with PCAOB auditing standards. The AICPA is interested in supporting empirical research using any appropriate research method, as well as literature reviews and syntheses, descriptive analyses and meta analyses. Approved research proposals will be eligible for up to $15,000 in funding and, where applicable, access to firm personnel or firm data gathered by the AICPA Peer Review Program. The program was developed in coordination with the Center for Audit Quality, whose research award program has a public company focus.

“In providing funding and resources, our goal is to support research related to the most-pressing private company audit issues,” said AICPA Senior Vice President for Public Practice and Global Alliances Susan Coffey, CPA, CGMA. “Our hope is that the research will provide valuable insights into the factors that affect the quality of assurance services and can be used to support the Institute’s Enhancing Audit Quality initiative.”

The deadline for submission of research proposals is Friday, October 14, 2016. ARAG anticipates announcing research grant awards in early 2017.

For proposal submission instructions and other pertinent information, visit www.aicpa.org/arag.