Social Sciences Annual Institute Request for Proposals

A Five-Year Experiment in Promoting Innovation in the Social Sciences

Round Four

Pre-Proposals Due: October 5, 2012

Purpose:
The future of social science is increasingly recognized to require a crossing of traditional disciplinary boundaries. The purpose of the Social Sciences Annual Institute (SSAI), sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, is to support innovative directions in the social sciences. To this end, the Social Science Annual Institute will support a small team of scholars to organize activities, seed-grant proposals, and presentations around a significant emerging theme within the social sciences, or one that crosses disciplinary lines with a substantial inclusion of social sciences. In addition to creating opportunities across campus to focus on the theme, each team will be expected to produce something with lasting effect, such as major proposals for funding, publications, or significant events that inform the broader scholarly community.

Resources:
Proposals may include requests for seed funds to support new scholarly activities, to bring visitors to campus, to commission papers, to organize symposia, or to secure assistance in developing a major proposal. Up to $50,000 will be available to fund each project occurring in the September 2013-April 2014 time frame, as part of the OVPR/Rackham Initiatives Program. Rackham will contribute two semesters of funding for one PhD candidate per project. Graduate student funding is in addition to the $50,000 and does not need to be included in your proposal budget. Up to two projects will be funded.

Faculty selected to be on the team(s) leading the year’s activities may wish to seek a “service holiday” from their departments, schools and colleges. We will do our best to help negotiate this.

Process and Approaches:
By October 5, 2012 a two-page proposal must be submitted describing the theme, proposed activities, and expected outcomes for the Social Sciences Annual Institute. It is anticipated that the program will have a bigger potential impact than might normally be expected of usual projects.

Invitations to submit a full proposal will be released on October 19, 2012 which will be due by November 16, 2012. The faculty members involved may be asked to meet with the selection committee.

Proposals should be submitted electronically to OVPR at socsci-institute@umich.edu.

Evaluation:
The selection committee will be composed of the Associate VP for Research, Social Science, Associate VP for Research and Executive Director of Research Administration and three senior faculty chosen by the Vice President for Research. A decision will be announced in December 2012.

An independent team will evaluate the outcome of the activities and the impact of those activities on the U-M and the social sciences. We also recognize that it may take several years to fully understand the impact of a set of activities.

Space Needs:
If additional/designated space is required for the selected initiative, OVPR and Rackham will work with appropriate schools/colleges to address space concerns.

Cost-sharing:
Unit participation is expected for this initiative and will be negotiated in the final selection process to ensure that cost-sharing is provided by the unit that will ultimately receive funding.

Questions can be addressed to Toni C. Antonucci or Marvin Parnes at socsci-institute@umich.edu.

PDF of announcement: SSAI.Round.Four