Multidisciplinary Ventures and Seminars Fund

Guidelines and Application

Deadlines: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

This fund is designed to provide partial support for new projects involving full-time faculty and librarians from at least two different disciplines working together. Its purpose is to furnish seed money to help collaborative projects get underway and thereby to encourage interdisciplinary exchange, intellectual growth into new and multidisciplinary areas of inquiry, and external grant funding emanating from such activities.

Proposals are encouraged in all areas of intellectual inquiry, contemporary and historical, that draw together two or more disciplines in an innovative way, including those fostering the University goals of globalization and internationalization of research and creative activities. The project may center on research, instruction, outreach, or seminar activity. To be eligible for funding it must be coordinated by two or more full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty or librarians from the Indiana University-Bloomington campus representing at least two different disciplines and with primary academic homes in different schools or in different departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. The quality of the proposal, including a clear plan and rationale and a detailed budget;

2. The interdisciplinary nature of the project;

3. Evidence of previous success of the participants in their respective fields;

4. Evidence of outside financial support or prospects for such support;

5. The expected tangible or lasting effects of the project for the university community;

6. The projected contribution to undergraduate or graduate education.

Examples of projects that have been funded in the recent past include: Democracy and Democracy Promotion in Europe: Contested Meanings, Alternative Possibilities; Nineteenth Century Modernity; Social Research on Race: Fresh Voices, Seasoned Veterans; Culture, Environmental Health and Movement in the Dominican Alps: Community-integrated Transdisciplinary Workshops in the Applied Sociomedical Sciences at Indiana University; and Building Sustainable Food Knowledge and Practices: An Interdisciplinary Seminar Series.

Proposals must include the following information:

1. A cover sheet indicating the names, campus addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, email, and addresses of the applicants; the title of the project; duration of the project.

2. Abstract: brief description of the project, purpose and significance, and anticipated results.

3. Budget.

4. Plan and rationale: how the project will be organized and executed, and provide rationale for the project and the methods and procedures used.

5. Supporting letters of recommendation if appropriate and desired.

6. Current, brief curriculum vitae for each proposed participant.

7. Signatures of the applicants.

The application form is attached below, or is available in print form upon request from the Office for Faculty and Academic Affairs (855-2809).

The completed, signed proposal should be submitted to Bryan Hall, Room 111.

The Multidisciplinary Ventures and Seminars Fund Committee will make the final selections. Their decisions will be announced about six weeks after each application deadline. Since the Committee is composed of faculty members from various disciplines who are unlikely to be expert in particular topics proposed, applicants should write in clear prose.

For most collaborative projects, the maximum award will be $5,000, although it is anticipated that most awards will be smaller than this. Major projects involving many faculty from a variety of disciplines may, in extraordinary circumstances, receive funding up to $20,000. There should be at least one additional source of financial support covering a substantial portion of the project’s expenses, or a good prospect of receiving such support. Awards will not cover the cost of food, food services, or IU Conferences fees.

A summary report is due at the end of the project.

The Committee also has at its disposal a small discretionary fund for which applications will be accepted at any time. Requests should not exceed $500. Please mark applications for discretionary funding clearly at the top of the application.

You may direct questions to:

Office for Faculty and Academic Affairs

Bryan Hall, Room 111

855-2809

vpfaa@indiana.edu

Office for Faculty and Academic Affairs

Indiana University – Bloomington Campus

Multidisciplinary Ventures and Seminars Fund Application

Deadlines: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 and

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Project title:

Name:

Rank / Title:

Department / Division of Principal Appointment:

Other Departments / Divisions (if any):

Address:

Phone(s):

E-mail address:

Name:

Rank / Title:

Department / Division of Principal Appointment:

Other Departments / Divisions (if any):

Address:

Phone(s):

E-mail address:

Name:

Rank / Title:

Department / Division of Principal Appointment:

Other Departments / Divisions (if any):

Address:

Phone(s):

E-mail address:

Project Title:

Duration of project:

Abstract (Describe the purpose and significance of the project, including the issue(s) to be explored; the multidisciplinary methodologies and perspectives to be involved; the immediate product or outcome expected; the expected contributions to knowledge; and the expected tangible or lasting effects for the university community):

Plan and Rationale (Describe how the project will be organized and executed, and provide a rationale for the project and the methods and procedures to be used):

Detailed Budget

Please provide a detailed budget here or on an attached page. (Items might include clerical needs, supplies, honoraria for visiting speakers, travel, per diem, etc.)

Project Title:

Amount Req. Amount Req.

Item From MVSF From Other Sources

Subtotals: ____________ _____________

Project Total: _____________

Sources (and amounts) of other Indiana University funds received for this project:

Sources (and amounts) of outside support applied for or received for this project:

Applicants’ signatures:

____________________________________________ Date: __________________________

____________________________________________ Date: ___________________________

Please forward this application, current curriculum vitae, and other relevant information about the professional activities of each participant to Office for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Bryan Hall, Room 111, Indiana University-Bloomington. Supporting letters of recommendation may be included if appropriate and desired, but are not required.