GUIDELINES - RRG TOPIC PROPOSALS

The information provided below is intended to assist UC faculty wishing to convene a residential research group (RRG) at the UC Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI).

Deadline: December 15, 2009

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A complete application includes information such as the convener's name, title of proposed research group, etc., as well as the following uploaded documents: project abstract, biographical abstract, project narrative, and abbreviated curriculum vitae.

The online application form must be filled out by the UC faculty member who will serve as the group's Administrative Convener.

Administrative Conveners are normally members of the UC Academic Senate. UCHRI policy allows for only one Administrative Convener; however, this does not preclude more than one intellectual leader within the group who may have contributed to developing the proposal. Other Residential Fellows within the group must fill out an online Fellowship Application Form once the annual Request for Fellows is published. After the UCHRI Advisory Committee approves RRG topics for a given academic year, the Request for Fellows—for UC faculty, visiting scholars (including UC postdoctoral scholars), and graduate students working on related topics—is issued during the fall of the year preceding the residency. Fellowships are awarded competitively after a full-scale review of applications.

Online Application System
Applications must be submitted through the online FASTAPPS system (e-mailed, mailed, or faxed applications will not be accepted). Applicants must be registered with the online application system.

The highlighted tab at the top of each form indicates the current section of the online application. Once you click the "Submit" button at the bottom of a form, the FASTAPPS system automatically advances to the next section and the corresponding tab at the top of the new form becomes highlighted. To move from field to field, use only the Tab key (not the Enter/Return key, which has the same function as the "Submit" button) or click on the field with your mouse.

You may return to your application and make changes at any time prior to the application deadline.


1. RESIDENTIAL RESEARCH GROUP INFORMATION
Provide the information requested in the first form of the online application.

Title of Proposed Residential Research Group Project
Enter the title of the proposed group project.

Time Period Requested for Residency
Enter quarter(s) and year you would prefer for the time period the group would be in residence. If more than one quarter is requested, this must be justified in the proposal narrative.


2. RESEARCH GROUP PROJECT ABSTRACT
The abstract (250 words maximum) should describe the overall subject of the RRG, incorporating the interdisciplinary and collaborative aspects of the project. Abstracts are used in the review process, Request for Fellows, fund-raising proposals, etc.


3. BIOGRAPHICAL ABSTRACT OF UC FACULTY ORGANIZER-ADMINISTRATIVE CONVENER
The brief biographical sketch (100 words maximum) should relate your research foci, relevant publications, and/or works-in-progress. The abstracts of proposers who are selected to receive fellowships will serve as the basis for future publicity for the group and may subsequently be updated.


4. PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
Upload your proposal narrative (4-8 pages).

Significance:
The narrative description should provide a clear statement and discussion of the goals and objectives of the research group. The proposer should make clear the relationship between his/her own work and the proposed RRG, and how the research agenda proposed would benefit from an explicit interdisciplinary approach. Proposers should also include enough in the way of historical and theoretical context to allow scholars unfamiliar with the details of the subject to appreciate the intellectual significance and timeliness of the proposed project. A bibliography or bibliographic narrative situating the project in the scholarly literature should also accompany the proposal.

Budget and Finances:
A budget narrative is not required for residential research group proposals. Designated conveners will work closely with the UCHRI Director on financial considerations for the research group to keep within the limitations stipulated by the Institute and the University. Conveners may also work with UCHRI staff to apply for extramural funding from federal agencies and relevant foundations.

Group Composition:
In order to demonstrate how the group will be generally structured and how different disciplines will contribute to the research agenda, the proposal should include examples of UC scholars who might be candidates for fellowship in the group, commenting on each person's potential relevance to the project; this will help the Committee see how the project is being formulated by the convener. Please use separate page(s) for this description. If the group project is approved, the UCHRI will contact these individuals and other scholars to solicit their interest in applying for a faculty fellowship. All UCHRI programs encourage participation by a range of scholars from different disciplines, at all levels of career development, and from all the UC campuses.

Fellows supplement UCHRI support with sabbatical credits, grants, or other paid leave -- 3 quarter credits for a one-quarter group and 6 quarter credits for a two-quarter group; exception for UC faculty on a semester system: two sabbatical credits per semester in residence. Conveners do not contribute sabbatical credits. Faculty from outside of the University of California are regularly invited to participate in some manner in RRG projects, although residential fellowships for non-UC faculty are available only as resources allow. All conveners and fellows must be committed to being in residence at the UCHRI for the entire term of the project.

Work Plan:
Proposers should provide sufficient programmatic details in order to convey a concrete sense of the nature of the proposed group's activities. Tentative plans, showing general research group goals and organization, should be included. An indication should be made regarding the duration of the research group residency, one or two quarters, with justification if a two-quarter residency is requested. There will be opportunity for the work plan to be revised once the fellows are identified, but the proposer should be as concrete and detailed as possible about the work agenda at this point in the project.

Publication:
Dissemination of research findings is an important expectation for an RRG. The product of group research has been most often a published volume, although appropriate alternatives might be a museum installation or CD-ROM, depending on the nature of the group research project. The proposer should be explicit about how the results of the research group will be disseminated. The UCHRI has a working relationship with the University of California Press as well as connections with other publishers as possible outlets for volumes from the Institute's residential groups. Royalties on volumes resulting from UCHRI RRGs belong to the Institute and are used to generate a fund for permissions and other expenses relating to future volumes. The first $1,000 in royalties for any residential group collective product would go to the UCHRI; any royalties above that amount would be split 50-50 among the UCHRI and the fellows in a group.

Evaluation of Proposals:
Funding decisions are made upon the recommendation of the UCHRI Advisory Committee. All proposals for RRGs are evaluated according to the following key criteria:

Quality of the Proposal: How well does the proposed group meet the UCHRI's intellectual goals and standards? Is the project clearly conceived? Is the proposal sufficiently detailed to permit reviewers to judge its quality?

Significance: Is the proposed research innovative and timely? Does the proposer establish the significance of the project, its originality, and its ability to build on and influence a field or fields? (In cases where the UCHRI has recently funded a similar project, preference may be given to an area not previously funded.)

Interdisciplinarity: The proposed project must have a clearly identified rationale for why collaboration across disciplines is necessary for the success of the project. Will the impact reach beyond a single discipline?

Maximizing the Residency Experience: Is there a clear rationale for residency? Can the goals of this project be achieved without residency? How will assembling an interdisciplinary group of scholars for an extended period advance scholarship on a given subject? Most groups are in residence for one or two quarters, or a semester. Again, the proposer is asked to justify the length of time requested for the residency if more than one quarter.

UC "Critical Mass": Will the project enhance the community of UC humanists? Is there a critical mass of potential participants across the UC system? Does the proposed research have the potential to enhance national and international connections for UC humanists? Does the list of potential UC participants include the best possible people to treat the proposed subject? (It is expected that, by means of the fellowship application process that follows the approval of the group concept, additional candidates will be identified who may not be known to either the proposer or the UCHRI Advisory Committee at the time that the proposal for an RRG is submitted.) Do the proposed participants represent a variety of backgrounds and career stages?

5. ABBREVIATED CURRICULUM VITAE
Abbreviated CV of the UC Faculty Organizer/Administrative Convener:
Upload your abbreviated curriculum vitae (4 pages maximum).


6. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE
If a UCHRI grant is awarded as a result of this residential research group application, the organizer must agree to accept responsibility for the conduct of the project and to provide the required reports and information.


Once you click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form, your application will be complete. Your application will be available for you to edit until the application deadline.

For technical assistance, contact techsupport@hri.uci.edu.

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