SSRC Faculty Seed Grant Request for Proposals

The third request for proposals for the Social Sciences Research Center Faculty Seed Grant Program has been issued. These one- to two-year grants will support early or novel stage research by SSD faculty, with an emphasis on projects broader than any single discipline. The attached call outlines the application requirements and grant amounts. The deadline to apply is 5:00 PM, Central Time, January 17, 2020.

Applications may be made online via the University of Chicago Funding Portal; if needed, details on creating an account and logging in are available at the bottom of the call.

The Social Sciences Research Center offers one- to two-year seed grants to faculty in the Division of the Social Sciences intended to support early or novel stage research, with a special focus on research projects that exceed the boundaries of any one discipline. Priority will be given to projects expected to be highly competitive for funding once scaled. Proposals from junior faculty and for multi-investigator projects are encouraged. Projects may start as soon as March 1, 2020. 

Amount 
Support is offered in a range of $5,000 – $50,000.  

Exclusions 
Funds may not be used for summer salary or course buyouts. Funds may not be used for direct support to faculty collaborators outside of the University of Chicago. 

Eligibility 
Principal Investigator must be faculty in the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Proposed projects should be cross-disciplinary and/or collaborative in nature. 

Application 
Please submit your application via fundingopportunities.uchicago.edu no later than 5 p.m. Central Time on January 17, 2020. All applications require: 

A narrative of no more than four pages including: 

1. Major research question Describe the major social science question or topic to be investigated. 
2. Research approach and methodology Describe the methods or approaches your research team will be using and why a cross-disciplinary approach will shed new light on the topic. 
3. Anticipated results Describe the potential impact of this project and measures for success. 

A project budget with budget justification 

Up-to-date CVs for all affiliated faculty 

Additional Information to be input into the application form: 

1. Plans for future growth Explain how you anticipate your project will scale, either in terms of a larger collaboration or to be funded by a larger grant. 
2. Current and Pending Support List any current and pending support you have received/may receive for this project, including the funding source. 
3. Innovation Describe the “pilot” aspect of this project or how the project takes a novel approach in examining earlier research. 
4. Partial Funding Could this project move forward with partial funding?

Requirements 
Faculty receiving seed grants will be asked to submit a summary of their findings at the end of each year and agree to present research findings at an annual event. 

To Apply 
Please apply online at the University of Chicago Funding Portal. University of Chicago users can log in directly with a CNetID. If you are a first time visitor to the portal and do not have a CNetID, you will need to sign up for an account. Once you have logged in, funding opportunities are listed in the home screen table. Navigate to “SSRC Faculty Seed Grant Program” to start your application. Once you have started an application, you will be able access it directly under your “Applications” tab during future visits.