New Internal Grants Program Supports Faculty Creative Activity and Research

The Office of Research has announced a new internal grants program to support faculty research and creative endeavors as well as increase high-quality scholarly output.

“The new Faculty Creative Activities and Research (FCAR) grant provides funding for faculty to pursue and grow their research and creative activities, and to explore new interest areas or methods of inquiry,” says Duncan Brown, vice president for research.

Full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members can apply for project grants of between $1,000 and $5,000. Brown says he expects FCAR grants to be awarded three times annually, at the start of the fall, spring and summer semesters, to provide faculty with maximum flexibility. The total anticipated funding for this cycle is $50,000.

“The new FCAR program is aligned with the Office of Research’s goal to support faculty research and creative activities in all schools and colleges as well as grow the research and creative activities at the University,” says Brown. “By offering this solicitation three times each year, we look forward to seeing a wide range of interesting and innovative proposals.”

May 22 Deadline

The application deadline for the first round of proposals is Monday, May 22, at 5 p.m. Awards will be available for use approximately July 1.

Examples of potential uses for the funds include:

• Book publication projects
• Artistic performances
• Exhibitions of creative work
• Efforts to obtain preliminary data, demonstrate feasibility of an approach or method, or contribute to the development of a prototype
• Workshops or symposia to directly enhance research and creative activity
• Travel to conduct fieldwork or research at an archive, special collection or specialized facility, or to present research findings
• Purchase of software, supplies or equipment that supports research and creative activities

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Office of Research at resdev@syr.edu prior to applying to discuss the suitability of their proposed project.

Assessment Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by Office of Research staff members and faculty representatives. Assessment criteria include the intellectual significance of the project and the value it offers to the disciplinary field and general audiences; the soundness of the proposal concept and methodology; and the feasibility of completing the project within the planned timeline and budget.

All eligible faculty may serve as principal investigators; co-principal investigators are not allowed. Individuals are limited to one application per funding cycle. Grants are awarded for one calendar year and principal investigators may only hold one active FCAR grant at a time.

For more information and resources, including project narrative, budget and curriculum vitae templates, budget guidelines, and a link to the application portal are available online. The frequently asked questions resource can also be used as a reference for the application process.