Applicants may submit one Collaborative Project proposal per annual cycle. More than one proposal in the same cycle will not be considered.

Of particular interest in these calls are projects that draw upon multiple intellectual traditions and/or interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary fields in order to develop more robust and nuanced understandings of topics than are possible within traditional disciplinary vocabularies, categories, and self-descriptions. Though proposals should demonstrate emphasis on the humanities, special consideration will be given to projects that engage the arts, social sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and other fields of study.

Workshop, Symposia and Conference Awards support skill-building, research development and/or dissemination events hosted at UC Riverside. Though ranging in scale and audience, these events bring a variety of UC, national and international scholars/artists together at UC Riverside (in person or online) for one or more days to learn, share research and explore topics of mutual interest in an interdisciplinary environment.

Interdisciplinary Working Groups: Cross-departmental groups of faculty and graduate students to explore a theme or subject matter of common interest over the course of an academic year at UC Riverside. Working group goals might include development of cross-disciplinary expertise, research related to potential grant applications, consultation with subject matter experts to support new UCR initiatives, or other creative outcomes that arise from transdisciplinary engagement. Possible uses of the funds include but are not limited to guest lectures, panel discussions, works-in-progress workshops and public-facing or community-engaged projects. Up to $500 may be spent on internal working group meetings. Modest participation stipends ($300-$500) may be provided to graduate student presenters.

Workshops: Public or campus-facing learning experiences that teach skills and develop understanding and/or application of new knowledge.

Symposia: Smaller scale, public or campus-facing research presentations, typically with 1-2 panels of interlocutors. May also include a keynote speaker.

Conferences: Larger scale, public facing research presentations, typically over 2 days, and featuring keynote speakers and 3 or more panel presentations. May also include receptions, formal dinners or performances in the conference theme.

• Participant payment amounts on Collaborative Awards: minimum $200 – maximum $500
• UCR faculty are eligible for research awards for presentations at conferences or on symposia panels hosted at UC Riverside.
• Faculty from other UC campuses may receive research awards, to be transferred to their home departments
• Faculty from other institutions and guest presenters may be paid honoraria.
• UCR graduate students may receive financial aid stipends for presentations or panel moderation.
• See Expense Estimates Resource – for more details on participant payments 

• All events funded by the Center are free and open to the public.
• All project transactions and processes must adhere to applicable/relevant UC, UCR, and Center policies.
• Expenses must be incurred within the award period and unexpended funds are surrendered at the end of that period.
• Extensions of the grant timeframe are rare but may be requested in writing to the Center executive director.
• Major purchases of non-expendable equipment, course buy-outs, faculty stipends, GSR/student tuition or fees, staffing, alcohol, and personal conference travel are not covered by this award.
• Reusable supplies and equipment purchased with these funds remain the property of the Center.
• Expenditures must be within the categories listed in the proposal budget.
• Written permission is required for budget adjustments or changes to the project scope prior to spending funds.
• CIS awards do not support meetings or annual conferences of professional societies or organizations with paid memberships.
• Proposals that involve personal interviews or experiments with human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board first. Proposals should indicate if IRB approval has been granted and the protocol number. Funds are released only after approval is obtained.
• Administrative and event support may be provided by the Center for Ideas and Society as staffing capacity permits. Where feasible, projects are invited to make use of the Center’s facilities in College Building North.

Reports

After your workshop, we will request a final narrative report that assesses the outcomes (both planned and unexpected) and compares the project as proposed with the project as experienced. What progress was made toward your stated goals? What questions were uncovered or resolved? What challenges did you face? What new areas of research and collaboration were opened? Reports should include a list of participants, audiences reached, and impact on students, classes, teaching, publications, community service, and other methods of research engagement and service.

Acknowledgements and Publicity

Events funded by the center should be posted on the UCR Events Calendar, with the Center for Ideas and Society tagged under ‘Groups’ in the event set up form. The Event Description and flyers should also acknowledge the sponsorship provided. In papers, conference presentations, or other methods of sharing the results of your project, please acknowledge the support of the UC Riverside Center for Ideas and Society.

By accepting the award, you acknowledge that we may share your name, conference title, and/or portions of your narrative report on our website or other reports and promotional materials. This serves our mission by sharing the research of our college with the wider public and helps us emphasize the importance and relevance of humanities-focused projects.