Faculty Research Collaboratives
Eligibility
PI Eligibility
CHASS Faculty (ladder rank and LSOE)College administrators or other faculty with oversight of CIS programs are excluded from eligibility due to conflicts of interest.
CO-PI Eligibility
CO-PIs (co-applicants): UC faculty, staff or graduate students. CHASS graduate students may partner closely with CHASS faculty to co-lead a project, where both are substantially involved in the design and hosting of the event(s).
Award Amount
Up to $3000
Deadline
Feb 8, 2027
About Faculty Research Collaboratives
Awards support departmental and cross-departmental groups of faculty and graduate students for collective exploration of a theme or subject matter of common interest over the course of an academic year at UC Riverside. Themes and methods may draw from a variety of fields but the foundation of the proposed project should be fully grounded in the humanities.
Formats may include faculty seminars, working groups, or other collaborative research models. Project goals could include development of cross-disciplinary expertise through thematic study, exploration of new methods or theoretical frameworks, mentorship and works-in-progress presentations, or other formats designed to engage participants in collaborative study.
Potential group activities or outcomes could include:
- Public events
- Shared reading lists, bibliographies
- Project development, manuscript submissions
- “Lightning talk” formats for research networking
- Roundtable discussions of group findings
- Grant applications
- Mentorship networks
- Community building
Participation
- PI: CHASS Faculty
- Group composition
- Minimum 4 CHASS Faculty members
- At least 50% of the group CHASS Faculty
- Up to 25% of the group CHASS Graduate Students
- Series of regular meetings (minimum 3) hosted at UCR through the year
Awards of up to $3000 for seminar materials, meeting expenses, guest speaker and/or event expenses. Modest participation stipends ($300-$500) may be provided to graduate students. Maximum $500 honorarium amount for guest speakers. Faculty presenters from other UC campuses will be offered research awards rather than honoraria. UCR faculty are not eligible for research awards or honoraria.
Proposed projects should not reproduce or substantially overlap with existing programs, seminars/courses, or event series at UCR.
Application Preview & Proposal Guidance
The application form is organized into distinct sections, and you will need to complete all required fields and upload supporting documents. We suggest that you prepare your proposal content beforehand and copy/paste it into the form.
Applicant & Project Information
You will need to provide:
- Your email address
- Your name and role (PI or Convener)
- Your home department at CHASS
- Your Co-PIs, collaborators, or co-organizers (names, departments, and email addresses)
- The Project Title and Project Type (Interdisciplinary Working Group, Workshop, Symposium, or Conference)
- A Project Abstract
Project Proposal
This section is for the core of your proposal. You should have the content for the following three sections prepared and ready to paste into the form’s text fields. Reviewers will evaluate this information based on the select criteria so applicants are encouraged to shape the proposal with the criteria in mind. (See ‘Review Criteria’)
- Research Framework: Describe how your proposal is grounded in the humanities and fosters collaboration. Outline the proposed area of study and the rationale for the necessity of the project
- Project Goals & Impact: Detail the project’s goals, anticipated outcomes, and impact on research, teaching, and community relations
- Description of Activity: Provide a detailed description of the proposed activities, including a reading list, schedule, format, and information on participants and audience
Supporting Documents & Budget
This final section is for uploading required documents and providing detailed budget information.
- PI CV: You must upload a 2-page version of your CV
- List of participants, committed or invited
- Collaborator CVs: You can also upload 2-page CVs for any collaborators
- Bibliography: Option to upload a bibliography (limit 2 pages)
- Budget Details: Provide a detailed explanation of how the requested funds will be allocated and the necessity of those expenses (See ‘Budget Narratives’)
- Funding Information: You will be asked about any other funding (committed or tentative) available to support this project
Review Criteria
Research Framework
- The extent to which the project is grounded in the humanities and fosters collaboration
- The importance of the questions, problems, themes and/or issues that the project seeks to address
- The extent to which the project has appropriately taken account of existing research and scholarship and the appropriateness, effectiveness, and feasibility of the proposed approach or research methods
Project Impact
- Potential of the project to inspire or lay groundwork for future research, programs, grants, or community relationships
Description of Activities
- The use of formats and venues that are open and accessible to campus and community audiences, where applicable
- The capacity of the proposed format to enhance or develop insights into these themes or issues and the feasibility of timelines and/or milestones
- The suitability of proposed participants to complete or significantly advance the project given their experience and the project’s themes and/or issues
- The inclusion of diverse voices and disciplinary/interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary perspectives
Budget Narratives
Detailed budget information is required in the application. In the Budget Narrative section, provide estimates for each expected expenditure and a brief description of the category.
Sample Narrative: “The Humanists in History Collective requests funding to support three group manuscript sessions (Catering $250 x 3; Graduate student awards $300 x 2), a public roundtable discussion (Travel for two UC faculty from UCLA/Irvine $400 x 2; Catering $475), three faculty seminar meetings (Catering $125 x 3) . Total requested = $3000.”
Expense Estimates Resource – Helpful guidance on building project estimates
Refer to the ‘Award Terms & Guidelines’ for additional information on allowable expenses.
Award Terms & Guidelines
- Participant payment amounts maximum $500
- 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 project closes, 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?
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.
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