ECI Working Group Proposals
Fall 2009
Deadline: December 15, 2009
Funding is available through ECI for approximately three working groups during the 2009-2010 academic year. The purpose of ECI funded working groups is to develop new interdisciplinary courses, publications or proposals and to increase the level of interdisciplinary collaboration at Brown and between Brown and other affiliated institutions. Working group budgets range between $3000 and $15,000. A separate, small grant opportunity (less than $2500) operates on a rolling basis.
Groups which received funding last year are eligible for additional funding if they have substantially accomplished what they proposed last year. New applications in any area of environmental change are also welcome.
Working groups may take any of several formats, including but not limited to:
- Graduate seminars
- Winter break or spring break intensives
- Regular discussion groups
- Weekend workshops
Successful proposals will meet three key criteria:
- Lay out a plan for developing new research concepts, collaborations, or teaching approaches
- Include faculty and concepts from at least two departments or institutions
- Clearly state a specific intended outcome such as a
- Funding proposal (if possible, cite a specific RFP)
- New course proposal
- Publication (state target journals, if possible)
A complete proposal will consist of:
- Two to three page narrative describing the proposed project, its novelty and relevance, background information adequate to permit evaluation by faculty from disparate departments, and the proposed outcome, work plan and timeline.
- List of participants. A majority of listed faculty should be affiliated with ECI or be willing to become ECI affiliates.
- Budget: Maximum $15,000. Allowable budget items include summer salary for faculty, funding for graduate or undergraduate assistants, travel to develop collaborations, sample costs for pilot data, geographic or other data sets.
Proposals must be submitted to Martha_Downs@brown.edu no later than midnight December 15. The review committee will consist of the ECI director, plus one faculty member each from Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Geological Sciences, and Sociology.