Neubauer Family Collegium for Culture and Society

The Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society invites applications for ambitious new research projects involving collaboration and scholarly exchange. Applications are due November 4, 2014 for projects that will begin in summer/autumn 2015. Complete details are available at http://neubauercollegium.uchicago.edu/cfp/.

Program Description

The Neubauer Collegium provides financial and administrative support for research projects that enable University of Chicago faculty to pursue complex questions that require collaboration. Project activities may involve any combination of working group meetings, conferences, performances, short-term or long-term faculty Visiting Fellows (from one month to one academic year), course instruction, research assistance, or any other relevant form of collaborative inquiry. Project activities should be designed in whatever form the applicants think best fits the nature of the questions they are asking. One of the goals of the Neubauer Collegium is to encourage experimentation in the conceptualization of collaborative work – as such, we welcome proposals that lead outside the boundaries of particular disciplines, or even challenge the nature of those boundaries themselves.

Types of projects supported

Neubauer Collegium proposals are solicited for the following programs:

1.       Large-Scale Collaborative Projects: The Neubauer Collegium supports a limited number of large-scale collaborative projects each year. These can be multi-year projects (1-3 years), and may include whatever type of collaborative activities the proposing faculty deem most appropriate to the questions they are pursuing. Requests for support may range from $25,000/year-$100,000/year over the duration of the project (up to $300,000 total for a three-year project).

2.       Seed Projects: The Neubauer Collegium supports seed projects for faculty teams wishing to explore collaborative topics at a stage not sufficiently developed for a large-scale award. Seed Projects may be multi-year (1-3 years), and may include whatever type of collaborative activities the proposing faculty deem most appropriate to the questions they are pursuing. Requests for support are accepted for up to $25,000/year over the duration of the project (up to $75,000 total for a three-year project).

3.       Visiting Fellows: The Neubauer Collegium can host Visiting Fellows who are not otherwise affiliated with a large-scale or seed project. Nominations for such visitors may be put forward by any individual or group of faculty, and should describe how the Visiting Fellow will catalyze or strengthen collaborative research communities on campus. Although Visiting Fellows may be asked to offer a course, their campus residency is intended to stimulate collaborative research, not to provide curricular coverage. We welcome proposals that include a sabbatical top-off for the visitor while on leave from her/his home institution.

Eligibility

Proposals may originate from teams of collaborators in any discipline, art, science, or administrative unit of the University of Chicago, provided humanistic knowledge and modes of inquiry are central to the pursuit, and provided University of Chicago faculty are engaged in the principal research activities. Current members of the Neubauer Collegium Faculty Advisory Board are ineligible to apply.

Visit our website for additional resources, including downloadable Application Guidelines (PDF), Frequently Asked Questions, and to read about previously awarded projects.

Application

Proposals must be submitted online via the Neubauer Collegium website no later than midnight on November 4, 2014. The application must include a project title, the name(s) and CV(s) of the principal faculty sponsor(s), a 200-250 word abstract, project narrative, and a project budget. Download the Neubauer Collegium Application Guidelines for complete details regarding the application process.

Prospective applicants are invited to consult with staff at the Neubauer Collegium during proposal development. Please contact collegium@uchicago.edu.