Faculty may apply for funds to support summer research and creative activity

Proposals are now being solicited for the 2012 Western Washington University summer research/creative activity grants. Successful applicants receive $5,000 paid as summer salary. Proposals must be submitted to department chairs by Oct. 6; to deans by Oct. 13; and received in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs with the chairs' and deans' recommendations and rankings by Oct. 20. Notification of awards will occur by November 17.

Grants are awarded for research or scholarly work in the sciences and humanities or for artistic/creative endeavors, but not for the development of curricular materials. The Research Advisory Committee will study each proposal and the recommendations accompanying it and make their evaluations based on the following criteria:

• Applicant eligibility; adherence to stated guidelines;
• Value of the proposed activity;
• Probability of publication of the results or, in the case of the arts, potential for performance or display;
• Possibility of future external funding of the proposed research or creative work;
• Opportunity for expanding professional scholarship of the faculty member; and
• Clarity and coherence of the proposal submitted.

Eligibility requirements are as follows: A faculty member may not receive the award two years consecutively. Applicants must be employed full-time by WWU for the 2011-2012 academic year on a tenured or tenure track position and must have a contract or formal agreement of full employment for the year following the grant period. If the award would immediately follow or precede a sabbatical, it should be clarified in the proposal what will be accomplished during the summer as distinct from the project undertaken or to be undertaken during the sabbatical leave. In addition, faculty receiving summer grants can earn no other income from WWU during the summer except payment for a five-credit course or its equivalent, as the purpose of the grant is to provide free time for research. Faculty members may not receive a summer teaching grant and a summer research grant concurrently.

Application Instructions

Application instructions are available on the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All applications must include the following information (Please use paper clips and binder clips to secure materials instead of staples):

• SRG 2012 Cover Sheet.
• Proposal Narrative (NOT TO EXCEED TWO PAGES): Description of intended research or creative activity; an explanation of the proposed study's importance and research methods to be used; expected result or outcome.
• Selected bibliography, where appropriate.
• Two-page Biosketch (abbreviated vita).

Proposals should be written in clear, non-technical language that a colleague from another discipline can comprehend and review fairly.

When the colleges forward proposals to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, they must include recommendations and rankings by the department chairs and deans.