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Faculty Research Grants Program

CLAS Faculty Research Grants

Purpose

CLAS Faculty Research Grants fund projects on Latin America, the Caribbean and/or Latino Studies proposed by CLAS affiliated faculty that will enhance the expertise, current knowledge and enrich the Latin American/Caribbean content of their courses.

Eligibility

The applicant must be a “Core” or “Related” faculty member of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Previous awardees who have not submitted brief reports and expenditure documentation from past grants are not eligible to apply.

Amount of Grant

Up to $3,500 will be made available for individual grants; however, not all proposals will necessarily be funded at the maximum amount.

Funding Priorities

In general, the grants are designated for: (1) the provision of “seed money” or supplemen­tary money for large proj­ects; (2) the provi­sion of limited funds required for smaller proj­ects or projects of short dura­tion; and (3) research that will result in the development of Latin American/Caribbean/Latino courses. Within the broad scope of these purposes, priority for funding is as follows:

  1. New faculty (first two years)
  2. Junior faculty (pre-tenure, with special emphasis on faculty with junior research leaves)
  3. Faculty from the humanities or disciplines in which external funding is less abundant
  4. Senior faculty starting new projects/changing research foci
  5. Senior faculty requiring start-up funds for research projects that have a high probability of being funded externally in the future

Consideration of these priorities in making awards is contingent upon the overall quality of the proposal as determined by the grant committee.

Utilization of Funds

Funds may be used for: (1) trav­el; (2) maintenance; (3) data collec­tion/ana­lysis—in­clu­ding laboratory anal­y­sis, com­puter time, infor­mants' fees; and (4) release time/salary re­place­ment (only for re­search proj­ects by junior CLAS Core facul­ty in the ten­ure stream when the re­search will result in publi­ca­tions that will improve the likelihood of the facul­ty mem­ber's attain­ment of tenure).

Funds cannot be used for: (1) publication costs; (2) atten­dance at pro­fessional meet­ings; (3) the pur­chase of major ­equip­ment (e.g., cam­eras, com­put­ers, or any equipment costing more than $500); or (4) salary supplements/summer salary (except as indicated under #4 above).

Distribution of Funds

If the grant is awarded, the funds will be transferred to the relevant department. Upon completion of their research, faculty must submit a Concur report to CLAS and a brief (two to four page) written report* explaining how the funds were used. Arrangements for transferring the awarded funds must be made by May 1, 2020. Funds should be expended between April and August of the award year; for any exceptions, please contact us.

Proposal Requirements

(Only electronic submissions will be accepted)

All proposals must include:

  • a completed CLAS Faculty Research Grants application form (see under application);
  • a full description of the project not to exceed five (5) double-spaced pages (Word or PDF format), which should include sections on—
    • the Topic/Problem [and how the research relates to the purposes of the grant program as specified above],
    • Significance of/Need for the Research,
    • Methodology, and
    • a detailed budget (MS Word or PDF format); and
    • a curriculum vitae of the principal investigator (MS Word or PDF format).

If the proposed research project is a continuation of one for which funding has previously been awarded by CLAS, please indicate that this is the case in the project description.

Note: The full description of the project may be supplemented by appendices (such as examples of questionnaires, list of field contacts, more detailed information on any of the sections) that should be referred to in the basic text. However, appendices should be kept to a minimum. 

Application

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. One electronic copy (items 1 through 3 listed above) of the application should be sent by the deadline through the CLAS Faculty Research Grants Application form: http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/clas/faculty_research_grant_form.

Applications for research that will take place during the summer of the 2019-20 academic year must be submitted by Friday, January 31, 2020.

 Important note about travel risk assessment:

  • We understand situations in Latin American countries are constantly changing. We advise to please check the State Department for updates at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html.
  • Upon award you are require to register your trip with the International SOS travel registry, and supply proof to CLAS for countries classified levels 3 and 4 before funds are to be released.
  • All research involving interventions or interactions with individuals or the   collection of identifiable private information concerning living individuals requires prospective Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.
  • Even if the research may qualify as an exempt category, the researcher must obtain an exemption approval from the IRB.
  • Grantees are responsible for obtaining IRB approval when required and must provide documentation of IRB approval before the funds can be disbursed. For further information, check the IRB web site at www.irb.pitt.edu

Grant Recipient Requirements

*Grant recipients must provide CLAS with a brief (two to four pages) written report within three weeks following the conclusion of the research.  The report should indicate: (1) how grant funds were expended; (2) if applicable, your travel schedule (where you went and how much time you spent in each locale); (3) what you accomplished; and (4) how you will utilize your research results.  Recipients must acknowledge the assistance of the Center for Latin American Studies, University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh, in any publication, film, or other product resulting from research supported by this grant. We can provide you with the CLAS logo upon request.

If you have questions about the grant, please contact:

Luz Amanda Hank (Assistant Director for Partnerships and Programming) at lavst12@pitt.edu

Funding for the Faculty Research Grants Competition is provided by the University Center for International Studies and the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh.