Grants of $5,000 to $50,000 are now available to faculty and staff—working individually or in teams—for one- to three-year projects that advance area and international studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The Mellon Foundation Area and International Studies Research Awards are made possible by the 2012 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support efforts at UW–Madison to develop new, sustainable models for structuring, supporting, and conducting area and international studies.
The International Institute committee responsible for organizing the competition has issued a call for proposals, with submissions due by February 18.
“Our intent is to strengthen area and international studies as foundational knowledge for international and global scholarship broadly defined, hewing to a central premise of the Mellon proposal: Deep knowledge of regional particularities, including language knowledge, goes hand in hand with systemic and theoretical advancement in and across the disciplines,” according to guiding principles established by the committee.
Forums were held in December and January, attended by about 40 UW–Madison faculty and staff members, to address any questions about the awards and to talk about ideas for submissions.
The types of projects to be supported by these awards include: instructional or other training innovations drawing on front-line research, including co-teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and seminars; development of new language-training methods; seminars, workshops, or conferences; creative methods of publishing or disseminating research results, training materials, and other intellectual products; and innovations of any other type in area and international studies, including outreach projects that foster increased interest in area and international studies.
“Projects funded through these awards should have transformative intellectual or institutional potential,” the committee says.
All UW–Madison faculty and staff members are eligible to apply, individually or in teams, for Mellon Foundation Area and International Studies Research Awards.
A committee appointed by the International Institute Academic Planning Council will review applications and make award decisions. This committee will consist of approximately eight faculty and staff members from a variety of disciplines, with research experience in a range of world regions. Committee members are prohibited from applying individually or as a group leader for a grant.
More information, including a description of the awards and application instructions are available online at http://intl-institute.wisc.edu/mellon/research-award.htm.
If you have any questions, refer to this website or contact the organizers in the International Institute at contact@intl-institute.wisc.edu.