The Graduate School Research Committee’s has issued a call for 2009-2010 research proposals. This research competition is available because of the impressive efforts of UW-Madison faculty and staff in filing successful patents with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). Details are available online at info.gradsch.wisc.edu/research/researchfunding/fc/announcement.html.

All requests for 2009-2010 research support must be submitted electronically to the Graduate School by 4:30 pm on Friday, September 12, 2008. The Research Committee accepts only one application from an individual faculty member or permanent PI. Since one of our goals is to foster multidisciplinary research, in keeping with the cluster hiring initiative, an investigator may be included on one additional application from a team of applicants representing two or more different fields. For communication purposes, a lead PI must be identified on such projects.

For the 2008-2009 competition, the average award was $23,000, which included amounts for fringe benefits and tuition remission. Research Committee priorities are to:

• assist junior faculty in strengthening their research programs
• provide insurance against applications for extramural funding, particularly those involving support for graduate students
• support creative research and scholarship on campus
• open new research areas, including multidisciplinary projects

To make the best use of the funds available to the Committee, it is critical for applicants to seek and obtain other funds. Information about the granting procedures of various federal and non-federal agencies is available from the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs website: http://www.rsp.wisc.edu.

If you are applying for a Guggenheim, NEH, or ACLS fellowship, contact your Graduate School Associate Dean (2-1044).

Information regarding the Graduate School’s Research Committee Policies for 2008-09 can be found at the following web site: http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/research/policyrp/rpac/index.html