Q: Is there anything new or different for 2010-2011?
A: Yes. There are a number of evolutionary changes this year. There will be only two categories of grants, New Frontiers (up to $50,000) and Exploration Traveling Fellowships (up to $2,500). Proposals of the kinds that were formerly submitted to New Directions or Visiting Visionary Scholars are now subsumed under New Frontiers.
New Perspectives grants have been eliminated, and the New Frontiers program no longer supports conferences, workshops, symposia, and the like.
All funded projects are expected to be transformative. The project description section of the proposal needs to include a discussion of the project’s potential effects on the applicant’s field.
There will be a provision for resubmission of certain unfunded proposals before the end of the academic year. The proposals in question will be ones identified by the review committee as needing only slight revision to be fundable. Also, the Office of the Vice President for Research will reserve a portion of the overall budget for use as discretionary New Frontiers funding to meet opportunities that arise suddenly during the year.
The New Frontiers Program’s role as a source of seed money for longer-term projects that can attract external funding is being re-emphasized. Proposals that fit this criterion will receive preference over proposals for shorter-term, self-contained projects.
Also, faculty members who have received a major New Frontiers grant in the past three years will not be eligible to apply for anything other than an Exploration Traveling Fellowship this year. That is, if you received a New Frontiers, New Perspectives, Visiting Visionary Scholars, or New Directions grant in January 2008 or later, you are not eligible for a major (i.e., New Frontiers) grant this year.
Furthermore, the exploratory nature of Exploration Traveling Fellowships is being re-emphasized. Beginning this year, faculty members will not be eligible to receive more than two Exploration Traveling Fellowships for the same project (or different components of the same project).
Every applicant must have a letter of support from his or her dean or associate dean for research (or, in the case of applicants from non-academic units, the head of the relevant Responsibility Center). Applicants from schools that have departments also need a letter of support from the department chair. If you are applying for a New Frontiers grant, you also need a letter of support from an expert in your field, who may be from IU or another institution. You do not need an expert letter for an Exploration Traveling Fellowship.
Q: How does New Frontiers define the humanities?
A: The review committee takes a broad view of the arts and humanities, and the key factor is the nature of the creative activity or the central question posed by the research, not the departmental or division affiliation of the faculty member(s) submitting the proposal. In determining whether a proposal falls within the humanities, the committee is guided by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ definition:
"The term 'humanities' includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods.” (National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act, 1965).
The committee recognizes that the division between the humanities and the social sciences is not rigid. If your proposal has social sciences content and you wonder how the committee will assess its eligibility, please contact the program officer for advice. You might also consult the statement "The Role of the Humanities" on the website of the College of Arts and Sciences Policy Committee: (http://www.indiana.edu/~college/faculty/policy/collegepolicies/humanities2006.shtml ).
Q: Where can I find help to complete the online application form?
A: At the top of the online application form, click "Click here for detailed instructions for this application." This will provide line-by-line instructions for the application form.
Q: May I exceed the page limits for my project description and c.v.?
A: Page limits for project descriptions and c.v.'s will be strictly enforced.
Q: May I request a grant for a period of time exceeding 12 months?
A: It is expected that most projects will be either completed or in a position to apply for external funding at the end of 12 months. Under exceptional circumstances you may request up to 18 months of support, but the request will need to be very strongly justified in your proposal. If you receive an 18-month award, you will need to provide progress reports at six and 12 months (see below), as well as a final report at the end of the grant period.
Q: Does the program provide support for Academic Year course release?
A: The program will provide support for Academic Year course release up to $11,000, but the normal figures for applicants' campuses or schools will prevail if they are lower than this maximum.
Applicants from the College of Arts and Sciences on the Bloomington Campus who are requesting course release must budget $11,000. This amount will support ONE course release, provided that the applicant would otherwise be teaching a full load (four courses) during the year. Applicants who already have course release for other reasons may NOT request course release through New Frontiers.
Q: Are fee remissions for graduate students available?
A: Graduate student support is provided as a lump sum. It is up to the PI, chair, and the dean to determine the distribution. It is best to discuss this part of the budget with the chair and/or the dean prior to submission.
Q: Are Librarians eligible to apply for New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program grants?
A: Yes.
Q: Are Lecturers, Clinical Faculty, and Research Ranks Faculty eligible to apply for New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program grants?
A: Yes.
Q: Are Academic Specialists eligible to apply for New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program grants?
A: Yes.
Q: Are Adjunct and Visiting Faculty eligible to apply for New Frontiers grants?
A: No.
Q: Are Post-doctoral Fellows eligible to apply for New Frontiers grants?
A: No.
Q: Are Part-time Faculty eligible to apply for New Frontiers grants?
A: No.
Q: Are Emeritus Faculty eligible to apply for New Frontiers grants?
A: Yes, but there are conditions. Emeritus applicants should be still actively engaged in the life of their campus, as evidenced in the letter(s) of support from the chair and dean/associate dean for research. Furthermore, there are financial restrictions. Salary or anything that looks like payment for services to an emeritus faculty member can jeopardize his or her retirement benefits, especially under 18/20, and should not be included in the budget. Only expenses directly incurred in carrying out the research or creative activity should be included in the budget. [According to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs: During their 18/20 years, Emeritus Faculty can get support for direct research expenses without jeopardizing their retirement benefits. There can't be anything that smacks of a back door way of sweetening their retirement salaries, however.]
Q: My project is collaborative. May we have more than one PI (Principal Investigator)?
A: We need a single PI for account administration purposes. Other cooperating scholars should be listed as Collaborators.
Q: Are Collaborators from other institutions (e.g., Purdue) acceptable on New Frontiers grants?
A: Only IU faculty members may be PI's on New Frontiers proposals, but Collaborators may come from other institutions. Indiana University does not generally offer financial support for Collaborators from other institutions. Financial support for external collaborators will be considered only if the proposal makes a compelling argument that such support is necessary for the success of the project. The need for specific expenses related to outside Collaborators and the method of cost computation should be provided in the budget explanation.
Q: May the same PI apply for more than one grant?
A: Faculty members may serve as the PI on only one proposal to the New Frontiers competition (as opposed to the Exploration Traveling Fellowship competition). A faculty member is allowed to serve as the PI on one proposal and a Collaborator on another.
Q. How many support letters do I need?
A: It depends on your primary academic affiliation and the competition to which you’re applying. Every applicant must have a letter from his or her dean or associate dean for research (or, in the case of applicants from non-academic units, the head of the relevant Responsibility Center). Applicants from schools that have departments also need a letter from the department chair. If you are applying for a New Frontiers grant, you also need a letter from an expert in your field, who may be from IU or another institution. You do not need an expert letter for an Exploration Traveling Fellowship.
Q: Are support letters from department chairs or unit heads required for all Collaborators listed on the grant proposal?
A: The PI submitting the proposal must provide a letter of support from the department chair or unit head and a letter of support from the dean or associate dean for research. As a courtesy, faculty members who are listed as Collaborators should notify their deans (and chairs, if applicable) that they plan to participate in the project, but they don’t need letters unless there are budgetary implications or time commitment issues that need to be addressed. In such cases the letter(s) should specifically address those issues rather than the significance of the proposed work.
Q: May I submit more than one letter from an expert in my field?
A: It’s usually unnecessary and not recommended. If you believe you absolutely have to have a second letter, please contact the program officer.
Q: If the proposal is for a collaborative project involving researchers from more than one department, should the funds be broken down by department they will be received in?
A: No, the PI will be responsible for financial matters and will be the primary contact for the Office of the Vice President for Research. Requests for transfers of funds to the units other than the one the PI belongs to should be directed to the PI and his or her unit fiscal officer.
Q: Do you want references included in the proposal? If so, will the reference page constitute one page of the 3-4 pages for the proposal itself? Or can a bibliography page be included with the 3-4 page project description?
A: You don't need a bibliography. Keep these proposals brief. Cite necessary references in the text in abbreviated fashion—e.g., (Taylor, 2007).
Q: A New Frontiers grant won't cover the entire cost of my project, and I have other sources of support. Should I include those other funds in my budget spreadsheet?
A: No, please don't. If you have or are applying for support from other sources, you should discuss them in your budget explanation, but do not include them in the “Budget Total” box on your cover sheet or in your budget spreadsheet. Your Budget Total box and budget spreadsheet should list only the expenses that will be covered by the New Frontiers grant.
Q: My budgetary requirements are not as high as the limits stated in the Call for Proposals. May I ask for a New Frontiers grant of less than $50,000?
A: Certainly. The figure of $50,000 is the upper limit, and proposals for lesser amounts are welcome. If your budget is a lot less than the limit, however, the committee will ask whether there isn't someplace else you could find the money. In the committee's eyes asking for a grant of $2,000 would be quite different from asking for $15,000.
Q: What time is the application due on the deadline date and can letters from outside supporters (Non-IU) be submitted on the following business day?
A: The application is due by 5:00 on the deadline date. As long as we get the application itself in time, the following business day will be acceptable for the outside letter.
Q: Does the evaluation criterion for non tenure track faculty imply an annual evaluation? In my case, to be advanced to adjunct associate, research would be one criterion, but my evaluation is not annual.
A: A letter from your dean/associate dean (and chair, if applicable) addressing the requirement of research as a criterion for your evaluation is all that is necessary.
Q: If a dean is the grant proposal applicant, does the proposal require a letter of support from the applicant's superior? I report directly to the campus chancellor, but do not think he should be burdened with reviewing grants.
A: A dean should request a letter from the Vice Provost for Research (Bloomington), the Vice Chancellor for Research (Indianapolis), or the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (other campuses); the Vice Provost or Vice Chancellor may delegate the letter to an Associate Vice Provost/Chancellor. You will also need a letter of support from an expert in the field, unless you’re applying for an Exploration Traveling Fellowship.
Q: What reports should I submit?
A. As PI, you need to submit narrative reports. (Your fiscal officer will take care of financial reporting.) You will need to submit a progress report at six months if you have a 12-month award and at six and 12 months if you have an 18-month award. In either case, you will also need to submit a final report within one month of the end of your grant period.
A:"This project was supported [or “partially supported,” if appropriate] by a New Frontiers grant. A program of the Office of the Vice President for Research, New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities is funded by the Office of the President and administered by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.”
