The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce the third year of its Social Sciences Research Support Program for research, creative, and scholarly projects that engage the social sciences in carrying out the university's research mission.

Awarded project budgets will be funded up to a maximum of $10,000 and will lay the foundation for further work beyond the award end date. It is envisioned that support of the proposed projects should lead to external funding, such as a fellowship award, commission or grant to continue or expand the project. Funds can support research personnel, access to hard-to-find documents, materials, equipment, travel, and supplemental summer salary. Requests for course buyouts and summer salary supplements must be approved by the applicant's college with summer salary supplements capped at one month for one summer.

This initiative funds new research rather than ongoing research. Individual faculty members and research teams led by full-time faculty are invited to develop proposals responsive to this funding announcement. Examples of eligible projects INCLUDE but are NOT LIMITED to projects which.

• Advance basic knowledge in the respective Social Sciences
• Investigate issues of concern to the community
• Address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Pursue potential opportunities for external funding
• Identify and challenge social norms and expectations
• Forge long-term collaborative associations across the university
• Generate and explore new perspectives
• Support university-wide research initiatives
• Promote Interdisciplinary
• Enhance graduate programs, and engage graduate and undergraduate students
• Create and advance new methodologies and analytic strategies
• Encourage junior faculty participation

 Eligibility

The project applicant, or lead PI from a collaborative team, must be a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in a social sciences area. Applications aligned with the program priorities will be welcomed from all WSU Schools and Colleges and from faculty at all career stages.

Proposal Preparation and Requirements

Assessment of submissions will proceed in two phases as follows:

Phase 1: Principal Investigators should submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), draft budget, and abbreviated CV through the InfoReady system.

The LOI (2 pages max) should discuss the following:

1. Research objectives and plan.
2. Participating faculty/researcher staff, including a description of their experience, expertise, and qualifications.
3. Potential external funding sources and timeline for submitting proposals to these sources. If appropriate, this section should also include a discussion of how support through the AHRS program will increase competitiveness in applying for extramural funding.
4. Potential of the project to enhance graduate programs, undergraduate research, and/or institutional reputation.

Abbreviated CV(s) (4 pages max) for the PI and any other faculty members or collaborators who will play a key role in the project.

Draft budget in the form of a spreadsheet with a maximum 18‐month period of performance. Summer salary supplements are capped at one month for one summer only. .

Letters of Intent and abbreviated CVs for the first phase of the competition are due through InfoReady no later than midnight on October 27, 2023. Please visit the InfoReady website for more information and to submit a Letter of Intent.

We look forward to receiving your Letters of Intent! Contact rifs@wayne.edu with questions.