Interdisciplinary Faculty Seed Grant
Overview of the Interdisciplinary Faculty Seed Grants
The Race & Ethnic Studies Institute annually funds multiple Interdisciplinary Faculty Seed Grants of $5,000 to $10,000 each. There will be one competition annually.
By default, the awards run until the end of the following fiscal year. Awards made in the 2023-2024 academic year will run until August 31, 2025.
Proposal Details for the Interdisciplinary Faculty Seed Grants
RESI invites full-time faculty and researchers at TAMU who have a terminal degree in their field (and for whom research is a formal component of their annual assessment) to submit interdisciplinary pilot study proposals that address current racial and ethnic social problems. Full-time faculty members for whom research is a formal component of their annual assessment are eligible to apply.
This initiative is expected to support one to two new pilot projects. The projects must demonstrate collaboration between at least two (2) department representatives -- at least one faculty member must be in the College of Arts & Sciences. The projects may cover a wide range of research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative research, policy analysis and evaluation, and translation of research into practice. Existing or new data may be used. To be considered, proposals must include race and/or ethnicity as a central focus.
When evaluating the projects, emphasis is placed on the overall value of the project to RESI’s mission in general and its research initiatives in particular, the scholarly merit of the research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the likelihood that the work will lead to scholarly publication and/or external funding of subsequent studies. Note that it is not enough to just study an underrepresented population. One needs to specify research questions focused on race/ethnicity and then analyze the role of race/ethnicity in the phenomena being studied.
All proposal submissions should contain the following:
- An overview (2-pages maximum total) that includes a) the title of the project; b) a project abstract of 150 words or less; c) the name and university affiliation, and contact information for the PI(s); and c) the names and university affiliations of the other co-investigators on the proposal.
- A proposal narrative that is single-spaced (not including references) with a 5-page maximum length (no more than 3,500 words). Longer proposals will be truncated to their first 5 pages. The narrative should describe:
- The specific aims of the proposal (what is the research intended to accomplish or find, regarding race/ethnicity)
- Background (what observations or prior scientific findings serve as the basis for the study)
- Importance and Implications of the work (why is it important to conduct the research, particularly regarding race/ethnicity)
- Evidence of interdisciplinary partnership
- Subjects and Recruitment (who will be studied, how will they be identified, and how will they be approached for participation)
- Analytic plan (what information will be gathered, how will it be gathered, and how will it be analyzed)
- Qualifications of the Principal Investigators
- Plans for scholarly publications
- Plans to seek federal or other external funding for expanded follow-up research
- A project budget and brief budget justification (1-page total)
Budgets of $5,000-$10,000 will be considered. RESI funds can be used for fieldwork, travel to archives, research materials, data sets, survey instruments, participant incentives, software, office supplies, and other normally reimbursable expenses. Funds cannot be used for university staff and faculty salaries, conference travel, equipment, or physical plant infrastructure. No indirect costs may be included in the proposed budget.
Pending space availability, faculty will be invited to present at the RESI Faculty Colloquium Series. Awardees should acknowledge the Race & Ethnic Studies Institute in any resulting publications, presentations, or other work products funded; and will be asked to submit updates on their progress and products. Projects will be chosen on the basis of their intellectual rigor, scholarly creativity, and potential to make a significant impact in the candidate’s field and race and ethnic studies generally.
FUNDING PRIORITIES: The Race & Ethnic Studies Institute is dedicated to fostering, celebrating, and producing cutting edge research related to race and ethnic studies. A wide range of research projects that examine the salience of race and ethnicity are of interest to RESI, however, proposals connecting to the RESI HSI Research Initiative portfolio are particularly encouraged. Texas A&M University is amongst the largest and most well resourced (in terms of total annual research expenditures) Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the country. RESI is strongly committed to building our university’s profile in HSI-related research. To best focus our research investment, we expect that somewhere between half and two-thirds of grants made will be channeled into the HSI Research Initiative portfolio.
ADDITIONAL IN-KIND SUPPORT: Grant recipients will have the opportunity to further partner with RESI by making use of resources that we have available, such as communications (web, press releases, social media, etc.), research assistance, and more. Please consider the possibility of these more collaborative efforts when you formulate your proposal.
The 2023-2024 application cycle is currently closed. Dates for the 2024-2025 cycle are forthcoming.
Application for the Interdisciplinary Faculty Seed Grants
The application will include a number of questions for you to answer. You will also be required to upload the following:
- Proposal components must be submitted in a single PDF document and uploaded in the application linked below.
- Upload (as separate PDFs) 2-page CVs or BioSketches for all of the PIs