Grants for Research in Targeted & Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA)
The Schiller Institute’s grants for Research in Targeted and Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA) support two programmatic areas.
Type A
Grants to support scholarship focusing on the natural environment, health and well-being, or the energy transition as experienced in the Global South
Type B
Grants support scholarship focusing on environmental or climate justice, climate resilience, sustainability, health & well-being, or the energy transition. Type B grants must include collaboration with a US-based, non-academic partner i.e. a non-governmental organization, business (including smaller start-up companies), or government entity. Collaborations with Massachusetts partners are encouraged.
The Schiller Institute’s grants for Research in Targeted and Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA) support two programmatic areas. Unlike SI-GECS grants which require the participation of collaborative teams of faculty, SI-RITEA grants may be submitted either by individual faculty members or by interdisciplinary teams of co-investigators. Proposals which provide research opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate students are encouraged.
Grantees for each grant type are required to attend two roundtable meetings each semester during the period that the grant is active (i.e. during AY 2024-25 for Type A and Type B grantees, and during AY 2025-26 for Type B grantees with 2nd year funding) to share research progress, discuss areas of common interest, and formulate plans for potential future work.
Type A SI-RITEA grants support scholarship focusing on the natural environment, health and well-being, or the energy transition as experienced in the Global South. We are particularly interested in research at the intersection of two or more of these areas, especially research which addresses climate resilience including such topics as climate justice, environmental health, biogeochemical cycling, water or food insecurity, migration pressures, and infrastructure resilience.
Funding: A total of $40,000 is available for each grant. Up to $30,000 may be used to support faculty summer salary (maximum of one month summer salary total for all faculty on the grant), graduate or undergraduate student support, equipment purchases or rental, laboratory supplies, data sets, or similar expenses. Up to $10,000 may be used to support research-related travel by faculty members or students. Total funding available: $100,000 (approximate).
Type B SI-RITEA grants support scholarship focusing on environmental or climate justice, climate resilience, sustainability, health & well-being, or the energy transition. Type B grants must include collaboration with a US-based, non-academic partner i.e. a non-governmental organization, business (including smaller start-up companies), or government entity. Collaborations with Massachusetts partners are encouraged. Partnerships may be with existing partners, or with proposed new partners.
Funding: A total of $40,000 is available for each grant. In the first year (FY24), up to $30,000 may be used to support faculty summer salary (maximum of one month summer salary total for all faculty on the grant), costs incurred by the partner organization in the performance of the project (up to $3,000), graduate or undergraduate student support, equipment purchases or rental, laboratory supplies, data sets, or similar expenses. In the second year (FY25), up to $10,000 may be used for the continuation of partnership activities, with the same limitations as described above. Total funding available: $100,000 (approximate).
Eligibility & Deadlines
Eligibility:
All full-time faculty are eligible. Project teams may consist of individual faculty members or teams of faculty members.
In any given academic year, faculty members may submit up to two proposals for funding to the SI-RITEA and the SI-GECS grant programs i.e., faculty members may submit two proposals (as PI or co-PI) to the SI-RITEA program, proposals to the SI-GECS program, or one proposal to the SI-RITEA program and one to the SI-GECS programs.
Opportunity to Submit to the RADs or IGNITE Grant Program:
Some projects submitted to the SI-RITEA program may also be eligible for funding under the RADs or IGNITE grant programs through the VPR’s office. Applicants may submit eligible projects to these programs as well, however a project which is successfully funded in one program will not be funded by a second. If a project is chosen for award in the SI-RITEA program and RADS or IGNITE, the Schiller Institute and the Office of the VPR, in consultation with the PIs, will determine which grant program will make the award.
Application Deadlines:
Completed applications are due by 5 pm on February 15, 2024. Letters of interest (LOI) are encouraged and may be submitted to the Schiller Institute by 5 pm on January 25, 2024 for feedback regarding congruence with project requirements. Feedback will be provided within 5 working days of receipt of the LOI submission. See Application Instructions for proposal and LOI formats.
Notification of Awards and Project Start Date:
Notification of awards will be made by April 1st. Funding is available beginning with the new fiscal year (June 1, 2024). All funding must be expended by May 15, 2025, with the exception of the second year increment (up to $10,000) that is available for Type B SI-RITEA grants.
Application Instructions
Letter of Interest (Optional, due January 25, 2024)
A summary of the project should be submitted using the LOI submittal form. You should include: project title, names of collaborators (if any); project description in non-technical terms (400 words and one figure max ); designation of Type A or Type B grant; estimated requested funding amount and description of the expected use of funds (100 words max).
Letter of Interest Submission Form
Application Process:
Format: Minimum 0.5-inch margins, Times New Roman, 11-point or larger, line spacing of 1.0 to 1.15. Figures and figure legends count towards page limitations. A separate bibliography section (no page limit) can be used for references cited in the body of the proposal.
Full proposal (due February 15, 2024):
I. Introduction (Limit: 1 page)
Briefly describe the proposed study in non-technical terms, how the expertise of the principal investigator and other faculty team members (if any) will be brought to bear on the project, and how the project meets the requirements of a Type A or Type B grant.
II. Project Plan (Limit: 4 pages, including figures)
Describe your project plan which should include:
- a description of the aims and goals of your project
- proposed methodology
- expected output or deliverable, including plans for dissemination of results
- impact/benefit(s) your project will make on societal problems related to energy, the natural environment, or health.
III. Extension of the work (Limit: 1 page)
Describe how the supported project, if successful, could be extended for further research, scholarship, or creative expression, and/or lead to opportunities for external funding. Please be as specific as possible.
V. Bibliography.
VI. Itemized Budget
VII. Full CVs for all investigators (10 pages max per person)
Application Review Process
Criteria for Reviewing the Grant:
- Alignment with the mission and goals of the Schiller Institute (see the Institute’s website) and alignment with the SI-RITEA program description.
- The promise of quality and scholarship in the applicant’s research project, reflected in the clarity and persuasiveness with which the applicant outlines the proposed research.
- The likelihood that the proposed study will produce significant results, or will significantly advance efforts that have potential for future significant contributions e.g. peer-reviewed publications, development of new interventions (e.g., community-based approaches), potential for continuing collaborative partnerships, and/or policies (e.g., environmental, political), invited conference session talks or grant proposal submissions.
Applicants should understand that requests for funding always exceed the funds available. Inevitably some proposals will not be supported and funds awarded may be less than the amount requested.
Review Procedure:
A committee comprised of BC faculty, chaired by the Executive Director of the Schiller Institute, will review the proposals and advise the Executive Director on the selection of proposals for funding. If necessary, the committee will engage outside consultants to review any applications that are in need of specific expert knowledge. Thus, applicants must state names of any potential consultants that should be excluded from review of their study, and why.
Post-Award Requirements
Upon receiving the project award, awardees will be asked to supply a project abstract and other supporting material for posting on the Schiller website SI-RITEA page. The Schiller Institute will hold a required awardee recognition celebration and introductory meeting on June 27, 2024. A mandatory half-day meeting for awardees will be held on September 13, 2024 for faculty to share progress. Following the conclusion of the project period, the Schiller Institute will host a University-wide showcase of awardee research to be held during the Fall 2025 semester at the Schiller Institute Convening Space in 245 Beacon Street.
At the completion of the project, the team is required to submit a 2-5 page report by August 16, 2024, including the following information:
- Overview of the success of the project, problems encountered, special achievements.
- Summary of the data collected, results, and key conclusions of your project. Please also indicate the number of undergraduate and graduate students who collaborated on your project, with a brief description of how they each contributed to the project.
- Bibliographical information for disseminated results or proposals submitted: research papers, conference papers, news coverage, proposals submitted etc.
- Other outcomes e.g. installations, public readings, etc. or broader impacts.
- Next steps: please identify your expectations for next steps in expanding this project including additional dissemination efforts, proposals for external funding, developing curriculum, public outreach, etc.
PIs agree to provide updates to the Schiller Institute on outcomes for up to two years after receiving the grant; for example, other projects mounted by the team, grants received, exhibitions mounted, or papers published. This outcome data will be used to adjust the SI-RITEA annual funding, promote the scholarship of awardees via the Schiller website and in other ways, and seek additional funding from external sources for this grant program.
Grantees for each grant type are required to attend two roundtable meetings each semester during the period that the grant is active (i.e. during AY 2024-25 for Type A and Type B grantees, and during AY 2025-26 for Type B grantees with 2nd year funding) to share research progress, discuss areas of common interest, and formulate plans for potential future work.
Contact Us
Further information about this grant opportunity:
For questions about eligible projects, allowable uses of funds, and project requirements, please email Laura J. Steinberg, Executive Director of the Schiller Institute, at ljs@bc.edu. Please be sure to include “SI-RITEA” in the subject line. For questions about how to submit your proposal and other logistical questions, please email Greg Adelsberger, Director of Finance and Operations, Schiller Institute, at gregory.adelsberger@bc.edu.