Additional interest meetings have been scheduled for the University of Delaware Office of Graduate and Professional Education’s new interdisciplinary grants program focusing on “grand challenges.”

Meetings have been set for Thursday, Sept. 14, 3:30–4:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Sept. 19, 3:30­–4:30 p.m., in Faculty Commons, 116 Pearson Hall.

The goal of the new program is to enhance UD’s profile as a graduate institution by incentivizing curriculum innovation and special events programming across disciplines, according to Ann Ardis, senior vice provost for graduate and professional education.

Cross-disciplinary proposals are sought for the following kinds of projects. For additional background, see this UDaily story.

• University Seminars (1-3 credits). Up to $20,000 to support cross-disciplinary team-teaching, honoraria for guest speakers and funding for students’ field work and collaborative research projects. Each course proposed should serve a minimum of 19 students. Proposals involving team-teaching across institutions and/or innovative formats (e.g., five-week modules, blended/hybrid modalities) are especially welcome.
• Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development Working Groups. Up to $6,000. Funding may be used to cover event costs associated with a semester-long or a year-long series of planning meetings and to bring external experts to campus to assist with curriculum development planning. Each working group proposal must include a plan for engaging current graduate students from at least two departments in the curriculum development project. Engagement of recent graduate alumni in the planning process is especially welcome as well. Deliverable: a program proposal ready for submission to University Faculty Senate.
• Major conferences and symposia. Up to $50,000. Funding may be used to cover honoraria and travel expenses for invited off-campus speakers as well as room rental, AV charges and food costs. Departmental and/or external grant cost-shares required. Each conference or symposium proposal must include a plan for providing graduate students with leadership roles and/or professional development opportunities (e.g., workshops with journal editors or funding agency representatives; appropriate but substantial roles in design of programming).

Funding will be available as early as Feb. 1, 2018, and through June 2019.

Address questions to Ann Ardis, senior vice provost for graduate and professional education, at aardis@udel.edu.

Submission Deadlines:

Oct. 16—Letters of interest and a budget proposal for Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development Working Groups, Spring 2018–Fall 2018

Nov. 15—Letters of interest and a budget proposal for “Grand Challenges” Conferences and Symposia, Spring 2018–Spring 2019

Dec. 1—Proposals for Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development Working Groups (use form on webpage)

Jan. 15—Proposals for “Grand Challenges” Conferences and Symposia (use form on webpage)

Feb. 1—Fall 2018 University Seminars proposals

Proposals should be submitted online at:  http://grad.udel.edu/grand-challenges-grants/