Provost Innovation Fund

Provost Innovation Fund

Purpose

The Provost Innovation Fund (PIF) is focused on supporting existing faculty-led scholarship projects and initiatives that engage with community partners and exemplify community engagement. Based on the definition provided by the Swearer Center at Brown University https://www.brown.edu/swearer/carnegie/about, community engagement:

The focus of this year’s grant cycle is promoting active faculty scholarship. There is an expectation that the work plan that is proposed will lead to some type of peer-reviewed piece(s) of scholarship. Some key parameters of this year’s grant program are noted below.

  • The PIF program will provide one-time funding matched to the proposal needs; no monies can be used for course releases
  • Projects will require letters of support from community partners
  • Awards may not be used to fund or supplement pre-existing grants/awards to Departments, Schools, or the College
  • A reasonable proportion of the awards may be used for summer salary expenses
  • Awards may be used to purchase equipment/supplies essential to the project
  • A clear and concise rationale that outlines the implementation, use and evaluation of the impact of the project will be required
  • Awardees will be expected to submit a brief summary report to the Provost’s office at the conclusion of the project and share their project through a faculty forum in fall of 2020.

Funding Level

There is no specific funding ceiling, although it is anticipated that grants would likely not exceed $25,000. If faculty have any questions about funding level, they should contact the Provost’s Office to vet their proposal. As in previous years, this year’s round of PIF funding will need to be spent during fiscal year 20209; between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.

Eligibility

Any and all collaborative groups of full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty are eligible to submit an application. As noted above, all faculty applying for projects will need to demonstrate that the project has scholarship potential and a letter of support from community partners.

How to Apply

Complete this downloadable application (doc).

Application Deadline

Completed applications are due by Friday, March 16, 2019. Each applicant will be notified in writing of the status of their application after the review is completed. For more information, please contact Dr. Jon Lyon, Vice Provost (lyonj@merrimack.edu).

Current Recipients