Volume 11, number 6: December 1, 2004
FUNDING TIPS
Remote Access to COS and SPIN
If you are going to be away for the holidays, we would like to remind you that you can still access the Community of Science (COS) and Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN) funding databases from off campus. UNC Libraries have implemented a new proxy server to permit off-campus access to licensed library resources. From a home office, a vacation spot, or any other location, you can login to both COS and SPIN from the GrantSource Library website using your PID.
As well, your COS Workbench provides convenient remote access to all COS services. All you need to do is login to your COS Workbench to be able to use COS services, including your customized COS Funding Alert account.
Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research
The National Academies’ Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPUP) released a “Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research” report last week that suggests improvements to foster interdisciplinary research (IDR). Some of the recommendations follow:
- Researchers wishing to work on IDR should immerse themselves in the language and knowledge of potential collaborators.
- Academic institutions should strengthen existing policies and practices that decrease obstacles to interdisciplinary research and scholarships, including developing joint programs with industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations.
- Postdoctoral scholars should actively exploit formal and informal means of gaining interdisciplinary experiences during their postdoctoral appointments.
- IDR team leaders should bring together potential research collaborators early in the process and work toward agreement on key issues.
IBM Funding Potential
At the recent University Day hosted by IBM, company officials described the grantmaking focus and policies for the coming year. The global university relations priority is on collaborative research that combines IBM technical expertise with talent from universities. One of the suggestions made by Margaret Ashida, director of IBM's University Relations program, is to work with IBM early on to see if your research project is something that the company can fund.
The three main IBM programs for university researchers are the Academic Initiative, Faculty Awards, and Shared University Research. The Academic Initiative provides free access to IBM software for teaching and research, offers support for their products and opens up IBM training sessions to faculty if seats are available. The Faculty Awards provide up to $40,000 of support for research and requires a nomination by an employee of IBM. The Shared University Research program serves as a vehicle to allow researchers at IBM and universities to work collaboratively.
For all of these awards, the bottom line is that you should find a collaborator and company champion at IBM. Generally speaking, unsolicited proposals are not successful in getting funding from IBM. In a similar fashion to the trend in federal funding, IBM is more supportive of work that is done collaboratively and is of benefit to the research currently undertaken at its facilities. Proposals are ranked according to
- caliber of the research;
- connection to IBM people; and
- connection to IBM’s areas of interest
Because the goal of the IBM is to fund as many different projects as possible, modest proposals are much more successful in gaining funding. Around 40 percent of the funded projects are outside the United States. Research in computer science is obviously important, but IBM also funds projects in life sciences and increasingly in the social sciences. READ MORE.
Community of Science is Multidisciplinary
Did you know that Community of Science (COS) contains information for researchers in all fields, not just the physical or medical sciences? You can find information about funding in all areas, including humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and more. See the examples below, and remember that COS has something for everyone.
There are 244 Funding Opportunities records related to Dance.
There are 147 Funding Opportunities related to Art History.
There are over 7,000 Expertise profiles related to Political Science.
There are over 16,000 Expertise profiles related to Language or Literature.
American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund
Despite the name and the sponsor, the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund is not just for chemists, members of the American Chemical Society, or U.S. citizens. New or international faculty may want to consider applying.
The ACS funds grants to academic institutions, new faculty, and postdoctoral scholars for work that contributes to "advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the petroleum field." Researchers in areas such as chemistry, earth sciences, chemical and materials engineering, polymers, and solid-state physics have applied for starter grants with high success rates. Previous award winners have noted that the quick turnaround and streamlined application makes the process smoother and faster than applying for federal grants. Additionally, ACS often supports high risk projects, which are normally unfunded by other grant agencies.
In 2004 the Petroleum Research Fund funded 443 grants and supported 20 additional projects in pilot grant programs. READ MORE.
Search Funding Opportunities by Location
Are you looking for funding for projects to be conducted in a particular country? The Community of Science (COS) database offers a "Search Geographically" option. The link to this search is on the main COS Funding Opportunities page. You can select a country from the list and find funding for work to be conducted there. You may run the search for any opportunities in the country or add other search criteria to narrow your results.
You can also use the “Activity Location” and “Citizenship” fields to customize your funding searches in a COS Main Search.