Light Center Faculty Research Grants
The Light Center for Chinese Studies provides support to Western Michigan University faculty for research and creative activities related to the study of greater China. All board-appointed, full-time faculty are eligible to apply.
Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies Research Grants are valued at up to $4,000 each. The deadline for submitting proposals will be Feb. 28 and Sept. 30, each year. One or two proposals will be funded each academic year. Awards will be announced within one month from deadline.
A mini-grant can also be awarded at the discretion of the Center Director to a full-time faculty of Western Michigan University. The faculty member can apply for a mini-grant for up to two times per academic year, and the total amount of grants is limited to $1,500 per faculty per annum.
Research Grant Information
Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies Research Grants are valued at up to $4,000 each. Review additional information for the most competitive application.
Timeline
Funded projects must be completed within 12 months from the date the awards are announced. That is, award funds must be used within the one-year project period and cannot be carried forward beyond the project end date. Recipients will be required to submit a two-page project report within 30 days of the project end date. Recipients will also be required to give a public presentation of their research within a year of project end date, to be scheduled with the Center Director.
Funding Parameters
Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies Research Grants may only be used for expenses directly related to research, including:
- Travel and subsistence costs directly related to the research.
- Compensation for research assistants required to conduct the research overseas.
- Consumable research supplies.
- Subject or participant fees.
- Other direct costs required to carry out the proposed research.
- Purchase or access fees to secondary data or library sources.
- Subvention for the publication of an academic book.
Applicant salary and research hardware are non-eligible expenses.
Application Requirements
Applications should include:
- An application cover page: project title, name, academic title and contact information (email, telephone, department, college).
- An abstract of the research proposal (maximum 250 words).
- Research proposal, including statement of purpose, importance of research, review of related studies, timeline and expected outcomes (maximum two pages, single-spaced).
- A biographical statement that describes how the research will enhance Chinese studies at WMU (maximum one page, single-spaced).
- Itemized budget.
- Detailed description of funds currently available, applied for, or that will be requested from other sources (internal and external) for the same purpose.
- Curriculum vitae.
Completed applications must be submitted electronically to hige-lightcenter@wmich.edu by February 28 and September 30.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated by the Light Center for Chinese Studies Board of Advisors. This critera will be evaluated.
- Quality of proposal.
- Importance of the proposed research to the field of Chinese studies.
- Potential benefits of the proposed research to Chinese studies at WMU.
- Competence of the applicant for proposed research as indicated by academic qualifications, research experience and language skills (when applicable).
Mini-Grant Information
A mini-grant can be awarded at the discretion of the Center Director to a full-time faculty of Western Michigan University. The faculty member can apply for a mini-grant for up to two times per academic year, and the total amount of grants is limited to $1,500 per faculty per annum.
Mini-grants are intended to support China-related activities and are expected to be duly acknowledged for outcomes resulting from the support (such as publication of books). Mini-grants can be used for, but are not limited to:
- Paying for honoraria to distinguished guests invited to speak at China-related classes at WMU, with a maximum of $300 per occurrence, per semester.
- Covering costs (transportation or otherwise) associated with attending related professional conferences, visiting other campuses, and fieldtrips (for example, to museums for research or teaching enhancement purposes). The faculty member is expected to first apply for the Faculty Travel Research Fund (overseen by the Office of Research and Innovation), as applicable.
- Providing funding for hosting off-campus guests including visiting scholars (limited to one time per semester, per faculty).
- Supporting teaching innovation and course development to benefit China-related courses.
- Subsidizing the publication and distribution of books (monographs and creative works) focusing on a China-related topic.
- Defraying costs of other academic, pedagogical or creative activities that are germane to Chinese studies.
Application Requirements
- Application cover page: project title, name, academic title and contact information (email, telephone, department, college).
- Proposal: including statement of purpose, timeline and expected outcomes (maximum 200 words).
- Itemized budget.
- Brief description of funds currently available, applied for, or that will be requested from other sources (internal and external) for the same purpose.
Completed applications must be submitted electronically to Dr. Ying Zeng at @email.
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