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Scholarship and Collaboration in Humanities and Arts Research (SCHARP)

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) SCHARP Awards aim to support innovative works of scholarship and creative activities in the arts and humanities that have the potential to transform a field of study, impact the common good, or chart a new direction in scholarly, creative, or artistic development.  Proposal reviews will be conducted by a committee composed of representatives from UCHI, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the School of Fine Arts.

Program Overview:  SCHARP Awards will be given in two categories:

  • SCHARP Development Award
    • Supports the development of innovative research and creative works in arts and humanities. We seek proposals for significant and well-conceptualized projects that are still in the early stages of implementation.
    • Awards can include support for conducting archival research; visits to museums, galleries, cultural sites, or performances; for activities that foster collaborative relationships; and other activities/costs that will support the development of the project (including department-approved course releases and graduate student support)
    • Smaller projects, projects that are exploratory in nature, or projects that are already mature and need funding for publication/completion should be submitted for Scholarship Facilitation Fund awards.
    • Awards may be used over 1-2 years
    • Up to 4 Development Awards in the range of $5,000-$8,000 will be made.
  • SCHARP Breakthrough Award
    • Provides funding in support of innovative and transformative projects in the arts and humanities that have the potential to make significant scholarly and creative impact. We seek proposals for projects that are truly groundbreaking and exceed the scope of normal scholarly / creative work in your field.
    • Projects that transcend disciplinary boundaries, foster unique collaborations, or productively reshape fields of study/practice are strongly encouraged.
    • Awards may be used over 1-3 years, including up to 1 year for planning and project development purposes.
    • One Breakthrough Award of up to $50,000.00 will be made.

Timeline:

  • Development Award:
    • Full Proposals due December 15 by 12:00 noon.
    • Submissions should be made via the UConn Quest Portal.
    • Award notices expected in March. Award setup will begin immediate after notice, pending the completion of compliance review.
  • Breakthrough Award:
    • Full Proposals due December 15 by 12:00 noon.
    • Submissions should be made via the UConn Quest Portal.
    • Award notices expected in March. Award setup will begin immediate after notice, pending the completion of compliance review.

Eligibility

SCHARP awards are available to individuals with a primary, full-time faculty appointment to UConn/UConn Health, within the following parameters:

  • Applicants must be tenure track, Clinical, Research, or in-Residence faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher.  Faculty with Research Professor titles will need to have some institutionally-funded research time available in order to eligible.
  • Applicants may be from any department or discipline within the University, so long as the project makes a strong contribution to scholarship in the arts or humanities or a significant creative endeavor.
  • Faculty may submit only one project per academic year in each SCHARP category.
  • The same project may not be submitted for both a Breakthrough and Development award in the same academic year.
  • The same project cannot receive funds from SCHARP and the smaller Scholarship Facilitation Fund or the larger Research Excellence Program mechanisms
  • Because of the limited funding available, projects that receive a Development award are not eligible for another Development award.  However, such a project is eligible for a future Breakthrough Award.  Projects that receive a Breakthrough Award are not eligible for additional SCHARP funding.

Proposal Guidelines – Development Awards

Proposals for SCHARP Awards should contain the following elements and follow the structure and guidelines indicated.  All length guidelines assume 1” margins, 11-12pt fonts, single spacing and single side pages.

  • Cover Page: Title of Project, Applicant information, and a list of collaborators
  • Abstract: A lay summary of the project's activities and major goals
  • Project Narrative: Describe the project and its anticipated outcomes.  Project narratives should address the following and not exceed 2 pages for Development awards. References should be included and do not count against page limits.
    • Provide background on your project's field of study/practice to provide context for the work you are proposing.
    • Describe the work you wish to accomplish through project (scholarly / artistic approach, theoretical or methodological framework, specific activities that you propose undertaking, and the expected products of the project [e.g. performances, exhibitions, publications, media, public engagements, etc.]).
    • Explain how your proposed activities will contribute to the achievement of your scholarly/artistic goals and how the achievement of your scholarly/artistic goals will contribute to your field of study or practice.
    • Access and Resources: If the project requires special technical expertise, describe how this need will be addressed.  If the project requires access to archives/collections/resources at another institution, describe the arrangements that have been made to gain access to them.
  • Budget describing and justifying use of SCHARP funds.  Please use the OVPR Internal Funding Budget Template.
  • Updated CVs for all key project contributors that includes most recent publications / performances / exhibitions or those that are most relevant to the work proposed.

Proposal Guidelines – Breakthrough Awards

Proposals for SCHARP Breakthrough Awards should contain the following elements and following the structure and guidelines indicated.  All length guidelines assume 1” margins, 11-12pt fonts, single spacing and single side pages.

  • Cover Page: Title of Project, Applicant information, and a list of collaborators
  • Abstract: A lay summary of the project activities and major goals
  • Project Narrative: Describe the project and its anticipated outcomes.  Project narratives should address the following and not exceed 5 pages for Breakthrough Awards. References should be included and do not count against page limits.
    • Provide background on the field with which your project will engage to provide context for the work you are proposing, describing current scholarly/artistic norms in your field, opportunities to build on or challenge those norms, or obstacles that need to be overcome before further progress can be made.
    • Proposed work: Describe the work you wish to accomplish with this project. Explain the scholarly or artistic approach and any theoretical or methodological framework you are applying, the specific activities that you propose undertaking to advance your project, and the outputs or products of this work (e.g. performances, exhibitions, publications, media, public engagements, etc.).  Proposals should specifically address the ways in which the project is innovative/novel compared to existing work within the discipline.
    • Impact and outcomes: Explain how your proposed activities will contribute to the achievement of your scholarly/artistic goals and how the achievement of your scholarly/artistic goals will be transformative for your field of study or practice.
    • Expertise/Skills, Access, and Resources: If the project requires special technical expertise, describe how this need will be addressed.  If the project requires access to archives/collections/resources at another institution, describe the arrangements that have been made to gain access to them.  If your project includes collaboration, describe how the skills and expertise of each scholar/artist contributes to the success of the project and explain how the collaboration is innovative/novel compared to what is common within the discipline.
  • Budget describing and justifying use of SCHARP funds.  Please use the OVPR Internal Funding Budget Template.
  • Updated CVs for all key project contributors that includes most recent publications/performances/exhibitions or those that are most relevant to the work proposed.

Budget Guidelines

Please see the general budget guidelines for the OVPR Research Development Internal Funding awards.

Review Criteria

  • Significance/Importance – Why does this project matter?
  • Innovation/Novelty – How is this project new?
  • Feasibility of Approach – How will the work be done?
  • Environment/Resources – What resources/facilities will be used
  • Team qualifications – Who will be working on this project, and how are they uniquely suited to accomplish this work?
  • Outcome – What value/impact will this work promise to return?
  • Assessment – How will success be determined?
  • Budget – Are funds to be used efficiently and effectively to achieve project goals?

 

 

Project Evaluation Guidelines

After SCHARP awards are made, the OVPR would like to check in with awardees periodically to evaluate project progress and to learn about the impact of the work that has been done.

In the short term, the OVPR will follow up with awardees at the end of each year during the award period.  If the award was given for multiple years, we will ask for a brief update on how your project is progressing and for an updated budget for the following year.  If significant budget changes are needed at any point within an award period (i.e. because of unanticipated delays, new costs, significant shifts of funding between categories), awardees may contact research@uconn.edu to work out a revised budget.

Post-award considerations

  • Reporting requirements: PIs will need to prepare a brief report, using this Award Report Template to summarize project progress at the end of the award period.
  • Further reports on project outcomes may be requested in the future to track return on investment.

Program Contacts

  • Administrative contact: Charlotte Nelson, OVPR Internal Funding Coordinator. research@uconn.edu