Taft Award Programs
Faculty Awards
Research Support
Publication Support
Student Awards
Departmental Programs
Taft Award Programs
Research Support – Direct Research Cost
The Research Support Fund provides funds to help underwrite expenses associated with faculty research through departmental allocations and competitive grants. Faculty may use Direct Research Cost funds to cover direct research costs such as payment for technical or consulting services, video-taping, laboratory analysis, software, expenses involved in conducting interviews, distributing surveys or other data collection activities. If the direct research cost is for $2,000 or less, faculty must use the department’s annual research support allocation first. Please refer to the Department Allocated Research Support page for further details. For purchases above $2,000 or after department resources have been exhausted, faculty may apply to the Direct Research Cost competitive program.
Direct Research Cost Restrictions
- Expenses that are funded by other Taft programs, such as faculty release time, faculty travel, graduate student fellowships, speakers and conferences, are not to be charged to the Research Support Fund. Independent student projects are not to be paid for with Research Support funds, but student activities which directly contribute to faculty research may be supported.
- All expenses charged to the Research Support fund must either contribute to a faculty research project, or to improving the research infrastructure of the department.
- Research Support funds may not be used to purchase computer hardware.
Application Guidelines
A complete application packet of SIX COLLATED COPIES should include the following:
1. A completed Direct Research Cost cover sheet
2. A proposal narrative (500-1000 words ) that explains the need for the direct cost purchases related to a specific research project. Details should be given concerning:
- A detailed description and rationale of the proposed expenses.
- Applicants should make a clear case for the impact of the requested funding on their research and scholarship. Details should be given concerning:
a) The project goals and methodology;
b) Other faculty or students involved in the project;
c) The significance of the requested funding to the completion of the project;
d) The proposed schedule for the project.
3. Itemized budget
4. 2-page C.V. (the C.V. should indicate scholarship interests, publications and awards that pertain to the proposed project).
5. Support letter from Department Head. If the total request is less than $2,000 but the department has insufficient funds to cover the full costs, the letter should indicate the status of department allocated research support funds relative to the proposal and how much of the department allocation will be used. If the cost is above the $2,000 cap, the letter should speak solely to the merits of the proposal.
Criteria for Selection
1. The quality or promise of quality of the applicant's work as a scholar or creative writer and teacher.
2. The significance of the contribution that the proposed project will make to thought and knowledge in the field of the project.
3. The conception, definition, organization, and description of the proposed project.
4. The current state of the research, the schedule to do the research, and the timeliness of the grant to ensuring the completion of the project.
5. The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project.
6. The manner in which the application fulfills the stated requirements.
7. Evidence of productivity from any Taft grants in the past five years.
An applicant is restricted to an overall twenty-four month capof $40,000. Applicants should seek to leverage Allocated Department Research Support money in support of their direct costs.
Funding Limits for Research Support
Each award category for Research Support has distinct funding caps. Cumulatively, no faculty member may receive more than $100,000 in Research Support awards during a five-year period. If several faculty members submit a joint request, they may apportion the cost of the award among themselves in any manner they choose. If they do not indicate an apportionment, it will be assumed that the cost is to be apportioned equally among all faculty listed on the proposal.
Contact information:
2625 Clifton Avenue
PO Box 210369
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0369
Mail Location: 0369
Phone: 513.556.0675
Fax: 513.558.7136
Email Taft Secretary at taftcenter@uc.edu.
© Copyright 2004, The Charles Phelps Taft Research Center