Volume 3   Number 1                                                                                                  August 1997

From the Director . . .

The staff of the Office of Grants extends a friendly "welcome back" to faculty members and a "welcome" to new members. This is the first issue of the Grants Monthly for academic year 1997-98.

Over the summer and during the previous academic year, we witnessed a significant "reinventing" of sponsored programs by the Office of Research, University of North Carolina General Administration. This initiative affects each of the 16 campuses in the system, and clearly changes the way we do business. There are four major components of the reinventing initiative:

1) Improved Reporting which promotes direct electronic reporting of data among other systems,

2) Information Sharing which provides for a central resource for constituent institutions,

3) Monitoring and Compliance which changes procedure and policy for sponsored programs, and

4) Electronic Research Administration which develops cross database links to expertise, funding opportunities, electronic proposals, etc.

There are other subcategories of the initiative that will be discussed in future issues of the Grants Monthly and in meetings. These new challenges have spawned greater creativity and determination to enhance sponsored programs at UNCP. We have streamlined the preaward process of proposal development and submission. The Office is now "one-stop" shopping in the preaward phase. This means we will provide technical assistance in proposal development, review your budget, sign-off on Internal Processing Forms in lieu of the Business Office, obtain other appropriate signatures, and mail your proposal. The UNCP Business Office will retain post-award administration activities.

Proposal submissions will be reported electronically to the General Administration, giving you instant credit for developing your proposal. Further, the new reporting system may eventually produce sponsored program graphics specific to UNCP for information and management purposes.

The September issue of the Grants Monthly will alert you to other sponsored program initiatives to be implemented during the academic year. Meanwhile, we are highly optimistic about sponsored programs this year and beyond. CALL US ABOUT ENTERING YOUR PROFILE IN THE COMMUNITY OF SCIENCE DATABASE. The database is used for all disciplines.

UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION FOUNDATION awards grants to promote soccer. Foundation grants aim to make soccer a Preeminent sport by increasing participation, the quality of play and the visibility of the sport. Funding also supports efforts to enhance gender equity and minority participation in the sport. More than $4 million has been awarded in the foundation's first two years of operation. Grants have supported 56 programs in 28 states. Deadline: November 1. Contact: Application form is available on the web site. Joyce Walz, Grants Administrator, U.S. Soccer Federation Foundation, 1050 17th St., NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, 202/ 496-1292; fax-202/496-9669; http:/ /www.erols.com/soccerfd.

Unlike grants, which are generally awarded to organizations, fellowships are intended for advanced study and research by the individual scholar. Among the fellowships available in the coming months are the following:

    ACLS Fellowships: postdoctoral research in the humanities and social sciences; 6-12 months,        fulll-time research between 7-1-98 and 2-1-99; maximum $20,000; deadline: September 30.

    ACLS/SSRC International Postdoctoral Fellowships: humanities-related social science        research on Asian, Latin American, Caribbean or sub-Saharan African societies; 6-12 months,        full-time research between 7-1-98 and 2-1-99; maximum $20,000; deadline: October 15.

    Contemplative Practice Fellowships: develop courses/teaching materials exploring        contemplative practice; summer 1998; maximum $20,000; deadline: October 31.

     Fellowships for East European Studies: research in social sciences and humanities -        deadline: October 31. Summer language training grants - deadline: January 30.

     Center for the Humanities: advanced study/research in any humanistic inquiry; must have         received doctorate within the past four years; one-year, full-time; $31,000 plus $500 research         funds - deadline: November 15.

     National Science Foundation: research fellowships in mathematical sciences; $78,000 for         two-year fellowships; Ph.D. for no more than five years; deadline: October 17.

For more information about these and other fellowships, contact the Office of Grants.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced several grants competitions. The Education Development and Demonstration Program includes the Humanities Focus with two application deadlines (September 15 and April 17). Applications for Materials Development, Curricular Development and Demonstration, and Demonstration and Diffusion are due October 1 (202/606-8380). "Teaching with Technology " is a special initiative for which proposals are invited. Another announcement by NEH calls for Collaborative Research proposals, with a September 1 deadline.

Grants are to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies/foreign languages in the United States. ED favors projects that require entering students to have completed at least two years of secondary school foreign language instruction; require each graduating student to have an two years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language or have demonstrated equivalent foreign language competence; or, for two-year degree granting institutions, offer two years of post- secondary credit in a foreign language. Grants range from $40,000 to $90,000 a year for each of 22 awards to single institutions, and $75,000 to $ 1 00,000 a year for each of four awards to consortia and associations. Project periods are up to two years for single institutions, and up to three years for consortia and associations. Deadline: November 3. Contact: Christine Corey; 202/401-9798; CFDA #84.016A.

Offers opportunities to higher education faculty members and doctoral students for research in modern foreign languages and area studies. Awards will range from $18,000 to $70,000 for each of 31 individual faculty fellowships, and $12,000 to $60,000 for each of 75 individual doctoral research fellowships. Project periods are three to 12 months for faculty awards and six to 12 months for doctoral dissertation research awards. Deadline: October 27. Contact: faculty research abroad (CFDA #84.019A) - Eliza Washington, 202/401-9777; doctoral dissertation research (CFDA #84.022A) - Karla Ver Bryck Block, 202/401-9774.

Grants to support overseas projects in training, research and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies by teachers, students and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. For short-term seminars, ED will give preference to proposals that develop and improve foreign language and area studies at elementary and secondary schools. Grants will range from $35,000 to $65,000 for each of 24 awards. Project periods are four to six weeks for short-term seminars and curriculum development projects, and two to 12 months for group research or study projects. Deadline: October 20. Contact: Lungching Chiao; 202/401-9772; CFDA #84.021A.

The program will fund conventional research projects, including standard basic or mission-linked research grants or conference grants; and Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards, which augment institutions' research capabilities and include postdoctoral fellowships and strengthening awards for non-research intensive EPSCOR states and investigators at institutions of 15,000 or less enrollment. Congress has not yet set final appropriations for the program, but following are tentative totals for broad categories: Natural resources and the environment- $16 million; nutrition, food quality and health - $6.7 million; plant systems - $33.5 million; animal systems - $21.5 million; markets, trade and policy - $3.6 million; and new products and processes - $6.3 million. Deadlines: November 15: for plant responses to the environment; soils and soil biology; water resources assessment and protection; human nutrition for optimal health; and weed biology and management. December 15 for plant genome; plant genetic mechanisms; plant growth and development; photosynthesis and respiration; markets and trade; rural development; food characterization/process/product research; and non-food characterization/process/product research. January 15 for ensuring food safety; animal reproductive efficiency; animal health and well-being; plant pathology; entomology and nematology; biologically based pest management; improved utilization of wood and wood fiber. February 15 for animal growth, development and nutrient utilization; animal genetic mechanisms and gene mapping; nitrogen fixation/nitrogen metabolism; research career enhancement awards; equipment grants; seed grants; and agricultural systems. Contact: USDA/CSREES/NRICGP, Stop 2241, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250-2241; 202/401-5022; nricgp@reeusda.gov; http://www.reeusda.gov/nri/

PERKIN FUND supports projects in the fields of astronomy, medicine, optics and broad areas of scientific research. Most of the fund's grants support large, well established institutions. However, small and medium-sized institutions doing significant work in those fields also are encouraged to apply. Grants generally range from $1,000 to $25,000. Deadline: September 15 and March 15. Contact in writing only: Perkin Fund, 340 Country Club Road, New Canaan, CT 06840.

PEACE DEVELOPMENT FUND supports progressive grassroots movements aimed to achieve social, environmental and economic justice. Grants are made to develop and build networks of communities and grassroots organizations that are working to address the above issues nationally and internationally. Innovative strategies and projects that focus on local communities are encouraged. Average grant is $5,000. Maximum grant is $10,000. Deadline: September 1 and February 1 for letters of intent (eight copies must be submitted). Requested full proposal deadline: November 1 and April 1. Contact: Juan Carlos Aguilar, Grants Coordinator or Linda Stout, Executive Director, Peace Development Fund, 44 N. Prospect St., P.O. Box 1280, Amherst, MA 01004-1280; 413/256-8306; fax-413/256-8871; http://www.javanet.com/~pdf/.

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9/18/97