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Call for Proposals
Call for Proposals for Seed Funding for Research and Curriculum Development in Community Informatics
The 2009-2010 Call for Proposals is now over. The 2010-2011 Call for Proposals will be posted in the Winter of 2010.
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Below is the previous call for proposals:
Call for Proposals for Seed Funding for Research and Curriculum Development in Community Informatics
DEADLINE: MARCH 2, 2009
Notifications will be sent in April, with awards starting July 1, 2009 for duration of up to one year
The Community Informatics Initiative (CII) at the Illinois Informatics Institute (I3) and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) invites applications from UIUC faculty and professional staff for seed funding for research and curriculum development in Community Informatics. This field of investigation focuses on examining and implementing information technology (IT) that is synergistic with community needs and uses, and adds value to the community. Applicants are encouraged to consider proposals in the areas of citizen science, community heath, youth and media, and technology applications for social inclusion. . Other areas of interest include community information needs, government and democratic processes, economic development, artistic or creative endeavors, and education and learning.
Research and curriculum seed fund applications may relate to existing IT implementations, to the development or improvement of IT, to improvements in its use by communities, or to methods used to analyze communities and technology.
Research may be conducted with any research method. Applicants may also apply for funding to work in partnership with CII faculty and staff in preparation of grants to external funding agencies. Such proposals should be discussed in detail with CII personnel before submission.
Course development seed funding aims to support the development or revision of courses incorporating community informatics across the curriculum at the University of Illinois. Courses designed around service learning are of particular interest.
Financial support
Funding is provided through I3 and is pending budget approval. A limited number of grants of up to $15,000 are anticipated. Funds may be used for travel to sites, graduate assistantships, production and distribution of materials, payment of participants (e.g, in focus groups), or other needs as specified. Funding is not intended to cover hardware or software purchases for teaching or research, travel to conferences or summer salary. Where appropriate, and where the work involves a partnership with CII, funds may be used to buy out teaching or other responsibilities to provide the time necessary for creation of an external proposal.
Preference will be given to applications that show a strong partnership with a community. Funding may be requested for up to 12 months coinciding with the 2009-2010 academic year, including summer 2009 (beginning July 1), and is expected to be applied to expenses accruing within that year. Research funding may be available for projects which start in the Summer but most funding will begin in Fall 2009. Funding will support the development of courses to be offered during Summer II 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, or Summer I 2010. Preference will be given to classes that will be taught regularly. Supported courses will be considered for co-listing in the Informatics degree program.
Eligibility
This Call for Proposals is open to faculty and professional staff at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Application Process
Applications should be submitted electronically by March 2, 2009 to the CI Project Coordinator listed below. The subject line should read: CII Funding Application 2009 <your last name>.
In the body of the message, provide your name and full contact information including phone number, campus address and email address, the title of your project and the amount you are requesting. As one attachment provide a 3-5 page description of the project including a timeline for activities, and a detailed budget. A short vita with relevant teaching, research and service components should also be attached. Attachments should follow the same naming convention as for the email subject line.
In the description of the project, clearly indicate how the project meets the following criteria:
- Intellectual merit
- Feasibility
- Appropriate use of resourcesExpected benefit to partner communities and/or to the understanding of community informatics
Applicants must also show how they intend to or have already approached communities for cooperative relationships. We strongly encourage applicants to explore possibilities for sites where CII has already created such cooperative relationships. The CII is active in communities such as: East St. Louis, Chicago’s Paseo Boricua, Champaign-Urbana, rural areas throughout Illinois, and Sao Tome, West Africa. CII faculty and staff have long-standing relationships within these communities and can assist in developing proposals. These communities also have existing infrastructure and local support which can simplify implementation of projects. Please see our web site for more information, http://www.cii.uiuc.edu.
Questions should be directed to the CII Project Coordinator Sharon Irish (slirish@illinois.edu).
Submissions should be sent by email or mail, by March 2, 2009, to:
Sharon Irish (slirish@illinois.edu).
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, MC 493
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
501 East Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820
http://www.cii.uiuc.edu
Notifications will be sent in April, with awards starting July 1, 2009 for duration of up to one year. Successful applicants will be asked to present their work in the CII Speaker Series or at other venues on campus as appropriate, as well as participate in occasional meetings to assess CII research directions.