Call for applications: Study in a Second Discipline Fellowships, State-of-the-Art Conference Grants

The Provost’s Office is pleased to announce funding for the Study in a Second Discipline Fellows Program and its State-of-the-Art Conference Grants for 2024-25.

Study in a Second Discipline promotes interdisciplinary research and teaching among UGA academic units by providing tenured faculty an opportunity to extend the range of their knowledge through the study of disciplines outside their primary discipline. State-of-the-Art Conference Grants provide support for faculty to organize a unique conference on UGA’s campus that facilitates new interactions between national and international scholars and UGA faculty and students. Information on each of these programs and application deadlines are below.

Study in a Second Discipline

  • Application deadline: Friday, Jan. 24, 2025

Study in a Second Discipline Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to tenured faculty members who have established a record of scholarly activity within their base discipline. The sponsoring academic unit agrees to release the faculty applicant from instructional responsibilities for the duration of the fellowship and cover the faculty recipient’s teaching obligations without a reduction in course offerings. To support high-quality instruction, the sponsoring academic unit may request matching funds from the Provost’s Office to offset the loss of the faculty recipient’s teaching obligations, typically for one semester during the fellowship.

Study in a Second Discipline offers two distinct tracks for participation, a Research-Intensive Track, and a Teaching-Intensive Track. The Research-Intensive Track gives tenured faculty release time to develop new research combining the knowledge learned through Study in a Second Discipline with the faculty member’s primary discipline. The Teaching-Intensive Track gives tenured faculty release time to develop a new, innovative, and interdisciplinary course combining the knowledge learned through Study in a Second Discipline with the faculty member’s primary discipline.

State-of-the-Art Conference Grants

  • Application deadline: Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Proposals to host a State-of-the-Art Conference should originate from faculty whose contributions to the scholarly or creative focus of the proposed conference enable them to attract other leading scholars to campus. Priority will be given to conferences with an international component, particularly those with the promise of international collaborations.

By design, State-of-the-Art Conferences embrace novel gatherings and innovative themes that are not already routine or recurring with a base of support. As such, absent exceptional circumstances, regular meetings of campus organizations or established academic societies generally do not fit the grant’s purpose. A regular meeting of an international organization or society may qualify if the proposed conference will bring high-profile scholars to campus and will have the potential to significantly enhance UGA’s national and international reputation in the field.

State-of-the-Art Conferences may be developed by individual faculty members or a small team of faculty. Team proposals for interdisciplinary conferences are strongly encouraged. The applicant must secure at least 50% of the funds needed for the conference from other sources, and the commitment for these other funds must be secured in writing and submitted with the State-of-the-Art Conference Grant proposal.