Extramural Coordinated Funding

UM Submission Instructions: New Directions Fellowship 2018

Sponsor:	Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Award Title:	New Directions Fellowship
Amount:	$300,000 Final budgets commonly range from $175,000 to $250,000; the maximum is $300,000. The term of the grant should cover a minimum of two years.
UM Deadline:	09/05/2018
Sponsor Deadline:	10/05/2018
Description:	Purpose: Serious interdisciplinary research often requires established scholar-teachers to pursue formal substantive and methodological training in addition to the PhD. New Directions Fellowships assist faculty members in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who seek to acquire systematic training outside their own areas of special interest. The program is intended to enable scholars in the humanities to work on problems that interest them most, at an appropriately advanced level of sophistication. In addition to facilitating the work of individual faculty members, these awards should benefit scholarship in the humanities more generally by encouraging the highest standards in cross-disciplinary research. Terms of the Awards: Eligible candidates will be faculty members who were awarded a doctorate in the humanities or humanistic social sciences within the last six to twelve years and whose research interests call for formal training in a discipline other than the one in which they are expert. Such training may consist of coursework or other programs of organized study. It may take place either at fellows’ home institutions or elsewhere, as appropriate. Although it is anticipated that many fellows will seek to acquire deeper knowledge of other fields within the broadly defined sphere of the humanities and humanistic social sciences, proposals to study disciplines farther afield are eligible. The principal criteria for selection are: (1) the overall significance of the research, (2) the case for the importance of extra-disciplinary training for furthering the research, (3) the likely ability of the candidate to derive satisfactory results from the training program proposed, and (4) a well developed plan for acquiring the necessary training within a reasonable period of time. Fellows will receive: (1) the equivalent of one academic year’s salary, (2) two summers of additional support, each at the equivalent two-ninths of the previous academic year salary, and (3) tuition or course fees or equivalent direct costs associated with the fellows’ training programs. To permit flexibility in meeting individual scholars’ needs, these funds may be expended over a period not to exceed three full academic years following the date of the award. The award normally can be delayed for a maximum of one year, if circumstances require it. The Foundation also expects the fellow’s home institution to use budgetary relief resulting from the award for academic purposes, preferably in the fellow’s department.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit:	1
Additional Requirements:	Doctorate w/in last 6-12 years
Sponsor Guidelines:	https://mellon.org/programs/higher-education-and-scholarship-humanities/fellowships/new-directions-fellowships/
UM Nominations Process:	Those interested in applying should submit the following pre-proposal materials as a single pdf document to vpfaa@umn.edu no later than 4pm on Sept. 5: 1. Cover page including candidate’s name, department, and contact information. 2. A project summary of no more than 300 words (2,000 characters, with spaces). 3. A proposal of no more than 2,000 words (13,000 characters, with spaces), providing an explanation of the overall significance of the research being undertaken and how the proposed new direction will assist in the development of the field. 4. A budget and budget narrative. The budget should include items for salary and standard fringe benefits (including yearly increases), projected training costs, and project-related travel. 5. A letter of recommendation from the candidate’s department chair or other senior colleague which should address the candidate’s preparation and the relationship of the “new direction” to the nominee’s research and pedagogy. An additional letter of recommendation may be submitted from a colleague in the new field, if appropriate. You may delay obtaining this second letter until after the internal selection process, but if you plan to include such a letter if selected, please ask the writer for an email committing to provide the letter and include it in your pre-proposal materials. 6. A concise curriculum vitae, no more than five pages in length. Any questions can be submitted to Chris Bremer at breme006@umn.edu or 612-625-6176.
Peer Review Coordination:	Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost contact email
Status:	The internal deadline has passed but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
Please note:	To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.

General Information

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Status:
- Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
- In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
- PI Selected: The PI has been selected as the official UM nominee.
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U of M Submission Instructions (Required)

This link includes summary sponsor information, specific instructions for internal submission and contact information for the university office coordinating the nomination process.

Follow the directions in the submission instructions and submit required materials by the UM deadline to the contact indicated.
Instructions vary according to the requirements of the sponsor and the university office coordinating the nomination process.

Registration (optional)

Registration is an optional but highly recommended feature. Perhaps you are looking for a wider audience for your proposal idea, or for potential collaborators to work with to create a stronger application. Registration allows applicants to share proposal ideas and post contact information.

Registration also provides information that helps the university office overseeing the nomination to determine the level of coordination needed and guide the review process.

To register (or view registrants), click on the UM Submission Instructions for a specific opportunity, then click on the Register Interest link.

Selection Process

Once the internal deadline has passed, the status will change to “In Review” and proposals will undergo review.
If there are multiple applicants, the office managing the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process.
Once review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
Nominees will be provided with a letter addressed to the sponsor from the RIO indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to “PI Selected”.

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