Research Relations Fund Further Instructions

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The UHH Research Relations Fund supports selected scholarly and creative activities of faculty whose disciplines do not normally enjoy significant external funding. Such support is limited to small, relatively self-contained projects. Please note that the UHH Research Council will not consider funding requests for the following purposes:

  • released time for more than one course
  • overload or summer salary payments for principal investigators
  • salaries for graduate assistants
  • purchase of personal computers

Funds will be available to all tenure-track faculty, with some priority given to new untenured faculty and to those faculty who have not previously received funding from this source. Applicants may submit only one proposal at a time. Proposals for released time must be justified and accompanied by the chair's written assurance that no other alternatives exist. Funds may be sought to augment sabbatical research but should not be seen as the primary source of sabbatical leave support. Faculty members on leave without pay are considered to be separated from the financial responsibility of the University and are ineligible.

The maximum amount available will be $5,000, but the average award is usually considerably less. Although requests for support of research-related travel (unrelated to conferences) will be considered, the Committee may offer only air fare and a modest lump sum toward per diem expenses rather than the usual per diem rate. Applicants are encouraged to seek supplemental funding from other sources and will be asked in their application forms to specify such sources and the amounts requested from them, by line item. The Committee may offer less than the amount requested either in toto or by item, and/or may ask the applicant to identify a source of matching funds (although not necessarily in the ratio of 1:1) as a condition for receiving partial support. This practice, commonly used elsewhere, enables the Committee to make available its limited funds to support the largest number of meritorious applicants.

The Committee will not consider proposals that do not meet the above requirements, or appeals for the reconsideration of non-funded proposals. However, previously unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to resubmit their proposals in the next round of competition if they have strengthened their proposals. Proposals must include the following items:

  1. completed application form (cover page/budget request), signed by the applicant, the department chair, and the dean/director
  2. narrative statement (no more than three double-spaced pages)
  3. chair or dean's letter of support for released time (if applicable)

Applicants should keep in mind that it is unlikely that members of the Council will be familiar with the proposal's subject. The abstract and the description of the proposed research should be written in such a manner that the purpose, methods and significance of the work will be easily understood by someone outside the discipline. Nevertheless, applicants should keep their narrative statements within three double-spaced pages. The narrative statement should begin with a brief abstract and address the following in the order indicated:

  1. objectives of the proposed work
  2. its significance
  3. procedures to be employed (these should reflect the items comprising the budget)
  4. projected results or output
  5. other existing or potential sources of support
  6. the applicant's curriculum vita edited for the purpose, including relevant recent publications, presentations, awards, and pending applications (to the University of Hawaii or external sources)

The applicant's record, depending on rank, will be among the Committee's considerations in reaching a decision. Please keep the edited curriculum vitae within one or two pages.

Once awarded, funds should be encumbered within one year, a grant's normal time period. Recipients of awards are to submit one-page reports on the grant's use and results at the end of the grant's period. Dr. Daniel Brown, Coordinator of Research and Graduate Education for UHH, is available to assist applicants with their proposals, including the budget portion. Upon request, he will review preliminary drafts. Dr. Brown can be reached by telephone at 974-7468 or by email at dbrown@hawaii.edu.

Proposals (original plus five copies) should be submitted to the UHH Research Council via Dan Brown by April 6, 2009.