Deadline: 8 May 2020
In 2019, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) established the Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean, an initiative to catalyze collaborative research into the mutual shaping of social and environmental change in the region.
Drawing together scholars and institutions from across the globe, the program will fund cutting-edge social inquiry on the Indian Ocean region. It will also support the development of new models of international research partnerships, grounded in principles of ethical collaboration and equity in the production and dissemination of knowledge in and about the Global South.
Themes
Applicants may address themes such as (but not limited to):
- Resources: Natural resource management and governance (policy and legal perspectives); gender dimensions of natural resource use; fisheries; food security; water security and disputes; war and conflict; international and imperial rivalries; piracy; fossil fuel (political economies of, changes in use or production); pollution.
- Infrastructure: Ocean-based infrastructure development; tourism; spatial transformation; trade; corridors, roads, and belts; sustainable cities; sea and water securitization; post-war reconstruction; foreign investment; the spatial dimensions of social justice.
- Oceanic livelihoods: Lives and livelihoods of island and coastal communities; rising sea levels and submerged cities; spatial transformations on the Indian Ocean rim; islandness; ocean-hinterland relations; public health; urbanization; demography, migration, and refugees; transborder solidarities and social movements.
- Methodologies and approaches: Ecological zones and weather patterns as frameworks; foregrounding local perspectives and problems; social networks; Science, Technology, and Society (STS) approaches to climate change; thinking about other seas and regions (comparisons and connections); identifying new archives and sources; heritage; the archaeology of the ocean.
Funding Information
- Planning grant recipients will receive up to $35,000 for research planning related expenses, including travel and accommodation, research equipment, and convening costs. Planning grants are intended to provide approximately 12 months of funding, from the time of notification of successful applications in early July 2020 through August 2021.
- In addition to activities proposed in their applications, successful applicants will attend an SSRC-sponsored proposal development workshop in either October or November 2020, focusing on themes such as the modes of collaborative research, the advancement of ethical practices related to research collaboration, and others that emerge from the grant cohorts themselves.
- Grantees will be eligible to apply to a separate call for full project funding through the Collaboratory in early May 2021, regardless of whether they are still completing activities related to the planning grant at that time.
Eligibility Criteria
- The SSRC is strongly encourage applications that bridge disciplinary and geographic boundaries, and propose creative approaches to the study of the Indian Ocean and its sub regions.
- Grants are open to scholars and professionals working in the social sciences and allied disciplines, including the physical and natural sciences where relevant.
- The principal investigator (PI) should hold a PhD in a relevant field and be fully embedded in and engaged with the Indian Ocean region. Co-PIs and other team members may hold or be working toward a postgraduate degree, or have attained a relevant professional qualification. These individuals may not necessarily be grounded in the Indian Ocean but should demonstrate a level of interest in the region. Finally, the project should be transregional in its geographic focus and/or in the composition of the research team.
- Previous recipients of SSRC funding are eligible to apply.
- Individual applications should emphasize envisioned future collaboration for their proposed projects and, where possible, indicate possible collaborators.
Selection Criteria
In addition to the strength of the proposal with regard to innovative ideas, research plan, and methods, the selection panel will consider elements such as interdisciplinarity, the transregional nature of the project, as well as diversity and composition of the proposed research teams. Demonstrated commitment to the ethics of collaborative research will also serve as an important factor in the selection process.
How to Apply
- In the case of team applications, the principal investigator must complete the online form and upload all required documents on behalf of the research team.
- A complete application must be submitted via given website and include:
- Online application form.
- Project proposal (5 pages).
- Current CV of the PI and up to two Co-PIs, where relevant (2-3 pages each). CVs should include the following details: education and employment history, relevant research experience, honors and awards, professional affiliations, language skills and a list of no more than 5 relevant publications
- Proposed budget (1 page)
- The online application form and all required documents should be completed in English.
For more information, visit https://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/view/call-for-proposals-transregional-planning-grants/