PACIFIC RIM RESEARCH PROGRAM

The University of California (UC) Pacific Rim Research Program (PRRP) supports collaborative research by UC faculty, graduate students, and their colleagues at other institutions. Inaugurated in 1986 as part of a University-wide Pacific Rim initiative, it is governed by an Executive Committee of faculty representatives from all UC campuses and is administered by the Office of the President. It offers competitive grants totaling nearly $700,000 annually.

The 2009-10 Call for Proposals will be available in September 2009 at http://www.ucop.edu/research/pacrim.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Faculty/Staff: Research Grants fund collaborative projects of varying sizes. One-year grants in 2006-07 ranged from $7,500 to $24,000, with a median award of $14,900. Awards are ordinarily granted for one year, but two-year projects will also be considered, with second-year funding contingent on the submission of an interim report demonstrating satisfactory progress in the first year. Proposals for projects that are part of larger research programs funded by external sources should specify the programmatic and funding relationship between the proposed research and the project(s) already funded.

Graduate Students: Advanced Graduate Research Fellowships support graduate students in a year of dissertation research or its equivalent. Research Grants to graduate students in 2006-07 ranged from $5,380 to $22,000, with a median award of $16,500. Students may apply for a maximum of $22,000 in funding for a year of research, with budget justification. Budget requests for less than a year of funding should be adjusted proportionally. If more than one year of research can be justified, the graduate student may reapply for an additional year of funding.


WORKSHOP AND PLANNING GRANTS

Workshop and Planning Grants enable investigators to refine a hypothesis or line of inquiry, develop a strategy for implementation, and share or disseminate research findings. The grant shall not exceed $15,000. Workshops should lead to a publication reflecting an advance in the state of knowledge of a field; planning meetings should lead to a proposed program of collaborative research. Campus centers are eligible to apply for workshop and planning grants through a designated Principal Investigator.


FACULTY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Faculty Development Grants support UC faculty in developing new directions in Pacific Rim research through short-term (one to three months) residence in the region. All UC faculty with PI status may apply, either for the PI's own travel, or on behalf of a collaborator in another Pacific Rim country who will be hosted on the PI's home campus. The award shall not exceed $10,000. The proposal should aim at facilitating collaboration or field work on a project. If the residence occurs during the academic year, the applicant is responsible for making appropriate arrangements for a leave of absence from the university. During the period of residence, the applicant may not be remunerated for teaching or research-related activities by the host institution.

All 2007-08 proposals mentioned above must be submitted online at http://www.ucop.edu/research/pacrim to their campus' review committee before they are forwarded to the Office of the President for final consideration. UC Santa Cruz's deadline for the 2008-09 competetion is January 5, 2008. Ultimately, twelve proposals will be selected by the campus committee and will be allowed to be forwarded to the Pacific Rim (via the online system) by February 15, 2008.

From there the Program Office at the UC Office of the President will assign the proposals forwarded from the campuses to the PRRP Executive Committee members for review. The Executive Committee meets in April or May 2008 to make final selections of proposals to be recommended to the Office of Research for funding. Upon approval by the Vice Provost for Research at the Office of the President, letters informing applicaward status will be mailed to all applicants. Announcements are usually made in late May.

MINI-GRANTS

Graduate students may use the awards for dissertation research and pilot field work. Faculty may secure a mini-grant for any research-related project that meets the PRRP grants criteria, with the exception of travel to attend a conference. Mini-grant proposals are submitted directly to the PRRP Program Office at http://www.ucop.edu/research/pacrim.

Deadlines: During 2008-09, mini-grant proposals will be reviewed two times a year, with submission deadlines in: October and February. Please see the Pacific Rim Website for exact dates.