School of Humanities and Tel Aviv University announce call for joint workshops in the humanities

With the goal of facilitating research cooperation, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) has established a program to support joint humanities research workshops. The first joint workshop, which offered interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic of Dignity, was held in December 2016 (see poster below).  Funding for joint research workshops on all topics in the humanities will be provided on a competitive basis. Total costs for each workshop shall not exceed US $15,000 (including travel).

The TAU-UCI joint research workshops are intended to help researchers in the humanities at both universities to identify complementary research strengths and explore potential synergies. The workshops should have a clearly defined research focus and serve as a catalyst for the development of new research projects.

Workshops can either focus on one discipline in the humanities or have an interdisciplinary character. All topics welcome. The workshop format and duration is not pre-defined. Pending final approval of funding, at least one, and up to two, such workshops will be supported by TAU and UCI in 2017-2018. Ideally, one workshop will be held in Tel Aviv and one in Irvine. Proposals should indicate the preferred workshop location. Participants should include both junior and senior researchers; inclusion of graduate student and/or post-doctoral participants is encouraged.

Eligibility
Proposals should be submitted by tenured or tenure-track faculty in the humanities at Tel Aviv University and at UC Irvine. It is expected that workshop proposals involve several TAU and several UCI faculty. Workshop participants may include TAU and UCI faculty from other disciplines, such as social sciences, arts, or sciences.  Participants from other institutions are allowed; however, the additional costs must be covered by those partners.

Selection Criteria
The selection of finalists will be made based on the academic promise of the proposed project, the potential long-term impact on fostering collaborations between TAU and UCI researchers, and the likelihood of attracting follow-on funding from external sources.
Projects will be selected by a joint TAU-UCI committee, with attention to the following criteria:
o Clearly formulated goal(s) of the workshop;
o Appropriate participation from both universities; and
o Envisaged synergies to build collaboration between the two universities.

Submission Process and Deadlines
Proposals for TAU-UCI research workshops should be submitted in English and must include the following:
o Research statement (max 3 pages); include any history of collaboration and/or how this proposal might build collaboration between the two universities
o Budget and envisioned timeframe for the proposed workshop (max 1 page)
o Resumes not exceeding 2 pages each for the project leaders at TAU and UCI.
o A list of other TAU and UCI participants, their departmental affiliations and areas of expertise (max 1 page).

The application deadline is March 1, 2017.  Awards will be announced by April 15, 2017.  Workshops can be held July 1, 2017 through May 2018.

Researchers should submit the joint proposal as a single PDF file by email to both Amanda Swain at ajswain@uci.edu and to Sharon Kafri at vpoffice@tauex.tau.ac.il by the deadline.

For further information please contact:
At UC Irvine:
Amanda Jeanne Swain, PhD
Executive Director, Humanities Commons
T (949) 824-1948
E ajswain@uci.edu

At TAU:
Sharon Kafri
Vice President's Office
T 972-3 6405224
E vpoffice@tauex.tau.ac.il