Barajas Dean’s Innovation Fund 2020 Applications Now Open

The Dean of Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce continued funding available for initiatives in the Digital Arts and Humanities, thanks to the generosity of the Barajas Dean’s Innovation Fund for Digital Arts and Humanities. The application guidelines are below.

This fund is intended to encourage innovation in the arts and humanities by supporting small and medium scale projects that will move these fields to the center of the digital revolution. Proposals may include (but are by no means limited to) course development and support, interfaculty collaborations, technology and training, experiential learning opportunities, and undergraduate, graduate, or faculty research.

All ladder faculty and senior lecturers, including those without a previous history of digital innovation, are encouraged to apply. New applicants will be favored; earlier recipients of Barajas grants will be considered for extension of funding or for funding of new projects. A report on the activities and spending of the prior award is required with submission. While proposals may include some funding for digitization of materials, this should not be the primary goal of the project.

Please submit a one-paragraph Statement of Intent by Friday, March 13, 2020 to artshum@fas.harvard.edu. Full applications are due Friday, March 27, 2020. The maximum amount to be awarded is $20,000 but proposals with a more modest budget are encouraged. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.

Applicants may want to consult with the Academic Technology Group (contact: Annie Rota, rota@fas.harvard.edu), the Harvard College Library (contact: Marty Schreiner, schrein@fas.harvard.edu), and/or Arts and Humanities Research Computing (contact: Rashmi Singhal, rashmi_singhal@harvard.edu) on technology issues and currently available resources.

Proposals will be favored that:

  • use digital media and techniques to expand the reach of scholarly inquiry in the arts and/or humanities
  • show creativity and will have significant impact on a field of research or on university teaching
  • take advantage of existing (digital) resources at the University and will make them available to a wider audience
  • indicate how the project will benefit undergraduate and/or graduate students

Proposals must include:

  • A 1-3 page account of the project with the following information
    • Goals of the project
    • Technical support needs, either from staff/students to be hired with money awarded, or from staff already in place
    • A one-sentence abstract for possible publication on the Arts and Humanities website, should the project be funded
  • Anticipated beginning and end date of the project
  • A detailed budget for the entire project, indicating how the innovation funds will be allocated and how the project will be sustained past the grant period. N.B. Applicants should make explicit what other sources of funding have been or will be requested
  • A list of collaborators with ranks and affiliations

If granted, recipients will be required to:

  • Submit a report on their activities, including the expenditure of all funds
  • Return any unused funds. If the funds awarded are for an event to be held in the following fiscal year or in the upcoming academic year, unused funds need only be returned after the event is complete and all expenses covered by the award have been paid. If there is a question about timing for the detailed report or return of funds, please have your financial administrator contact our office

Awardees will also be strongly encouraged to publicize their projects on the web. Arts and Humanities Research Computing is prepared to help in this effort if faculty do not want to do it through their own channels (see prior years’ projects at http://darthcrimson.org/barajas).

Proposals should be submitted as an electronic attachment to arts-hum@fas.harvard.edu, Subject: Barajas Innovation Fund Proposal.