The first of May 2017 is the deadline of the first internal call for financial support to prepare research proposal. Highlights with Professor David Sylvan, Head of Research at the Graduate Institute.
Why this decision to open this kind of internal service?
I think that we increasingly realised that with the sheer number of people applying for various funding sources, it’s become vital for applicants to demonstrate “proof of concept”, say by a pilot project, or at least by showing that some of the key aspects of an application are indeed feasible. At the same time, junior faculty, in particular, find themselves in a kind of catch-22: relatively little experience in managing projects, and thus to some degree handicapped in making a credible case for their candidacy. The seed money initiative – an easy-to-write request for up to CHF 5,000 – is designed to solve both problems, and is based on analogous schemes at various universities around the world.
Can you briefly explain the conditions to apply?
We’ve posted an announcement on the Research Office website which gives all the details. But if potential applicants have additional questions, they’re invited to get in touch with us: we’ll do our best to give them answers. We’ll be doing this twice a year; the first deadline is 1 May.