The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York have committed to developing an alliance to link the two universities in teaching, research, fundraising for Alliance programs, and other related activities. To foster academic collaboration, the two institutions support the Columbia-LSE Alliance Collaborative Research Fund to facilitate academic exchanges.

To enable faculty at LSE and Columbia University to undertake collaborative research projects.

LSE and Columbia University will provide small grants to develop collaborative research projects to the point where teams can seek external funding to support their work. Applicants should already have identified their collaborative partner(s) in the opposite institution and have a potential research project in mind. Funds are available for transatlantic travel, accommodation and subsistence to enable academics to put together collaborative research proposals, although training grants are not eligible for support through this initiative.

There will be two levels of Award:

(a)    Travel Award: of up to $1,500 to allow an academic to visit the other institution in order to (i) explore the possible collaboration in greater depth and (ii) develop a truly collaborative proposal seeking seed grand/demonstration project funding.

(b)   Seed Grant: of up to $15,000 to allow collaborative faculty to get the proposed work launched, demonstrate proof of concept and write proposals for externally-funded grants and contracts to expand/continue the project.

For the Travel Award: Applicants will submit a brief outline of the proposed project (1-2 pages). LSE faculty will submit their outlines to the Research and Project Development Division. Columbia University faculty will submit their requests to the Office of the Provost, 202 Low Library.

The Proposal will identify:

·        Members of the research project team at LSE

·        Members of the research project team at Columbia University

·        A brief description of the proposed research

·        Potential funding bodies where these have already been identified; early advice from RPDD is strongly recommended for LSE faculty

·        Timescale for putting together the collaborative project

·        Approximate expected timescale for the research project

All proposals submitted at LSE will be assessed by the LSE Research Committee. Applications must be made at least three weeks before the meeting of the Research Committee, the dates of which are published in the LSE Calendar. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application shortly after the date of the relevant meeting of the meeting of the Research Committee.

Proposals for travel grants submitted at Columbia will be assessed by a faculty committee.

Applications must be received by October 1 and May 1. Awards will be announced before the end of the respective semester.

For the Seed Grant: Applicants will submit a fuller description of the proposed project (4-6) with a budget analysis. LSE faculty will submit their outlines to the Research and Project Division. Columbia University faculty will submit their proposals to the Office of the Provost, 205 Low Library.

The proposal will identify:

·        Members of the research project team at LSE

·        Members of the research project team at Columbia University

·        A brief description of the proposed research

·        Potential funding bodies where these have already been identified; early advice from RPDD is strongly recommended for LSE faculty

• Timescale for putting together the collaborative project
• Approximate expected timescale for the research project
• Line item budget

LSE academics will submit applicants for support to the Research and Project Development Division by November 1 and May 1; Columbia faculty will submit applications to the Office of the Provost by those same dates. Applicants will be notified of the outcomes of their applications shortly after the date that the joint review is completed.

Successful applicants are asked to provide a brief summary report on the results of their collaborative efforts. The report will summarize outcomes, such as formal funding applications planned or made, further work proposed to refine the potential project, problems encountered or reasons for taking the venture no further. The report will be submitted to the Provosts of the two institutions.

Criteria for selection

All academic staff and LSE and all full-time faculty of professorial rank at CU are eligible to apply for research support through this program. In reviewing proposals, LSE and Columbia will look for evidence that applicants have identified an achievable research project, with suitable collaborative partner(s) and the potential for securing external funding within a realistic timeframe.

Further Information

Please contract:

Gus Steward, Director

Research and Project Development Division

Room U901, Tower 1

Roxie R. Smith, Vice Provost

Office of the Provost

205 Low Library

Tel: 212-854-8298

E-mail: [email protected]