Faculty Research Support
Taft offers research support to faculty working on individual research projects, with a priority given to those that have or will seek external funding. Applications may include but are not limited to direct research or research collaboration costs and cost-share grants.
Taft Research Seminar
Taft underwrites faculty, graduate student, and advanced undergraduate development by offering support for a visiting scholar’s participation in a semester-long seminar that enables faculty and students to focus on a particular research agenda, problem, or theme related. Invited scholars should work in areas with demonstrated interdisciplinary appeal.
Seminars should afford significant, sustained interactions between the visiting scholar(s) and UC faculty and students. Proposals may include a single sustained engagement for a visiting scholar or several shorter engagements, with multiple scholars; and may also include (though not exclusively) remote participation. Seminars must not be a mere series of lectures.
Applications must specify the proposed use of the $25,000 award, including honoraria, accommodations, food, and other possible hosting costs.
Collections
Collections purchases allow faculty and departments the opportunity to acquire a specific collection (books, videos, data sets or other library materials), in order to further the research opportunities not otherwise available. Purchases may include (but are not limited to) general reference and research resources such as large digital archives or microfilm collections; bibliographies and catalogs; information on multimedia; rare or out-of-print books; and back issues of serials to which the library currently subscribes, and data sets (either direct holding or through subscription access).
Material purchases (such as books, catalogs, or serials) must be held in a manner that allows the widest possible use. Where possible, materials should be purchased through the University Libraries, to be held in circulating collections. Faculty must coordinate library-held purchases through the collections librarian (discipline bibliographer), and secure a commitment from the library on cost share, as collections grants share purchase costs with the library and are capped at 66% of the total cost. In cases of very expensive collections, the Research Support Committee will entertain proposals that seek multi-year commitment of Taft funds. Such proposals, however, must contain commitments of substantial non-Taft funding and will be the exception, rather than the rule. Library materials typically purchased with general funds by university libraries will not usually be funded. In particular, serial subscriptions will not be funded.