Applications are now open for three 2014 Sustainability Innovation in Research and Education (SIRE) Awards programs: Research Initiation, Educational Innovation, and Research Experience for Undergraduates.
The Office of Sustainability is charged with promoting sustainability research and education on the UW–Madison campus and creating intersections between UW–Madison campus operations and the research and education enterprises that promote sustainability. The SIRE awards program was created to support this mission and to stimulate innovation in research and education related to sustainability on the UW–Madison campus.
2014 SIRE Award Program
• SIRE Research Initiation (SIRE-RI)
SIRE-RI is a seed award program intended to nurture research ideas that can subsequently be developed into larger, extramurally-funded initiatives. This intent is coupled directly with the campus objective of responsible stewardship of resources, as articulated in the Campus Strategic Framework.
2014 Information
Focus: Climate Change
Awards: 5 awards of up to $40,000 each
Proposal Deadline: 4:00 p.m. on March 24, 2014
Award Duration: Awards begin no later than May 1, 2014, and expire June 30, 2015
Proposals are welcome from all disciplines and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. For the 2014 award program, proposals addressing climate change, including mitigation, adaptation, and/or solutions are of particular interest though not required. Proposals that engage campus operations are of particular interest, as are proposals that address human behavior and its nexus with climate change solutions. Proposals that address technology are also welcome.
• SIRE Educational Innovation (SIRE-ED)
SIRE-ED awards are intended to foster new curriculum and educational opportunities as articulated in the Campus Strategic Framework. Development of new courses, modification of existing courses, and development of new pedagogical tools for sustainability-related education are of interest. Online and distance-delivered courses as well as courses that can be incorporated into a proposed Sustainability Certificate are of particular interest.
2014 Information
Focus: Climate Change
Awards: 5 awards of up to $40,000 each
Proposal Deadline: 4:00 p.m. on March 24, 2014
Award Duration: Awards begin no later than May 1, 2014, and expire June 30, 2015
Proposals are welcome from all disciplines and interdisciplinary proposals are of particular interest. Leveraging other resources (another source of funding or in-kind support) is desirable, but not required.
• SIRE Research Experience for Undergraduates (SIRE-REU)
The SIRE–REU initiative is a supplement program analogous to REU supplements offered by the National Science Foundation. SIRE-REU awards provide up to $5000 to support engagement of an undergraduate student in an existing sustainability-oriented extramural research grant at UW–Madison. The intent is to enhance research expertise in undergraduate students and to develop recruiting pipelines for undergraduates to pursue graduate degrees at UW–Madison in sustainability-related fields. Students involved in the REU program are expected to provide a unique contribution to the research effort and are required to submit a report on their research at the end of their appointment.
2014 Information
Awards: up to $5,000 each
Proposal Deadlines: March 15, August 15, and November 15, 2014
Award Duration: up to 1 year
QUESTIONS?
Questions regarding the SIRE award programs should be directed to Craig Benson.