Call for Proposals

Funding is available for four purposes:

A. Early-stage research in climate change and sustainability that will form a basis for a full proposal through external funding channels.

B. Early-stage research or facilitation of collaboration for purposes of forming the basis for industry partnerships. 

C. Projects that are critically threatened by federal funding cuts and urgently need support that will allow for bridging to other funding.

D. Funding for workshops that will bring together researchers (academic and/or non-academic) to address major issues in the continuation of research and education within the areas of climate and sustainability. 

Selection criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by the Faculty Research Committee of the Salata Institute using the following criteria:

1. Alignment with any one of the categories (A)-(D) above.
2. Likelihood that the proposed activity can be successfully executed, and if successful, would be a bridge to sustainable funding.
3. Legacy, including the potential of the project to lead to publications in peer-reviewed journals, to lead to external funding for further research, to help to create an academic community around an emerging climate- and sustainability-related topic, and/or to promote new lines of climate- and sustainability-related work at Harvard.

Outside advice may be sought for proposals beyond the expertise of Committee members.

Eligibility and Terms

• The award amount will normally be a maximum of $25,000.
• Awards are for a period of one year.
• The program is open to Harvard faculty who have Principal Investigator status.
• The Research Committee may stipulate changes to any proposal, including funding amount, as a requirement for funding.
• All funds must remain within Harvard University except for products and services listed in the proposal budget (e.g., travel). Non-Harvard University co-PIs cannot be compensated through this program for their effort.
• PIs will provide a short final report on use of funds and outcome (template to be provided) with appendices of research output (e.g., research output, workshop agendas and summaries).
• Any unspent funds must be returned at the close of a project unless the Research Committee provides written approval to extend the award past the project’s end date. No-cost extensions must be requested prior to the project close date.
• Assurance of Compliance.  Recipients are expected to comply with all University policies governing the conduct of research including, but not limited to, the use of animals, human subjects, hazardous materials, and export controls. Awardees will be asked to provide the name and signature of a school or department administrator who, in addition to the principal investigator, will certify that the project complies with all relevant policies. All applicants are subject to audit.

Proposal Format and Submission Instructions 

The proposal should include the following components, merged into a single PDF:

1. Project description (up to 2 pages, no appendices)
   • Projects in category (D) (workshops) may request using conference space at the Salata Institute.
2. References in the project description to other academic work can be listed separately on an additional page.
3. Conflict of interest statement.
   • Please list any member of the Faculty Research Committee who has a conflict of interest with the proposed project. The Committee comprises: Stephen A. Ansolabehere, Caroline Buckee, and Peter Huybers. David Jones will join the committee in reviewing proposals related to climate and public health. 
4. CVs for the PI and any co-PIs.
5. Fieldwork Site, Project Client, and Project Partners (if applicable).
   • The section should also describe the project team’s prior experience, if any, working in the proposed locations and with the clients and partners listed.
6. Data storage and distribution plan for any data collected under this project (if applicable)
   • If the grant is for preliminary data collection to prepare for a subsequent larger proposal, the data plan can reference that larger plan.
7. Budget outline (1 page)
   • Indirect costs should not be included in the budget, except fringe benefits on salaries. The grant funding cannot be used to cover student tuition, but it can be used for interns, research assistants and work stipends.
   • Awards will be subject to the assessment policies in accordance with the University and individual school assessment policies. The proposals’ budgets should include direct costs only and exclude any assessments, which will be determined separately. The Salata Institute will work with the award recipient’s home school to apply the relevant assessment amount, which will be incremental to the award amount and transferred to the school on top of the award amount.
8. Submissions should be sent via email to Jim Clem, Salata Institute Associate Director, at james_clem@harvard.edu. He is also available to answer questions about the program.