The Committee on Faculty Research (CFR) is an appointed committee of University Senate charged with supporting and encouraging the development of externally funded research at Miami University. CFR interprets research as creative endeavors that seek to add to the sum of human knowledge, and CFR supports a wide range of professional activities, recognizing that research varies from discipline to discipline.

A major source of funds for support of CFR research support programs is the indirect costs recovered by the University on grants from external sources. CFR encourages investigators to aid the committee, and the University generally, by securing funds from such sources.  In considering proposals for its research support programs, CFR takes into account whether the investigator has previously sought outside funding. Help in seeking external funding for research is available from Research & Innovation.

CFR sponsors the following programs:

• University Faculty Scholar and University Junior Faculty Scholar Awards honor faculty who have demonstrated a sustained level of excellence in research or other creative activity.
• The Faculty Research Grants Program awards funding to continuing tenure-eligible or tenured faculty members (including librarians) in a flexible budget model that can support salary (academic year and summer), fringe benefits, tuition remission, travel, participant costs, materials and supplies, consultant services, computer services, and equipment or facility rental or user fees.
• Publication, Reprint, Exhibition, and Performance (PREP) Costs Program provides grants to reimburse certain publication and presentation expenses.

• Cornerstone Grants capitalize on the teacher scholar model, the cornerstone of the Miami University ethos. Cornerstone Grants are part of the larger Teacher Scholar Grants Program which seeks to support teacher scholars through six distinct initiatives. These initiatives will enable Miami University scholars to generate data to grow scholarship beyond existing lines of study, facilitate transformative teaching advances, and assemble teams that capitalize on complementary strengths.

• Rapid Investment Program (RIP) grants enable faculty with a proven track record of external funding to make rapid advances in their research and submit external funding proposals within 6-9 months. Grant applications are received on a rolling basis with no deadline. Contact: Rick Page (9-2281; pagerc@miamioh.edu) for details.

• Miami University Hamilton Faculty Scholarship and Research Grants support full-time faculty in both the scholarship of discovery and the scholarship of teaching. Grants are typically awarded in the fall of each year, with a deadline for submission in September. Contact: David Berg (785-3246; bergdj@muohio.edu) for details.

• Miami University Middletown Faculty Research Grants offer up to $3,000 to support individual research and scholarship, the scholarship of teaching, materials and equipment, summer compensation, and travel. Grants are typically awarded in the fall of each year, with a deadline for submission in October. Pending availability, a second round of proposals is solicited in the spring with a March deadline. Contact Al Cady (727-73258; cadyab@MiamiOH.edu) or Scott Berry (727-3337; berrysj@MiamiOH.edu) for details.

All tenured, tenure-track, clinical faculty, as well as lecturers, may apply for MUDEC faculty opportunities. Adjuncts and Visiting Assistant professors are not eligible. Interested faculty should possess sufficient familiarity with Europe and be able to incorporate topics dealing with modern Europe into their proposed courses. They should expect and welcome a high level of contact with their students. Application materials are available on the MUDEC website.

• The Semester Study Tour Course Professor Program offers full-year appointments, to which faculty may apply for one or two years. Each semester, the faculty member teaches two courses: a 3+1 hour semester study tour course and a 3 hour sprint study tour course. Professors are required to offer the same set of courses in the fall and spring semesters. Miami University supports faculty who wish to participate in this experience by providing each base course professor with the following financial package:

• The Spring Study Tour Course Professor Program appoints two professors each semester. The sprint course will be a single 3-hour course that will have a built-in, five-day (four-night) study tour. The study tour will typically occur in the fourth or fifth week of the semester. Every MUDEC student will be required to take one of the sprint study tour courses. Class size will be 25 students. Miami University supports faculty who wish to participate in this experience by providing each spring study tour course professor with the following financial package:

  • $3,000 relocation allowance, which can be used for Luxembourg-related expenses
  • Eligibility to apply for a study tour preparation grant of up to $3,000
  • Use of computer and shared office space at the Center

• The Summer Workshop Professor Program appoints three faculty members to teach a seven-week course during the summer workshop session. Class size will be between 35-40 students. Applicants should submit a proposal for one 3-hour Europe-focused course in the faculty member’s discipline. Financial and administrative considerations are based on Miami University’s workshop model. As per the Office of Lifelong Learning, summer workshops generate their own budgets based on student enrollment and their operation is ultimately dependent on that enrollment. If too few students enroll, the workshop may have to be canceled; however, it is anticipated that a minimum of 30 students make the program viable. Assuming that enough students enroll, the budget will encompass the following for each faculty member:

  • A summer salary with fringe benefits
  • Airfare expenses
  • A per diem
  • Housing at the Center

• The Global Travel Fund (GTF) supports Miami University faculty and staff whose travel contributes to the internationalization of Miami University and global objectives of the Miami 2020 Plan. The GTF is now the single source for faculty support from Global Initiatives, combining resources from both the prior Faculty Development Fund and the Philip and Elaina Hampton Fund for Faculty International Initiatives.

• The Havighurst Center Fund provides full or partial support for projects undertaken by full-time faculty and staff from all Miami campuses in all fields that focus on Russia, Eastern Europe, and/or Eurasia. Initiatives that promote wider faculty and student awareness of the region and that seek to deepen Miami's programmatic involvement in this area are preferred.  Proposals — typically due in February — should include a detailed budget and a description of the project's intended impact on students.  Proposals are reviewed by the Havighurst Advisory Committee, who will submit their recommendations to the Provost for approval.  Applicants are encouraged to contact Stephen Norris, Director of the Havighurst Center, to discuss their proposals before submitting.

• The Humanities Center offers funding to support a range of activities for humanities faculty scholars. Application deadlines vary by program.