Collaborative International Research Grants

Successful Grants from Prior Years

Application Deadline: October 1

The American Academy of Religion, a member of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), is pleased to announce the Collaborative International Research Grants competition. This initiative is intended to support generative research collaborations between and among scholars located in different geographical regions who wish to pursue focused, joint projects in any area of the study of religion.

Applications for grants ranging from $500 to $5000 will be reviewed by the AAR’s International Connections Committee (ICC).

Grant Parameters

The ICC encourages creative projects grounded in international research relationships that bring together scholars from disparate backgrounds and methodological approaches to advance our critical research and understanding of religious traditions, practices, and issues. These awards may be used for a variety of project expenses, including to enhance communication and to enable travel. Junior as well as more established scholars are encouraged to apply, as are independent scholars.

Grant Outcomes

Acceptance of this grant requires that one or more of the participants share the findings of the research collaboration publicly in at least two different ways. These might include reporting the results of the collaboration in a publication, a blog, or a web page, or in a presentation at the AAR Annual meeting or at another conference sponsored by an IAHR member association.

In addition to these public reports, which may be in any language, an abstract of 150 words summarizing the results and findings of the research project should be submitted in either English or French, the official languages of the IAHR. This abstract should be submitted along with an AAR Grants Close-Out Report summarizing the research activities undertaken, publications produced, and public presentations or other disseminations executed or planned.
 
While the award may be used to support travel for the collaborators to meet in order to undertake work on the proposed project, the grant is not primarily intended to fund travel to professional meetings (including the AAR Annual Meeting for current AAR members) and cannot be used to buy release time from a scholar’s institution, for supplemental salary (including honoraria for applicants), or to cover institutional overhead costs.

Grant Cycle

2019–2020 CIRG Application Cycle: May 1, 2019 to October 1, 2019 (11:59 pm EDT)

• For the 2019–2020 grant cycle, applications must be submitted via the AAR website by 11:59 pm EDT on October 1, 2019.
• Notification of the application status will be sent to the Primary Contact by January 31, 2020.
• Awardees will also receive notification letters (to be sent by January 31, 2020), with the expectation that grant funds will be disbursed up until June 30 of the grant award year.
• Research project expenses may be undertaken anytime within the calendar year of the award year.
• Awardees must submit an expense report along with receipts as well as the AAR Grants Close-Out Report by January 31, 2021.
• Awardees who wish to extend the research collaboration beyond the initial year are eligible to reapply once for a second year of funding. Unsuccessful applicants are similarly encouraged to reapply in subsequent years.

Qualifications

• Grants may fund the research activities of two or more collaborators, at least one of whom must hold the doctoral degree.
• No individual can apply as part of more than one collaborative team.
• Applicants who have received an AAR grant in the previous year will not be considered.
• A minimum of one scholar on the research team must be a current member in good standing of the AAR and have been so for the preceding year; the other participant(s) is expected to be a member in good standing of IAHR national or regional associations. Please direct any questions regarding the IAHR membership requirement to Olga Kazmina at okazmina@inbox.ru.
• One scholar on the research team must be designated the Primary Contact. The Primary Contact will receive all grant correspondence for the group.
• Grant recipients must maintain AAR membership throughout the grant period.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted via the AAR’s online Collaborative International Research Grants proposal submission portal.

Applications must be uploaded by 11:59 pm EDT on October 1, 2019.

Applications will be accepted in English or in French and should include the following:

• A completed Collaborative International Research Grants form
• A Cover Page that includes the following:
  • Project Title
  • Names of and contact details for all project collaborators
• A 150-word Project Abstract
• A 500-word Narrative Proposal that clearly outlines the aims and significance of the research project; discusses the specific logistical details regarding the international collaboration; delineates the roles of each collaborator; and identifies the project’s expected outcomes
• A 1-page Curriculum Vitae for each collaborator that details previous and current grants/competitive research funding and international research travel, and lists current memberships in relevant scholarly organizations
• A 1-page Project Budget, including a short narrative explanation of relevant expenses and an accounting of other sources of support for this project, both pending and confirmed; project funds must be requested in US dollars (USD)
• Full contact information for two references for each of the collaborators

We will only consider applications submitted through the AAR’s online system; hard copies will not be accepted. While we would appreciate any evidence in support of the proposed collaboration (e.g., a letter of invitation from a research center or library that will provide resources or facilities for one or more of the concerned scholars) additional supplementary documents cannot be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Criteria for Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated by a jury comprised of members of the AAR’s International Connections Committee and will be judged on:

• The clarity and focus of the research proposed
• The potential of the project to promote meaningful international collaborations between scholars from different regions
• The significance of the research project’s contribution to religious studies scholarship, particularly in underexplored areas or subfields 
• The feasibility of the research project, including its aims, timeline, outcomes, and proposed collaborations

Contact Information

The ICC is happy to respond to questions about the grant process and specific projects and applications. Please direct inquiries to Olga Kazmina, ICC Chair and Deputy Dean, Professor, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia (okazmina@inbox.ru).