Faculty Research and Seed Grants

The Mershon Center for International Security Studies seeks applications from Ohio State University faculty for grants to support projects related to the study of national security in a global context.

Projects should address one or more of the Center’s three core themes of the use of force and diplomacy, the ideas, identities and decisional process that affect international security, and the institutional processes that manage violent conflict. In addition, priority will be given to projects that strengthen the global gateways in China, India and Brazil, or speak to the university’s Discovery Themes in health and wellness, energy and the environment, and food production and security. Junior faculty members are especially encouraged to apply.

Faculty projects may involve travel, research, seminars, conferences, interviews, laboratory experiments, graduate student assistance, and policy-relevant workshops.

To learn about faculty projects funded by the Mershon Center, please see Areas of Expertise and past issues of the Mershon Center Annual Report under Publications. Mershon-supported conferences and speaker series are listed by date in the Events section or are searchable by keyword in the Mershon Center community of the Knowlege Bank.

Application Instructions
Faculty grant applications must include:
• Standard cover sheet that includes 500-word abstract of the project.
• Itemized budget.
• Four- to five-page single-spaced statement elaborating the purpose, method, anticipated products, and significance of the project.
• Curriculum vitae for each principal investigator.

The 2013 Faculty Grant Application Form is now available for download. This is a document in Microsoft Word with fillable form fields. Please submit completed faculty grant applications in both hard copy and electronic formats. Hard copies may be sent to:

Mershon Center for International Security Studies
Faculty Grant Competition
1501 Neil Ave.
Columbus, OH 43201
Attn: Grants and Scholarships Coordinator

Electronic copies should be sent in Microsoft Word format to mershon.faculty@osu.edu. Please identify each electronic document with your last name and document type; for example, smithvita.doc or smithproposal.doc

The deadline for receiving faculty grant applications is Monday, January 14, 2013.

Evaluation of Applications
Projects will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary review committee of faculty who will make recommendations to the director of the Mershon Center. Past committees have included faculty from departments across campus, including Germanic Languages and Literatures, French and Italian, Political Science, Public Affairs, History, Sociology, Law, and Economics.

The criteria for evaluating faculty grant applications are:
• The academic quality of the project.
• The likelihood of generating additional funds from sources outside of The Ohio State University.
• The likelihood of resulting products that make an impact in academic and policy circles.
• The application to one or more of the Mershon Center’s three main research themes.

Faculty Grant Awards
All faculty awarded grants will be expected to become an active member of the Mershon Center. Grant recipients should expect to house their projects at the center, or at a minimum attend various center functions throughout the year.

Proposals recommended for funding will receive informal notice by early March. Formal notice will come later, pending approval by the Mershon Center Oversight Committee. Funds will be available for a full academic year.