Faculty 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. Junior faculty members are especially encouraged to apply.

Faculty projects may involve travel, research, seminars, conferences, interviews, laboratory experiments, and policy-relevant workshops. To learn about some of the faculty projects currently funded by the Mershon Center, please see Areas of Expertise. Mershon-supported conferences and speaker series are listed by date in the Events section.

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.

Please use the 2008-09 Faculty Grant Application Form. 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: Laura Tompkins, Grants and Fellowships Coordinator

Electronic copies may be sent in Microsoft Word (preferred) or Corel WordPerfect format to Laura Tompkins, Grants and Fellowships Coordinator at tompkins.46@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 has been extended to January 28, 2008.

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 Policy, History, the College of Law, and Economics.

The criteria for evaluating faculty grant applications are:
• The academic quality of the project.
• The likelihood of generating additional external funds.
• 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.

Interested faculty should contact Richard Herrmann at 292-9843 or herrmann.1@osu.edu to ask questions or discuss ideas about potential project proposals. Proposals recommended for funding will receive informal notice by spring. Formal notice will come later, pending approval by the Mershon Center Oversight Committee. Funds may be accessed beginning July 1, 2008, and will be available for one year.