New Conflict and Change call: Strategic Research Investments

Strategic Investments in Research

Interdisciplinary research and creative work to understand conflict and change

Updated July 10, 2024

Introduction

We live in an era of rapid and accelerating change, which creates exciting opportunities but also major challenges for individuals and societies. Climate change, advances in artificial intelligence, political polarization, and rising conflict around the world are examples of forces that will disrupt many people’s lives in the years and decades to come. In the face of these challenges, artists, humanists and social scientists have much to contribute working across their disciplinary boundaries to elevate the human over the technical. 

We seek proposals for a University Research Center (URC) that will address a particular challenge (non-exhaustive examples include: migration and refugee populations, racism and nationalism, gender violence, or human experiences of AI or other technology) and assemble a team that will address focused questions about the challenge from an interdisciplinary perspective. 

Application and process

We seek proposals for URCs that focus on understanding and mitigating a specific challenge related to conflict and change locally, nationally, and potentially globally. We expect these proposals to describe new research centers that involve groups of approximately 8-10 current faculty, with the potential to grow to 18-20 scholars over time. Proposals should identify the core area(s) of research and scholarship the center would take on, proposing new and expanded research efforts that leverage current strengths and have the potential to gain national and international prominence.  Please also outline 1) new investments in faculty hires and potentially in research infrastructure; 2) opportunities to partner with other organizations including universities, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations; and 3) leadership on the team, how members will work together, and ways in which work will be produced.

Apply here via InfoReady

Timeline

The Letter of Intent should include a descriptive title, list of team members (as currently known), and a 1-2 paragraph description of the central idea being proposed. Letters of Intent do not constitute an obligation to move forward, but they are required. The OVPR team will meet with applicants after the LOI stage (and before if desired). 

The five page white paper should consist of the following components:

1. Center summary (4 pages): A description of the research and scholarship focus of the proposed center. 

   1. What topic or challenge will the center focus on?

   2. How is the approach of the Lehigh team different from others working in this space? 

   3. How will the team work together? What kind of outputs would be expected?

   4. What is new in the proposed approach? Why do you think this approach will be successful?

   5. What difference will it make if you succeed? 

2. Description of Team (1 page):

   1. Who would be part of the day one team? (Include internal and external members.)

   2. What kinds of people would you seek to support the work?

   3. What partnerships would be key to develop? 

Additional required documents:

1. List of team members (if not in the narrative)

2. CVs for the five most central team members

3. Current and pending grants for the five most central members