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Interdisciplinary Frontiers Program (RISE and IFHA)

The UC Davis Campus Interdisciplinary Frontiers Program (IFP) is an initiative of the Office of Research designed to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarly activities on the UC Davis campus. The IFP will facilitate the formation and enhancement of interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative programs in areas of importance to the human condition, such as human health, agriculture, the environment, energy, education, the arts, culture, social structures, and the economy.  The IFP will consist of two complementary sub-programs:
 
  1. Research Investments in the Sciences and Engineering (RISE)
  2. Interdisciplinary Frontiers in the Humanities and Arts (IFHA)
 

The intended outcome of IFP is to empower faculty teams to become competitive in securing major funding from government, private industry, philanthropic and other external sources to support transformative interdisciplinary research and creative activities. Successful proposals will be those with the greatest potential for scientific, social and cultural impact as judged by factors including interdisciplinary design, innovativeness, originality, impact on graduate and undergraduate interdisciplinary training opportunities, and potential for generating new grants and contracts and economic development. 

Funding for the IFP will come from indirect costs generated by awards to UC Davis under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.  These research-related revenues were set aside by Chancellor Katehi for campus-wide reinvestment in research, consistent with the Chancellor’s Vision of Excellence and the goal of reaching $1 billion in sponsored research activity. 

Objectives of the Interdisciplinary Frontiers Program (IFP)

The main objective of IFP is to support the development of internationally recognized interdisciplinary themes from across the UC Davis campus in all the schools and colleges. These themes will be expected to:

    1. Conduct outcomes-based and mission-oriented research and creative activities across the boundaries of disciplines;
    2. Advance the frontiers of human knowledge and experience;
    3. Enhance opportunities for undergraduate research and interdisciplinary graduate student and postdoctoral fellow training;
    4. Drive the creation of intellectual property, where appropriate;
    5. Facilitate the development of research partnerships with external institutions and organizations; and
      6. Become self-supporting within a 3-year time frame.

 

The IFP will also facilitate the development of facilities and infrastructure to support the mission of the interdisciplinary themes.

Proposal Process

We awarded over 10 RISE grants and anticipate awarding 10 IFHA grants. The submission will be a 12-page narrative addressing a specific set of questions outlined in the RFA plus supporting documentation, including a budget, budget justification, and CVs of key participants.  Awards will range from $100,000 to $1.0 million over a three-year period, with the possibility of additional funds being committed for renovation of facilities.     

Review Process

The Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) will establish an External Advisory Committee (EAC) to evaluate proposals in each sub-programmatic area. Each EAC will be comprised of outstanding members of the relevant peer community drawn from academia, government, and private foundations, and chaired by a distinguished UC Davis faculty member or emeritus.  The review committees will advise the VCR on the merits of the thematic proposals and rank them for funding.  The VCR, in consultation with the Provost and the Chair of the Academic Senate, will be responsible for final decisions and implementing the recommendations of the EACs.  The review process will be managed by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives.  The external peer-review process is designed to eliminate potential conflicts of interest and to promote transparency.

Rollout

Both the RISE RFA and the IFHA RFA have been released.  Concurrent with each release, Office of Research staff will visit the academic units to present the program and answer questions.  The submission deadline for RISE is April 2, 2012, and for IFHA, January 10, 2013.  The review process will be completed and funding decisions made by July, 2 2012 for RISE and May 31, 2013 for IFHA.  A second RFA may be issued later in the year if funding is available.

For further information please contact:

Harris Lewin
Vice Chancellor for Research 
ifp@ucdavis.edu