New funding for collaborative research
March 13, 2009 -- More than 200 faculty and administrators met at the Faculty Research and Creative Activities Retreat to identify potential "clusters" of interdisciplinary scholarship that may strengthen the University’s ability to recruit faculty, students and funding. The March 6 retreat at the Romburg Tiburon Center was organized by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, which has called for proposals to create new centers, affinity groups and networks.
Jaylan Turkkan, associate vice president for Research and Sponsored Programs, planned the daylong strategy session to allow faculty to bring together diverse perspectives on interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Turkkan envisioned the day as an opportunity "to look creatively and horizontally at what’s going on across the University."
Beth Ambos, CSU vice chancellor for research initiatives and partnerships, shared a system-wide perspective, reminding faculty that the State of California's Master Plan describes a research function for CSU. "Students come first," Ambos said. "We think of research in terms of how it benefits students."
Faculty organized themselves into 16 clusters of scholarship activity, such as community participatory research, Bay Area biodiversity, and art and social change. Groups that choose to move forward formally after the retreat must submit proposals before the end of the semester, so that financial and other needs for the emerging groups' activities can be identified to ensure a successful outcome.
Budget templates and submission guidelines for proposals can be found at the ORSP retreat Web site: www.sfsu.edu/~orspwww/retreat/index.html
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