Dean’s Student Innovation Award for Collaborative Research, and Creative and Scholarly Work

For more information or questions about this award contact:  

Laurie Baefsky
laurie.baefsky@ucdenver.edu
303-315-7472
Associate Dean for Research, Collaboration, and Innovation
College of Arts & Media | University of Colorado Denver

$15,000 has been made available for College of Arts & Media (CAM) students to undertake team projects to conduct original student-led research, and creative and scholarly work spanning more than one academic department.

PURPOSE

The Dean’s Student Innovation Award for Collaborative Research, and Creative and Scholarly Work is to:

1. Encourage collaboration and new ideas between students across all of the College of Arts & Media
2. Support research and creative work that feeds into Colorado’s creative economy and creative industries nationally
3. And animate CAM’s three strategic initiatives below:  

• Support an outstanding educational and creative student experience
• Embed entrepreneurship across the College of Arts & Media
• Support relevant research in the creative industries

USE OF AWARD

• Projects connected to a course, capstone, or senior thesis project, or can be an independent endeavor
• Working in a community or industry setting with community partners outside of the university
• Bringing expertise to CAM, in the form of outside speakers, performances, workshops
• Diffusion of research and creative work results (publication, fabrication, dissemination costs)
• Tangible materials for projects
• Participation in an interdisciplinary conference is allowable, such as the 2020 a2ru Emerging Creatives Student Summit, February, 20-23, 2020. https://www.a2ru.org/events/2020-emerging-creatives-student-summit/
• Your request can be part of a larger project

Award funds may not be used for the following:

• Tuition support, to include academic semesters, study abroad, and internships
• No single-themed conference support
• No support for teams of less than three students, and must have a minimum of two disciplines
• Payment or honoraria to members of the applicant team
• Fulbright or Guggenheim support
• Food, tobacco or alcohol purchases
• Cash awards given out in any form
• Not for faculty-led projects. Projects funded by this award should be student-led

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• All student team members must be full-time CU Denver students at the time of application. The lead applicant must be from the College of Arts & Media. Team size: a minimum of three students per team from at least two different departments. No maximum limit.
• Applications deadline: Sunday, October 20, 2019, 11:59pm. No late applications.
• All funds must be used by the end of May, 2020.
• A final project report is required by April 2020, to align with CU Denver’s Research and Creative Activities Symposium (RaCAS). Final projects, if appropriate, may be publicly displayed by CAM, to include CAM’s Next Stage Gallery and other CAM gallery / performance spaces.

Include the following:

1. Names, major and contact information of all team members (three minimum), with a single student identified as primary contact to accept the award.
2. Budget breakdown—itemize what you’ll spend the award on. How much does your proposed project cost?
3. A faculty endorsement, endorsing you, your project, and your ability to follow through and complete the work.
4. A single page description of your project, describing your project and addressing the four criteria below:

Each application is scored in four categories (address these four areas in your one-page project description):

1. Creativity of idea/approach. Is the proposed research supporting a bold collaborative idea? Is it original? 25%
2. Clarity of plan. Describe the project. What are the objectives and intended outcomes of your project? 25%
3. Potential Benefit to CAM & UCD. Does the proposed research relate to wider CAM & university initiatives (e.g., CAM’s Strategic Initiatives above, and/or CU Denver’s Strategic Priorities?) 25%
4. Scope and viability of project. Is the project doable? Outline your project budget details and timeline. 25%

SELECTION PROCESS

An evaluation panel will include: three CAM students, an external individual who is a leader in the creative industries, and a faculty member from CAM. The dean of the College of Arts & Media has final decision.

STUDENT RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES RESOURCES

• Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) http://www.ucdenver.edu/student-services/resources/ue/urca/Pages/UROP.aspx. DEADLINE for mini grant is September 20, 2019!
• EUReCA! Fellows Program https://sehd.ucdenver.edu/impact/2018/07/16/12199/ a highly competitive grants-in-aid program that provides a small number of CU Denver undergraduates with a stipend to conduct original research, creative, or other scholarly activity in the field of their declared major under the supervision of a CU Denver
• Visual Lynx: a student org “providing a platform and medium for students from a multiplicity of professional and academic backgrounds to collaborate on creative and artistic endeavors to better UCD’s campus.” To get involved, contact Visual Lynx Coordinator, Sophia Chappell, Sofia.Shappell@ucdenver.edu.
• Comcast Media and Technology Center (CMTC), a catalyst to inspire transdisciplinary innovation, creativity and research, located on the ground floor of the Tivoli Student Union. Contact: Brandon Vargas, CMTC Technology and Media Specialist, Brandon.Vargas@ucdenver.edu.

ELIGIBILITY 

This award is open to all full-time CU Denver College of Arts & Media students working collaboratively across more than one disciplines. Student teams must include a minimum of three students from at least two different departments. Teams may include students inside and outside CAM, with preference given to all-CAM teams. All students team members must be enrolled at CU Denver.