May 14, 2007
TO: All Faculty and Academic Staff with Permanent Principal Investigator Status
FROM: Patrick Farrell, Provost
RE: Call for Proposals: Vilas Life Cycle Professorship Program
Thanks to the generosity of the Vilas Trustees, the Vilas Life Cycle Professorship program will provide research support during 2007-08. The Vilas Life Cycle Professorships provide funds to faculty and permanent PIs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who are at critical junctures in their professional careers and whose research productivity has been directly affected by personal life events (e.g., illness of a dependent, parent, spouse/partner, or one's self; complications from childbirth; combinations of major life events).
Eligibility and Application Information
These funds are available to faculty and academic staff with permanent PI status at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All faculty and permanent PIs are eligible, regardless of discipline or gender. Applications should at minimum address four main points:
- Why is this a critical juncture in your career?
- What is the life event you are experiencing, and how has it affected your research progress?
- How will the requested funds help you through the crisis and enhance your research program?
- What are the costs/consequences of not receiving the funding?
Awards are capped at $30,000, and funds may not be used for salary of the applicant. The award period is one year. Awards made during this round of funding must begin before October 1, 2007. Awardees must agree to submit a report of activities upon completion of the Professorship period and participate in evaluation efforts for the program.
Administration
The Vilas Life Cycle Professorships will be administered through the Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) and the Office of the Provost. Applications will remain confidential within the review committee (1). Graduate School Research Committees will review expenditures for awards, but will not have access to applications. Because critical life events cannot, in many cases, be planned for in advance, deadlines for submission of applications will occur three times a year. In 2007, the deadlines are:
* June 1, 2007 (for awards beginning before October 1, 2007)
* September 28, 2007 (for awards beginning before February 1, 2008)
* December 28, 2007 (for awards beginning before June 1, 2008)
For More Information
If you have questions about the Vilas Life Cycle Professorships, visit the Web site, or contact Jennifer Sheridan, 263-1445.
(1) In special cases, a Graduate School Dean or Associate Dean may be asked for technical advice regarding the research program; they will also regard the application materials as confidential.