F.R.E.S.S.H. | Fostering Research Expansion in the Social Sciences & Humanities

• Gain a better understanding of resources for funding and grant development on campus.
• Learn more about how their research can benefit from external funding.
• Learn about the options for external funding in their field.
• Develop the skills to submit a proposal for external funding.
• Provide critique to others and respond to critiques of their own work.
• Develop connections with colleagues on campus.

• Attend workshops and activities, most of which will be in person, some on Zoom. They will take place on Friday mornings throughout the 2023-24 academic year.
• Complete assignments, consisting of drafts of applications and portions thereof.
• Participate in workshops, including providing feedback on peers’ proposals and other writing.
• Learn about and utilize KU’s research support systems and offices.
• Adhere to KU’s research guidelines.
• Submit a research proposal to an approved foundation, federal agency, or non-KU university-based fellowship program during the period from 2023-2025 (within approximately eighteen months of beginning the FRESSH program, i.e., by March of 2025).
• Complete program evaluations and provide feedback on the FRESSH program.
• If participants are awarded a fellowship or grant, they may be asked to present at, or serve as mentor to, a future session of FRESSH.

• Any College faculty member—including postdoctoral fellows with supervisor approval—who can meet the expectations above.
• Faculty must be eligible to take leave (in case of fellowship) or serve as PI (in case of grant).
• All ranks.
• Applicants need not have experience applying for external funding, though some experience is not disqualifying.
• Although we recognize that teams and partners do apply for external funding, and we hope that participants will make important connections in the program, we are requesting that scholars apply to this program as individuals.
• Applicants must have the support of their department chairs; we will check with chairs of all applicants.

• Please submit your CV and a statement of no more than two pages, single-spaced, documenting your research and publication record, an idea of the project for which you would like to seek outside funding, and some sense of why you wish to participate in the project.
• Please submit to fressh@ku.edu by August 21, 2023.
• Competitive applications will demonstrate a research vision, interest in external funding, and a commitment to meeting the program expectations.

We understand that this program, while it is intended to benefit participants’ research program, will also entail considerable time and effort. To that end, each participant will receive $3,000 in research funding contingent on program attendance, participation, and the submission of one major grant or fellowship application within eighteen months of beginning the program. The funding will be distributed in two rounds: $1,000 upon completion of the training program and $2,000 upon the submission of a grant proposal. If participants do not meet the expectations listed below, they will not receive full funding.

To receive the first $1,000, participants are expected to:

1. Attend at least 80% of the formal workshops and activities.
2. Participate constructively in discussions and activities.
3. Complete all assignments in the program, including meeting with funding officers, draft proposals, and proposal development milestones.

To receive the additional $2,000, participants are expected to:

4. Complete steps 1, 2, and 3.  
5. Share a draft of the proposal at least six weeks prior to agency deadline for peer review.
6. Submit an approved external funding proposal through KU within eighteen months of the start of the FRESSH program or as close to that deadline as possible, depending on the grant/fellowship.
7. Complete program evaluation and provide feedback for future programs.

Please communicate with program officers (syrett@ku.edu or fressh@ku.edu) about any circumstances that might prevent you from participating in all parts of the program.

Questions? Email fressh@ku.edu for more information.

Dean's Office Liaison: Nick Syrett, Associate Dean, syrett@ku.edu