| Grants and Competitions - Faculty |
FACULTY ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURE PROJECTSPurpose: The Office of Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts provides seed funding for faculty entrepreneurial venture projects. By entrepreneurship we mean individuals or teams using their knowledge and resources to identify and pursue opportunities that initiate change and result in the creation of sustainable value in their lives and the lives of others. The value created may be economic value, but our definition also includes artistic, intellectual, scientific and social value. We seek to encourage innovative thinking about ways in which members of the Wake Forest faculty can leverage their disciplinary interests and skills to create sustainable differences that bring value to society.Eligibility: The competition is open to all current Wake Forest faculty members, across all departments and degree programs. Applications are encouraged from individuals and groups who are simply at the idea stage, as well as those who are already engaged in starting up the venture project. While not required, faculty members are encouraged to include students in the research and operations phases of their proposal. Categories of Proposals: We define “venture” very broadly. For example, the proposed ventures may be either profit or not-for-profit. They may be based on or leverage the knowledge of any discipline. In fact, we seek new ventures in five categories that span the Wake Forest community: •Arts and Performing Arts (art, music, theatre and dance) •Humanities (history, languages, literature, philosophy, religion) •Social Sciences (anthropology, communication, cultural studies, economics, education, linguistics, political science, psychology, sociology) •Natural Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, neuroscience) •Applied Sciences (business, computer science, mathematics, education, health and exercise science, journalism, law) Proposals judged to be superior are eligible to receive a modest seed grant. Amounts will be determined on a case by case basis, but will not exceed $2,500 per proposal. The funds should be used to assist the proposal author(s) in researching the idea and starting up the venture project (funding does not include book proposals). Evaluation Criteria and Judging: We seek more than just the description of an interesting idea. The proposal should include evidence demonstrating the need for the venture project or the problem the venture will address, a description of the product or service that will be offered, how that product/service will be produced and made available, the costs and revenues associated with producing and “selling” the product/service, an articulation of how value will be created, and plans for sustainability (see following page for guidance). The purpose of the proposal should be to persuade the reader that the opportunity to create value is real and has a sustainable impact. A panel of faculty will review proposals and make award decisions. Submission Details: The application should be no longer than 5 word-processed pages, single-spaced with 1-inch margins, using 11-point Times New Roman font. Please make sure to include the authors’ names and complete contact information in the application. RFPs are made in the fall semester. Fall Deadline is November 3, 2008. Click here to download the RFP. For more information, please contact Betsy Gatewood Office of Entrepreneurship & Liberal Arts 128 Manchester Hall (Reynolda Campus) Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 27109 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 758-3152 Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship FundThe Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund was established by the University Office of Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts to stimulate projects between faculty of different Departments on the Reynolda Campus or between faculty on the Reynolda Campus and the Wake Forest Professional Schools.Its goal is to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking in the broadest sense. Successful projects should provide fresh perspectives and encourage creative and sustainable solutions to real problems. A maximum of up to $5,000 will be added to your Science Research Grant; or Cross-Campus Collaborative Research Fund for such an entrepreneurial project. The number of projects awarded is contingent upon availability of funds each year. Science Research Grant, Fall Deadline -- October 10, 2008 Cross-Campus Collaborative Research Fund, Spring Deadline -- March 6, 2009 Applications for these programs can be found on the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website at www.wfu.edu/rsp/funding |