Humanities Research and Creative Laboratories Grant

Research Funding

The Dean of College of Humanities and Fine Arts is pleased to offer up to three Humanities Research and Creative Laboratories grants to establish collaborations among HFA faculty and students that foster innovative, collaborative, and outward-facing work in the humanities, performance, and creative arts.  

This initiative is focused on orienting and supporting work in the humanities and the creative arts that is outward looking and engages with real and complex problems of our time. Laboratories are expected to create measurable knowledge and/or creative output and engagement that may be disciplinary or interdisciplinary in nature. Grants are intended to provide the scaffolding for furthering the reach and visibility of such work, so that future opportunities for funding, collaborations with university units outside of HFA, and engagement with off-campus communities, or any combination of these, are possible.  

Three labs will be funded beginning in January 2026 to operate from then until December 2027. Each lab will receive $20,000 per year in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 ($40,000 over the two-year cycle).    

The Dean will award labs in three of the following areas:  

  • Environmental Humanities
  • Language, Narrative, and Sound
  • Humanistic AI, Data Sciences and Emerging Technologies (funded in part by the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences). 

Eligibility  

  • Any full-time HFA faculty member may apply.  
  • Individual faculty in HFA or groups of up to three faculty may propose a research and/or creative project, which they will direct or co-direct. In this initial round, the faculty director or co-directors for the Environmental Humanities Lab and the Language, Narrative, and Sound lab will be selected from among HFA faculty. The Humanistic Data Sciences, AI and Emerging Technologies lab will be co-led by faculty from HFA and CICS, though the primary faculty member and applicant must be from HFA.
  • Projects that have received funding through any internal or external grants are not eligible.  
  • Teaching initiatives, symposia and conferences, and individual projects, although important, are not eligible for funding.
  • While projects will typically build upon existing work, the expectation is that the ideas and visions proposed for these labs are new, original, and highly innovative in their form and content.  

Expectations and Project Requirements  

  • An HFA faculty member must submit the application and serve as the lab's lead. 

  • Labs may begin on January 1, 2026, or soon thereafter.  Funding, which may not exceed $40,000, shall be available in two annual installments of up to $20,000 in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.  All funding must be expended by December 31, 2027.  

  • The proposed budget should focus on funding student research assistantships, necessary equipment, and materials. 

  • Labs shall offer engagement, training, and opportunities to a combination of graduate students and undergraduate students through research assistantships.   

  • Measurable output, in the form of scholarly presentations, publications, performances, etc., are expected throughout the period of the labs’ activities. 

  •  Extending the longevity of the labs, and their expansion must be a central foci of the faculty who direct or co-direct the labs, through seeking external funding, community partnerships, or inter-  or cross-collaborations with other entities on campus or other institutions. 
     
  • Projects must organize at least four public-facing events over the two-year award period.  
     
  • Directors meet bi-annually with the Dean and Associate Dean of Research and Engagement. Directors of the Humanistic Data Sciences, AI and Emerging Technologies lab must also include CICS’s Associate Dean of Research and Engagement in those meetings.  

Application Procedure and Timeframe  

  • Applications are due by November 15, 2025. The application form is available on the UMass InfoReady platform on 8/26/25.
  • Awards are announced by the Dean by the third week of December 2025. 

The following information and documentation are required when applying:  

  • An itemized budget using the Project Budget and Justification template (available for download from the application form on the InfoReady portal on 8/26/25).  
  • Brief narrative of proposed project (maximum 150 words).

  • A concise proposal of up to three pages that discusses the following:

    -- Context of the proposed work that discusses the lab’s justification, vision, and intended contribution. While the proposed projects will build upon existing work, the expectation is that the ideas and visions proposed for these labs are new, original, and highly innovative in their form and content.

    -- The lead/co-leads background, expertise, viability of the project based on previous experiences. Include a list of relevant publications and presentations.

    -- Intended outputs and future research plan.

    -- The opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and the skills they will gain.

    -- Funding resources beyond the initial period, expansion structures, dissemination plans, potential future partners, etc.

    -- For laboratories with more than one faculty member, please include a section which clearly delineates an equitable distribution of responsibilities among collaborators. For more information, see UMass ADVANCE best practices.

  • A one-page maximum letter of recommendation from the department chair is required to signal the department chair’s awareness and support. In the case of groups applying comprised of faculty members from different departments, a letter from each department chair is required. 

Award Management  

Funding of up to $40,000 is available in two annual installments of up to $20,000 in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.  Funding that is part of the 2025-2026 installment that is not spent by 6/30/26 will roll over into the next installment period.   All funding must be expended by December 31, 2027. 

As always, project expenses must comply with the UMass Business and Expense Policy. The award may not be used to purchase individual faculty travel, personal expenses, or equipment. 

Who to Contact  

Amy Fleig, afleig [at] umass [dot] edu (afleig[at]umass[dot]edu,) Director of Faculty Development & Programs 

Pari Riahi, priahi [at] umass [dot] edu (priahi[at]umass[dot]edu,) Associate Dean for Research & Engagement