Request for Research Proposal

Transcription

1 Request fr Prject Prpsals Perspectives n Life, Persns and the Csms Science, Philsphy and Thelgy in Latin America The Ian Ramsey Centre (IRC) fr Science and Religin University f Oxfrd Request fr Research Prpsal Aim and summary The Ian Ramsey Centre fr Science and Religin (IRC) at Oxfrd University is pleased t ffer fur grants f up t U$S30,000 and six grants f up t U$S15,000 each t individuals r research grups based at recgnised Latin American institutins f higher educatin t cnduct interdisciplinary research n ne r mre fcused questins with the themes f life, persns, and the csms. Grant award winners will have up t twelve mnths t cmplete their wrk and the IRC will pay an additinal allwance t enable ne representative f the team t attend and present their wrk at a final internatinal cnference in Santiag de Chile in July Grants will be awarded by cmpetitive evaluatin n the basis f prject prpsals. These prpsals will need t be sent t the IRC n later than 30 September Yu may dwnlad the frms at Eligibility Individual schlars r existing r new interdisciplinary research teams based at recgnised Latin American universities may apply fr these grants, prviding that the research prpsal engages with issues at the interplay between science, philsphy and/r thelgy and the themes are bradly included in the IRC prject theme Perspectives n Life, Persns and the Csms. Individual schlars shuld be tp-level researchers in their cuntries and at their institutins, with a prven strng research and publicatin recrd. Interdisciplinary teams shuld be led by a tenured prfessr r full time faculty member, shuld invlve at least ne mre junir schlar, and have institutinal supprt. Tpics Research prjects can fcus n tpics acrss a brad range f pssibilities at the intersectin f science, philsphy and thelgy, and the IRC encurages creative applicatins. The fllwing questins are intended t help stimulate ideas and guide chices, but applicants are welcme t raise and address ther questins within these general themes. If yu have any dubt abut whether an idea fr a prject wuld be suitable, please cntact the IRC: The Origin and Cncept f Life: What is natural, human, and divine life, hw d we recgnize life, and what d we knw r culd we knw f the rigins f life? What are the merits and demerits f the mst influential paradigms (e.g. thermdynamics) fr answering Schrödinger s questin, What is life? Might mathematical life be pssible, implemented n sme suitable hardware, r interchangeable between different hardware platfrms? Can a nature be distinguished adequately frm a machine? Is sme frm f telelgy required t distinguish a nature adequately frm a machine? Des matter have a prpensity fr life? Is matter necessary fr any being that culd be described as alive, in the bradest sense f the term? 1

2 Is there mre than ne tree f life n earth and hw might we test this? Are there philsphical and thelgical implicatins fr mre than ne tree f life? The Brain, the Mind, and the Human Persn: Are persns their brains and, if nt, hw can cntemprary science, philsphy and thelgy prmte a mre adequate understanding? What am I? Am I t be identified with part f my physical being and, if s, which part? What are my bundaries, fr example, can artefacts becme extensins f me in sme limited sense? Are advances in neurscience helping t clarify the relatin between the brain and the mind, and are there als grwing surces f cnfusin regarding this relatin? Is the cncept f free will redundant in the light f Libet-like experiments and ther cntemprary wrk in neurscience? Is there r might there be a thelgy as well as a philsphy f the brain? Des the cgnitive science f religin have implicatins fr the ratinality f theism, atheism, r mre specific religius cmmitments? The Place f the Persn in the Csms: Are persns irreducible in the csms, and are persns irreducibly imprtant? Amng the pssible meanings f the term creatin by a persnal Gd, which, if any, are mst apprpriate fr understanding the rigin f the csms tday? Des the philsphy f the persn, especially in relatinal r secnd-persnal terms, have relevance t understanding physical theries, e.g. quantum mechanics? Yu are nt a beautiful r unique snwflake. Yu re the same decaying rganic matter as everything else (cf. film Fight Cub: 1999). Can this claim be validated r invalidated, and, if s, hw in the light f what is knwn tday? Hw might the investigatin f the csms prmte persnal happiness, cnsidering such fulfilment frm a thelgical, materialistic r ther perspective? Can a persnal theistic perspective be detrimental r beneficial fr the study and mtivatin t study the csms, and ultimate questins regarding the csms? Prspective applicants are strngly encuraged t visit the prject s website fr a mre detailed list f pssible research questins. Favurable cnsideratin will be given t clear, fcused research tpics and questins, with the ptential fr brader implicatins. Mnetary amunt and timescale f the grants The prject awards will be divided int fur larger awards f up t U$S30,000, with the balance in terms f smaller awards f up t U$S15,000. The prjects themselves will run fr up t twelve mnths thrugh February 2016 and June Prjects are expected t last fr up t twelve mnths. All prjects must be finished by 30 June Prpsal submissin instructins Prspective applicants shuld send Letters f Inquiry (a letter r stating an applicant s intentin t apply, the prpsed title f the subprject, and the name and institutin f the Principal Investigatr) t Dr Silva n later than July 31, Fr the final prpsal, which must be received n later than September 30, 2015, applicants are required t submit, in English, Spanish r Prtuguese, the fllwing dcuments: A prpsal frm, with all the fllwing fields cmpleted: prject title; summary (if yur applicatin is either in Spanish r Prtuguese, the summary shuld be in English); 2

3 questins t be addressed; hyptheses fr these questins (if it is a science prject) r a summary f the main idea r argument (if the prject is mre philsphical r thelgical in nature) relatin t the prject themes (life, persns, and the csms); descriptin f activities; utputs (what will be prduced); academic impact; public impact; team members; request amunt; a budget narrative explaining the details f the budget; evidence f supprt frm the hst institutin; a full curriculum vitae f the principal investigatr (PI) r team leader; shrt curricula vitae f the rest f the team (if applicable); a budget, stating csts f planned utputs and prducts (e.g. papers submitted fr publicatin, presentatins at cnferences, seminars, lectures, mngraph manuscripts, etc.), prjected audi-visual utputs, and ther utputs. Applicatin materials are available at and shuld be submitted via t Dr Ignaci Silva at latin.america@thelgy.x.ac.uk stating in the subject line: RFP - Perspectives n Life, Persns and the Csms. Prspective applicants are strngly encuraged t cntact Dr Ignaci Silva well in advance f the submissin deadline fr infrmal queries abut pssible research prjects. The IRC will annunce the results f the applicatins by 30 Nvember, Shuld yu require further infrmatin abut the applicatin prcess, please refer t the Frequently Asked Questins belw. If yur questin is nt answered, please cntact Dr Silva. Selectin criteria Prpsals will be rated by a panel f IRC members and external assessrs in the United States and Eurpe accrding t the fllwing criteria: quality f the prpsed research prject and utputs (prducts); quality f planning f prpsed prject utputs; engagement with cntemprary scientific develpments, linked t philsphical and/r thelgical perspectives; prspects fr dialgue acrss disciplines, institutins, and cnfessins; academic achievement and prmise f the individual applicant r team members; quality and pprtunities prvided by the hst institutin; prspects fr effective academic utputs and utcmes. The assessment will als lk favurably n prjects that have demnstrable ptential fr lnger-term success which will maximise the benefit f investment. This ptential will be assessed principally by the integratin f the prpsed prject within lnger-term plans fr the persnal develpment f the applicants, and brader prspects fr their hme institutin. In additin, the IRC encurages the prspects fr effective public cmmunicatin f results thrugh the media. Applicants shuld explain in the prject descriptin hw their prpsed prjects meet these criteria. 3

4 Successful applicants bligatins Successful individuals r research teams will be required t: carry ut the research and activities described in the prject descriptin; prepare a brief autbigraphical statement r grup descriptin in English and Spanish/Prtuguese fr the IRC prject website; submit a half-term reprt; submit a final reprt; attend the 2017 final cnference f the IRC s prject. Applicatin prcess milestnes 1. Applicant must prepare and request dcuments fr applicatin (infrmal cntact with the IRC team well in advance is strngly encuraged) 2. Applicants must send a Letter f Inquiry by July 31, Applicant must submit dcuments befre deadline: 30 September, Assessment f applicatins 5. Annuncement f successful applicatins: 30 Nvember, Grants are held anytime, fr up t twelve mnths, between February 2016 and June

5 Frequently Asked Questins 1. Wh can apply? Individual schlars r existing r new interdisciplinary research teams based at recgnised Latin American universities. 2. Can the prject last lnger than twelve mnths? Large grants (f up t U$S30,000) are expected t last n mre than twelve mnths, while smaller grants (f up t U$S15,000) are encuraged t last n mre than ten mnths. In exceptinal cases, larger grant culd request fr a mre extended grant perid in their applicatin. The IRC will cnsider this n a particular basis. Please let Dr Silva knw if yu are cnsidering applying fr a lnger grant perid in yur Letter f Intent. Once awarded, grants cannt be extended. 3. Is there a minimum duratin fr the prject? There is n set minimum duratin fr the prject, but grant awards cannt be used t fund prjects with just ne meeting r event, such as a single cnference n its wn. The expectatin is that the prject will be carried ut ver an extended perid. 4. Can the budget fr my prject be less than U$S15,000? Yes, althugh we encurage prjects t benefit frm the full amunt available. In any case, yu shuld prepare a grant budget which is apprpriate t the length and prpsed prducts and activities f the prject. 5. When is the deadline? The deadline fr submissins is 30 September, Wh shuld prvide the institutinal supprt? The prpsal frm shuld be signed by an authrity f the Faculty where the hst individual r research grup is based, r by any apprpriate authrity f the hst university that is able t prvide evidence f institutinal supprt. 7. Which tpics are acceptable? Research prjects can fcus n tpics acrss a brad range f pssibilities at the intersectin f science, philsphy and thelgy, and the IRC encurages creative applicatins. Prjects fcusing n fine-tuning, theistic evlutin and the like are welcme, althugh the IRC will nt cnsider prjects n creatinism and/r intelligent design, in the anti-evlutinary sense in which these terms are usually understd. It is imprtant t remark, hwever, that the IRC is interested in prjects falling under the general theme f life, persns, and csms. Prspective applicants shuld visit the prject s website fr a detailed list f pssible research questins. Favurable cnsideratin will be given t clear, fcused research tpics and questins, with the ptential fr brader implicatins. 8. Can I submit a prject prpsal if I have received ther grants frm the IRC r I have participated in ther activities f the IRC prject? Yes. There are n restrictins arising frm participatin in ther activities f the IRC prject. 5

6 9. When shuld the prject begin? Prjects can begin and finish any time between Nvember 2015 and April We suggest yu make early arrangements t allw sufficient time fr mney allcatin and rganisatin f events. 10. Hw will the grant be disbursed? It is expected that the hst institutin will receive half the amunt f the grant arund a mnth befre the cmmencement f the prject, and the balance halfway t the end, upn receptin f a shrt research and financial reprt. 11. Shuld my university cntribute t the prject in any way? Hst universities are nt expected t incur in any extra expense t run the prject besides prviding wrk space and facilities t the prject team members. Hwever, we encurage universities t cllabrate in any ther ways they find fit, and applicants shuld express this cllabratin in the budget narrative. 12.Where can I find mre infrmatin and dwnlad the frms fr the prpsal? Mre infrmatin can be fund at the prject's website where yu can find all the necessary frms fr the prpsal: the Prject Prpsal Frm, the Institutinal Supprt Frm, and the Budget Template. 6