Blueprint for the GRAND NCE Phase 2 Renewal Process

Overview

The following is part of a series of “RMC working papers” summarizing the current thinking about various aspects of how GRAND will operate during Phase 2 (2015-2019). The ideas expressed are presented for discussion purposes only and should not be taken as final. We welcome feedback and suggestions from the GRAND community to help improve these preliminary proposals.

The focus of this working paper is the new GRAND Scholars program to be initiated in the second half of 2014 and continued through all of Phase 2. The program is intended to provide stable multi-year support for doctoral students whose dissertation research is directly linked to core deliverables in GRAND projects.

Goals of the GRAND Scholar program

A concern expressed by many researchers in GRAND is that the annual funding cycle makes it difficult for supervisors to make multi-year commitments to graduate students. In Phase 2 of GRAND, this concern will be addressed in two ways: (1) through rolling two-year funding commitments to PNIs and to projects for funding that can be allocated to CNIs; (2) through the GRAND Scholar program, which will allocate funds directly to individual doctoral students as administered by their supervisors. Restricted to doctoral students, the program will provide enough support  to ensure students will be able to continue their research even if his/her supervisor’s funding from GRAND is reduced. The GRAND Scholar program is not intended to apply to all doctoral students in GRAND, but only to those engaged in research critical to the success of a GRAND project, and which strongly advances the objectives of the GRAND NCE.

Benefits of being a GRAND Scholar.

Each GRAND Scholar will receive a stipend of $10K annually for up to three years to support doctoral research closely aligned with the goals of one or more GRAND projects. The GRAND Scholar will also receive a travel subsidy to attend the annual GRAND conference. GRAND Scholars will be identified on the GRAND website and in promotional materials, and their research will be highlighted in various GRAND reports in print and online. GRAND Scholars will have special opportunities to network with each other and with other GRAND researchers engaged in related research.

Obligations of being a GRAND Scholar

GRAND Scholars will be expected to attend the annual GRAND conference each year and to give a presentation (poster, demo, or R-Note) describing the current state of their research and its relevance to the digital media community. GRAND Scholars will be required to submit an annual HQP report with an additional section describing their progress on dissertation milestones and projections for the coming year. Satisfactory progress towards completion of the dissertation will be required for continued funding.  GRAND Scholars will be expected to participate in activities provided for HQP and to pursue opportunities to apply knowledge gained in their research to problems in the receptor community.

Selection process for GRAND Scholars

Nominations for GRAND Scholars will be accepted annually as part of the project reporting process. Each project will be allowed to nominate up to two students who are in their first or second year of a doctoral program. A project may have at most two GRAND Scholars at any time. A selection committee will award up to 10 new GRAND Scholarships annually with the expectation of supporting up to 30 GRAND Scholars at any given time.

Phasing in the GRAND Scholar program

Up to ten GRAND Scholar awards will start on April 1, 2014. These will be awarded $5K for the period April-December 2014. If the GRAND NCE is successful in its renewal application, an additional $5K will be awarded for the period January-March 2015, and $10K will be awarded in each of the following two years, subject to satisfactory progress. Starting on April 1, 2015, 10 new three-year awards will be made each year.

How awards will be distributed

Each GRAND Scholar award will be administered by the recipient’s doctoral supervisor, or, if the supervisor is not a GRAND NI, by a supervisory committee member who is a GRAND NI at the recipient’s university. The award will be an additional allocation to the NI’s regular GRAND funding. The GRAND Scholar will be allowed to designate, on an annual basis, the allocation of the funds to a graduate stipend (including benefits) paid to the Scholar through his/her university, or towards travel or other research costs (including equipment such as laptops or specialized hardware) subject to approval by GRAND Central.

Termination of GRAND Scholars

Normally GRAND Scholars will receive funds for up to three years, terminating only if satisfactory progress is not being made toward the goals of the dissertation, or if the student completes his/her degree program. Termination of the project for which the dissertation is aligned or termination of the supervisor’s funding or status as an NI in GRAND will normally not affect the funding to the GRAND Scholar, although it may require that a GRAND NI be added to the Scholar’s supervisory committee.

Termination of the GRAND Scholar program

The GRAND Scholar program will be assessed annually and may be terminated or changed without notice if it does not meet its objectives. Should the program be terminated, every effort will be made to continue the funds to students who hold awards (subject to availability of funds).