Request for Applications - Research Symposia
Academic Integration aims to advance the research and discovery efforts across the Cornell community by promoting and enhancing collaborations between the Ithaca and New York City (Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Tech) campuses. By drawing on the outstanding and diverse work of colleagues based in Ithaca and New York City, the strength and impact of research across Cornell is elevated to the next level of eminence. Synergies among Cornell investigators helps align the scientific and educational activities of the greater Cornell community. Strong collaboration within the community results in improved research and educational opportunities and enables individual projects to transform into larger programs with increased impact and visibility.
Intercampus symposia are designed to acquaint faculty, students, and postdocs from our Ithaca and New York City campuses with each other around a scientific theme, share recent findings, and brainstorm ways to jumpstart collaborative projects across our campuses. Over two dozen such symposia have been supported with many participants reporting new collaborations and scientific interactions leading to publications and joint extramural funding.
Through the support of these gatherings, Academic Integration aims to:
- Better inform the Cornell research community (both faculty and students) about the diverse ongoing research efforts on the Ithaca and NYC campuses.
- Stimulate discussions about potential novel intercampus collaborations by enabling face-to-face interactions.
- Kindle new and expanded research collaborations among the campuses.
- Identify tangible next steps towards building integrated research programs.
- Help faculty prepare to respond to future internal and extramural RFAs for collaborative research grants.
Eligibility Requirements
- Each proposed symposium must be led by at least one co-organizer from Ithaca and New York City and can be hosted on any campus. Co-organizers must meet University PI eligibility requirements.
- Co-organizers must be able to provide or have access to administrative support in order to successfully plan and execute the event, including the coordination of event logistics, speakers, vendors/contracts, registration, and meeting documents. Academic Integration staff are not responsible for providing administrative support for program symposia.
- There must be balanced presenter and attendee participation from both Ithaca and New York City.
- There should be significant trainee (postdoctoral fellow and student) participation.
- The symposium should be at least a day and a half long—involving one overnight stay for the visiting participants—and must consist of two parts:
- Symposium and poster session open to faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, from all three campuses; and
- Sessions consisting of focused Working Group (WG) meetings following the public symposium. The WGs should brainstorm opportunities for novel and/or expanded intercampus research collaborations in the area of the symposium and, if possible, how these could lead to intercampus program grant applications. WGs are for symposium registrants only.
- All symposia must be held by December 31, 2024.
- For Recurring Symposium Proposals: We encourage planners to secure supplemental funding. The subsequent symposium must be hosted on the opposite campus. For example, if the original symposium was in Ithaca, the subsequent symposium should be hosted in NYC.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should contain the following information:
- Cover Letter (1-2 pages) co-signed by all of the symposium co-organizers, providing a brief background for the proposed symposium, highlighting the suitability of the organizers to lead this effort, and addressing specifically how this event fulfills the goals of the Intercampus Research Symposia outlined in the "Selection Criteria" section below.
- Detailed agenda for the proposed symposium, including sessions with speakers and titles, and associated working group topics. The agenda template should be used as a guide and may be adjusted appropriately.
- A complete budget, using the budget template must be provided. Brief explanations, as noted on the template, should be included for the various budget categories. For Recurring Symposium Proposals: be sure to indicate if supplemental funding will be secured to support the event.
- Biosketches for all symposium co-organizers.
- If your application is for a recurring symposium topic, include the additional 1-page summary of outcomes and anticipated benefits.
- Margins should be at least one inch and font size not less than 11 point.
- Only one application per symposium/team will be accepted.
Budget
Up to $35,000 will be provided per symposium to support meeting-related expenses including but not limited to:
- Travel and Accommodations for visiting colleagues (faculty, staff, students) attending from the opposite campuses. (NYC or Ithaca)
- Meals for visiting colleagues & symposium attendants
- Conference spaces, meeting materials, and audiovisual expenses.
- Cornell media coverage and event photography (such as pre/post-event stories in the Cornell Chronicle, social media, and other university-related promotional opportunities).
- For further details, please consult the budget template. Expenses incurred that exceed the $35,000 funding award are the responsibility of the Faculty Co-Chairs. Any surplus funds should be returned to the Academic Integration program.
Selection Criteria
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Symposium leverages the strengths of Cornell's campuses.
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Engages faculty across campuses.
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Has the potential to create clear synergies and follow-on interactions, collaborations, and novel joint projects stemming from the symposium.
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Creatively bridges divergent scientific niches that have either not traditionally come together or have not done so effectively.
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Engages trainees (postdoctoral fellows and students) across campuses.
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Focuses on emerging areas of science that constitute high-priority funding areas of federal funders.
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Has the potential to lead to intercampus program grant applications.
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Cornell Tech participation in the symposium will strengthen an application.
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Symposium must be held before December 31, 2024.
Evaluation of Progress
Six months after the symposium date, the co-organizers will be required to submit a 1-page report on the outcome of the symposium.