Announcing the Call to Action Research Program
March 18, 2021 1:02 PM

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

I am excited to announce the inaugural call for proposals for the Call to Action Research Program, one of the foundational components of our university-wide Call to Action to Address Racism and Social Injustice. The full request for proposals (RFP) along with the application details can be found here.

We will be holding two online, public information sessions about the program and the proposal submission process. Registration is required.

 Call to Action Research Program Information Sessions and Registration Link

• Tuesday, March 30 at noon
• Wednesday, March 31 at 4 p.m.

This program begins with a $2 million investment to fund competitively awarded grants that enhance our exceptional cross-disciplinary scholarly strengths and expand community collaborations to build cultures of research that address structures of racism and injustice.

This first call will focus on three critical research areas:

• Systemic racism and social justice
• Law enforcement and criminal justice reform
• Disparities in health and health care

Proposals can be submitted along three different funding tracks, each with a maximum award level.

• Community-Based Innovation projects (up to $25,000)
• Systemic Institutional Change projects (up to $75,000)
• Societal Impact projects (up to $100,000)

Tenure, tenure-track and specialized faculty with appointments in any academic college or research unit in the university are eligible to apply in any of the three tracks. The Community-Based Innovation track is also open to university staff members, members of the community and other non-university organizations, as long as applications are in collaboration with an Illinois faculty or specialized faculty member.

The first step in the competitive process is submission of a brief pre-proposal that describes the proposed project, the objectives and how it connects to the broader Call to Action goals. Pre-proposals are due by April 26, 2021. Projects selected to move to the full proposal stage will be invited to do so with a deadline of June 4, 2021.

The Call to Action to Address Racism and Social Injustice Research Program is an important step forward as we seek to transform the way our own university supports, prioritizes and recognizes the research of scholars working on issues of systemic racism and bias in the United States. 

I hope you will attend one of the information sessions, and I encourage you to look to others across this university and around our entire community to join you in submitting a proposal for this inaugural round of funding.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor