Workshop Guidelines
1. Workshop grants are available only for collaborative research that is new and innovative. Funding will not be provided to support on-going research or a part of an established long-term research program. There are two categories of grants: Venture Research Workshop Grants of around $25,000 each and Catalytic Research Workshop Grants of around $5,000 each. In the past, the committee imposed strict limits on the budgets. The committee will now entertain budgets in excess of $25,000 for Venture grants and $5,000 for Catalytic grants, but the additional expenses must be thoroughly justified in terms of the increased intellectual value they will bring to the workshop and resulting publications.
Venture Research Workshop Grants are targeted for projects that venture into emerging and potentially transformative research areas or preliminary work on untested and novel and path-breaking ideas. The goal is to support truly innovative research that has the potential to make a significant leap or paradigm shift and move the frontiers of knowledge significantly forward.
Catalytic Research Workshop Grants target projects that aim to apply new expertise or new approaches to established research topics and are likely to catalyze rapid and innovative advances. [Workshop Committee Rating Guidelines]
2. All workshops are to be held at the ISA Annual Convention on the day before the start of the Program; e.g. if the Program begins on Wednesday, the Workshops will be held on Tuesday.
3. All workshop participants must be ISA members at the time the proposal is submitted to the Workshop Grants Committee, and their memberships must be current at the time of the ISA Convention in order to be eligible for reimbursement for otherwise approved expenses; no exceptions.
In [and only in] exceptional and well justified cases (such as financial hardship), the cost of ISA membership may be included in the budget for a specific participant[s]. Organizers may confirm membership status of participants by contacting Joel Davis <joeldavis@isanet.org> at the ISA office.
4. All participants in ISA Workshops must have completed the paid registration process for the ISA Annual Convention by the preregistration deadline in order to be eligible for the reimbursement of expenses.
5. Either sections or individuals may apply for a Workshop Grant. However, all workshop grant applications must designate one single individual as the contact person for all communications with both the Workshop Grants Committee (regarding the selection process) and the ISA Office (regarding scheduling and reimbursement).
Request for invitation letters
In some cases, workshop participants will need letters of invitation to obtain travel support and/or visas. In order to be able to process these requests in a timely way, participants need to contact Lyn Brabant at the ISA office <embrabant@isanet.org> no later than January 15.
Budget Guidelines
Please follow these guidelines when putting together your proposal. Detailed budget justifications are required and form the foundation for financial award considerations, as is the case with any competitive grant competition. It is the responsibility of the proposer[s] to make certain that detailed and complete justification is provided in the original proposal for each item requested in the budget. Charges for workshop room rental, charges audio-visual set ups, and approved food and beverage expenses are automatically deducted directly from the workshop grant.
For additional expenses not listed above or below, please contact the Committee Chair for approval.
The workshop organizer will be the single point of contact between members of the Workshop and the ISA HQ on all questions relating to financial matters. For instance, the organizer will need to collect receipts from the participants for submission to Dana Larsen, Director of Operations at the ISA office <isa@isanet.org> for reimbursement of approved expenses. Similarly, the organizer will be responsible for collecting and coordinating payments for approved research support. Additionally, the workshop organizers shall be responsible for ensuring ISA membership status and convention registration is completed for all participants.
All other approved expenses (not directly deducted from the grant) will be reimbursed only on the basis of receipts or invoices, and only in the amounts approved by the Workshop Committee.
Please note if you are applying for a Venture Grant: If you are doing something truly innovative, we will consider proposals in excess of $25,000. However, do not feel you have to budget up to the full amount to be considered for this grant!
All Workshop Grant proposals submitted to the Committee are considered complete and final. Only the specific individuals listed in the proposal will be eligible for reimbursement of approved expenses. Organizers may not substitute unapproved participants to the workshop after the grant is submitted. The proposal should include up to two alternate participants who may be substituted no later than ten weeks prior to the annual meeting. Under no circumstances will a substitution in the Principal Investigator be allowed. Only those expenses listed in the proposal can be paid; i.e. one cannot shift or transfer funds from one category to another once the grant is approved.
What ISA Workshop Grants will cover:
1. Room Rental: ISA will schedule workshop rooms, and the room rental charge is $200.00 which must be included in the budget. Workshop organizers may also arrange to hold the workshop in a venue other than the hotel as long as it is held in a public place, easily reachable by attendees from the Convention hotel. An example might be a room in a local university. ISA will not cover room rental rates over and above the cost of renting a room at the hotel. You can also request audio visual equipment rental and internet. The costs for audio-visual and internet must be included in the budget. Contact Jeanne White, ISA’s Director of Conventions <jeannewhite@isanet.org> for prices at least 5 business days before the submission deadline. To help you budget a specific amount for these items, we have prepared the following estimates:
- LCD, screen, netbook rental $350
- Patch from netbook to house sound or external speakers $125
- DVD player rental $175 (projecting through LCD projector to screen- no external monitor)
- Meeting room rental $200
- Internet - $100 per line; $200 per wireless device.
- Hotel rates reimbursed at UP TO the maximum single group rate of $204 per night; reimbursed on actual cost with receipts only.
2. Lodging and Per Diem: ISA Workshops may cover the cost of lodging for participants for one night (US-based attendees) or two nights (attendees coming from outside the US and Canada). Similarly, ISA Workshops may provide per diems of $75 for one/two days (US/Canada-based/non-US based participants). Lodging reimbursement is based on the actual cost of a single person at the posted ISA group rate at the ISA Convention hotel (including taxes). ISA will reimburse UP TO the group single room rate of $204 including taxes. Please see the convention hotels website for more information on our host hotels and (when available) our overflow hotels.
3. Coffee and Lunch: Workshop organizers can budget funds for two coffee breaks for the morning and afternoon breaks (specifically, coffee and tea service only), and box lunches with beverages for the participants. Note that convention hotel catering prices are steep, and alternative venues for lunch in particular are encouraged. To help you budget a specific amount for these items, we have prepared the following estimates:
- Boxed lunch with beverage $45 per person
- Coffee/tea break - $7 per person, per break
4. Research Expenses: Funding for research expenses (including research-related travel, travel for data collection, books and other research materials purchases such as datasets, and limited research assistance) may be requested. All such requests must be well justified in detail with an itemized budget breakdown, and must be specifically related to the topic of the Workshop.
What ISA Workshop Grants do not cover:
1. The Workshop Grants Program does not provide funding for honoraria.
2. We also will not pay for manuscript editing or production or administrative or clerical assistance.
3. Workshop Grants will not pay for participant travel to the conference or for ISA membership dues, except in exceptional cases. It is expected that ISA members will attend the Annual Convention, and travel expense are the responsibility of the member and her or his home institution. Participating scholars, especially those from the Global South, who need assistance with their travel budget are encouraged to apply for an ISA Travel Grant.
4. We will not pay for hotel labor, technical support, computer or DVD adapters, or equipment rentals not specifically approved by the committee.
Further Guidelines:
1. A year after the workshop is held at least one panel shall be convened at the annual meeting of the ISA to discuss the relevant papers resulting from the research emerging from the process.
2. Projects that would require more than one year of support to produce quality scholarship would reapply for second-year funding, and there would be a presumption of refunding upon significant progress demonstrated to the committee.
3. Upon completion of the workshop, and no later than 30 days afterward, a detailed report, including follow-up and publication plans, and a detail accounting of budget expenses, must be submitted to the Workshop Grants Committee and ISA headquarters. Funds will generally be available for up to eighteen months from the time grants are made. A proportion of the grant award will be held until a final workshop grant report has been received at ISA headquarters.
4. Reimbursement of expenses for the workshop grant organizers will be processed after the detailed final report on the workshop outcomes and results has been received at the ISA office, to email isa@isanet.org
Download these guidelines here (doc).
