Faculty Research and Development Committee

The committee supports and encourages faculty research, professional advancement, and development at the College. The committee also secures College-wide recognition of high-quality faculty research by recommending faculty members to receive the Distinguished Research Award presented annually at Commencement. Additional responsibilities include advising the Provost concerning College programs supporting faculty research and development; announcing such programs and inviting faculty to apply for support; and recommending to the Provost awards to be made. The committee also advises the Provost, when requested, concerning proposals from faculty members for special research and development projects requiring College support. Finally, the committee serves as the patent and copyright advisory body for the College and hears individual cases involving ownership of materials subject to copyright or inventions entitled to a patent.

Grant Application Information

Interested in submitting an application? 

Please use the following resources for current deadlines, guidelines, and required forms.

As outlined in the Faculty Research and Development Committee Guidelines, the College provides grants-in-time (release from teaching one course) and/or financial support for faculty research, professional advancement, and development projects. All grants are awarded on the basis of proposals submitted to the committee. Three rounds of grants are awarded. The first round is awarded each fall for projects conducted during the spring semester; the second round is awarded each winter for projects conducted between spring commencement and fall registration; the third round is awarded each spring for projects conducted during the next fall semester. Grants may not exceed $5,000 per project and grant recipients may not receive more than $5,000 in Faculty R&D funds within any two consecutive calendar years. View the awards timeline in the Guidelines.

Recipients of grants-in-time may not teach an overload during the same award period. No awards will be made to supplement salary during the academic year or during sabbaticals. A grant-in-time is awarded by the committee to the applicant’s department and covers adjunct replacement costs during the applicant’s release time (one course).

Application Deadlines:

All applications must be submitted as one electronic PDF to fdrc@cofc.edu, by 5:00 pm of the deadline date:

  • Spring 2025 Projects - October 15, 2024
  • Summer 2025 Projects - January 14, 2025
  • Fall 2025 Project - April 1, 2025

Guidelines and Forms

Proposal Examples

Have more questions:

Please contact the committee chairs, Heather Spalding and Susan Klein.