Supporting Students’ Academic Success Sponsored Research

Institutional support for “sponsored research” – essentially that research funded by an extramural agency either through a grant, contract or other mutually agreeable transaction – is quite innovative at Amherst College because it involves close collaboration between Sponsored Research and Foundation and Corporate Relations.

The Director of Sponsored Research provides guidance to faculty and administrators with the preparation of grant applications to fellowship competitions, as well as to federal, state, and foundation and corporate programs that support scholarship, teaching and creative endeavors. The Office of Foundation and Corporate Relations works with faculty and administrators to prepare institutional and consortial grant applications to foundations and corporations.

This collaborative Website provides links to comprehensive funding opportunity databases, to some of the most commonly sought funding agencies and grant competitions, and also provides advice on proposal writing. The Website also includes a guide to research for undergraduates, and information on College's policies concerning external and internal grant applications.

The Associate Dean of the Faculty, Jack Cheney can also provide constructive comments on draft grant proposals given a reasonable amount of notice, and can offer advice on putting together your project budget.