Introduction

IASSCS seeks to strengthen the field of social and cultural research on sexuality globally, including the development of research capacity, giving priority to the crucial need for diversity in this field of inquiry. Its mission is informed by the principles of social justice and human rights, with a focus on sexual rights and gender equality, as expressed in documents such as the Cairo Programme of Action, CEDAW and the UNGASS Declaration on HIV/AIDS.

IASSCS is pleased to announce a small research grants competition for researchers, with the objective to promote research capacity development and research dissemination during 2012. This new initiative is in line with IASSCS’ mission to strengthen research and research capacity globally in socio-cultural dimensions of sexuality, with special attention to countries where sexuality research is not well-developed. With financial support from the Ford Foundation, this initiative represents an important opportunity to strengthen IASSCS’ role and presence as an international research capacity-building institution.

The IASSCS Research Grant Program

A total of 10 small grants will be offered to early career researchers in each of the five regions constituting the Association (two per region, see regions below). These grants are intended to develop research in, or related to, the Global South and to encourage diverse methodological approaches to understanding sexuality. The newly formed IASSCS Research Development and Training Committee will oversee the program.

For the purposes of this program, early career researchers refers to graduate students within academic institutions, or to individuals based within organisations that have existing research capacity. Each applicants is required to demonstrate that her/his submitted proposal will either result in the completion of a Ph.D. degree, a peer-reviewed journal publication, or (for non-academically based applicants) is likely to contribute to strengthening sexuality research capacity in the host institution.

This research grants program will:

Assist early career researchers in the: Completion of a graduate degree, the subject of which focuses on sexuality-related issues, or Undertaking of research that contributes to the strengthening of research capacity within their organization

Support and encourage early career researchers to share their research results, and broaden knowledge on sexuality issues at an international level.

Support the development of social and cultural approaches to sexuality research in the five regions constituting the Association, prioritizing the Global South.

Promote the development of diverse methodological and theoretical approaches to understanding sexuality.

Expected outcomes:

All grant recipients will be expected to present their research findings at either the 2013 or 2015 IASSCS conference. In preparation for submission of the research abstract to the conference program committee, the IASSCS Conference Abstract Mentoring Program will provide feedback on the draft abstract. IASSCS will also give each grantee a registration fee waiver for the chosen IASSCS Conference if their abstract has been submitted on time and has been accepted by the Conference Program Committee. Further, a maximum of USD500 of the grant money can be used towards conference attendance costs.

IASSCS regions are:

Southeast Asia, South and Central Asia and the Middle East

Latin America

África

North America and Europe

Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and East Asia

IASSCS especially encourages the submission of applications by participants of the previous Post-Conference Training sessions (Madrid 2011, Hanoi 2009, Lima 2007).

Successful applicants will receive:

Minimum of USD 3,000 to maximum-5,000 USD;

Mentoring from experienced researchers in the sexuality field as part of the IASSCS Conference Abstract Mentoring Program ;

Venue for dissemination and/or publication of research results at the next IASSCS conferences in 2013 and 2015 (according to each research grant program period).

Application Requirements

IASSCS Research Grant Program welcomes proposals from early career researchers whose research focuses on social and cultural research on sexuality, with a particular emphasis on the global south;

Applicants are expected either to be affiliated with a university and progressing toward a Ph.D. degree or to be based within an organisation that has existing research capacity.

IASSCS will fund research proposals representing new work, or ongoing research projects; however, IASSCS will only fund ongoing research that is at a very early stage of its fieldwork, e.g. beginning to recruit research participants, or starting field observations, or beginning document or text collection for literature reviews.

The IASSCS-Ford Foundation Research Grant will have duration of nine (09) months. IASSCS will only award grants to sole investigators; proposals from co-investigators are not eligible. Funds awarded may be used to cover expenses relating to: fieldwork travel; enacting research plans; analysis and communication/dissemination. Scholarship funds cannot be used for the purchase of equipment, institutional overheads or any other expenses not directly related to conduct the research.

Application Process

Application documents must be written in English only. To apply to the IASSCS-Ford Foundation Research Grant Program, please send by e-mail the following documents:

1. A brief research proposal (no less than 4 pages and no more than 10 pages) including:

Research subject (topic or title)

The research question (please clearly answer the question: what are or will you be researching?)

Proposed research methodology (clearly define if you will be working with human research participants subjects, or conducting textual, archival, or secondary analysis of existing database)

Expected research outcome (what do you expect the research to achieve?)

Statement from either a research supervisor or work-based supervisor, stating that she or he will mentor you throughout the research process (see Requirements during the Research Grant Period below)

A statement clarifying how human research ethics approval will be sought, granted and from which institution and which body (e.g. Internal Review Board, Human Ethics Committee) RB, HEC

A statement on how this project will assist in developing sexuality research capacity at your host institution.

Reference list (no more than one page, in addition to the 4-10 pages of the proposal).

Your proposal can include photographs and/or charts.

2. A nine (09) month timeline detailing activities and expected periodic accomplishments;

3. An estimated budget, which should identify any and all additional funds that have been obtained to support the research project and should include the following budget items:

A maximum of USD 1,000 for researcher’s stipend

A maximum of USD 500 for attending the 2013 or 2015 IASSCS conferences

A maximum of USD 3,500 for research expenses as outlined above

4. An electronic, signed letter of recommendation from the institutional research advisor, supervisor, or a senior researcher activist in your field of interest, indicating the institution’s support for the research and attesting to the applicant’s skills and capacity to carry out the research project effectively.

5. Your Curriculum Vitae (maximum 3 pages long)

Submit all documents to fvaldivia@iasscs.org by January 5th 2012 with a subject line stating: IASSCS Research Grant Program. The Research Grant Program reserves the right to decline proposals if authors do not strictly follow the submission guidelines.

Scholarship awards will be announced in February 2012.

Requirements during the Research Grant Period

During the Research Grant Period, each grantee will be expected to maintain close communication with their local (university or workplace based) mentor. Regular supervision sessions need to be planned (e.g. every 2 weeks or monthly), and a supervisor’s report (one page only each time) needs to accompany the reports from the grantee required below.

A member from IASSCS Research Development and Training Committee will provide initial feedback on the successful proposal.

Grantees will be required to provide one progress report due 6 months after receipt of award and one final report upon completion of the project, due 30 days from project end date as stated on the timeline. The progress report should include a financial report identifying specific expenses covered by the grant, in accordance with the budget submitted by the grantee with the proposal application.

Funds will be provided in two equal installments: the first will be released upon the awarding of the scholarship and the second following the review of the progress report.

Each grantee is expected to submit an abstract to, and present at, an IASSCS Conference either in 2013 or in 2015 depending on the progress and timetable of the research project.

Further inquiries can be directed to the IASSCS Secretariat on fvaldivia@iasscs.org.