Emergency Initiatives Support Postdocs, Instrumentation
As colleges and universities face budget crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RCSA has created two emergency initiatives to alleviate some of the challenges affecting teaching and research within our Cottrell Scholar community.
“Our online Cottrell Conversations on reopening labs showed us researchers and institutions under extreme stress, both personal and financial,” said RCSA President & CEO Daniel Linzer. “Participants told us that basic support for postdocs and equipment were critical needs in weathering this crisis.”
Cottrell Fellowships respond to the pressing need to nurture tomorrow’s teacher-scholars. At a critical time in their careers when postdoctoral fellows should be working in research programs and gaining teaching experience, academic positions have been frozen, delayed or eliminated.
Cottrell Fellowships of $75,000 each will provide support for the salary, benefits and research-related expenses for up to eight postdoctoral fellows for the 2020-2021 academic year and summer of 2021. Awards will be made to Cottrell Scholars who sponsor the postdoctoral fellows preparing the applications.
Cottrell Instrumentation Supplements will grant near- and long-term support for new instrumentation (or for updates to existing equipment) needed to continue research and learning at primarily undergraduate institutions.
Each award of up to $20,000 may be used as a matching-fund commitment for a grant application, or where at least half of the funds to purchase the instrument have been identified. Applications will be accepted from Cottrell Scholars in departments that do not offer PhD degrees. (Cottrell Scholars at Master’s granting departments are eligible.)
Applications for both initiatives are due July 15. Awardees will be announced in August.
