ComArtSci Internal Funding Opportunities

The College of Communication Arts & Sciences is reinstating its Research and Creative Incubator and Accelerator (CRCIA) Awards. CRCIA exists to move promising work to its next stage: incubating a new direction or accelerating an existing project. 

What are CRCIA Funds

Proposals should advance work along at least one of three pathways:

• Incubate. Establish a new direction (e.g., retooling, training, a pilot study, or a first creative prototype in an area you have not worked in before).
• Accelerate. Push an existing project toward a defined milestone (e.g., preliminary data for an external proposal, an exhibition or performance).
• Collaborate. Grow a partnership, within or beyond ComArtSci (e.g., team/center/consortium development, community or industry partnerships in Michigan and beyond).

Faculty are invited to submit any application that enhances their program of scholarship. Proposals that respond to society’s most pressing challenges and enhance MSU’s reputation for global impact with strong Michigan roots are especially welcome. 

Eligibility and Awards

• Who may apply: The applicant must be a ComArtSci faculty member (tenure-system, professor of practice, academic staff, continuing, or fixed-term) with at least one year of full-time service.
• Award size: A total of $7,500 is available this cycle, with a maximum of $2,500 per award. Requests below the maximum are encouraged and are not disadvantaged in review; the committee may also recommend partial funding.
• Frequency: Faculty may submit only one proposal per cycle and may hold a CRCIA award no more than once every two years.
• Honorific: Awardees may list the “2026 ComArtSci Research & Creative Incubator & Accelerator (CRCIA) Award” on their CV.

How to Apply

Submit a single PDF (12 pt, 1-inch margins, single-spaced) containing the three items below. 

1. Project narrative (two pages maximum): Please address:
   • Project title, applicant(s), and unit(s).
   • What you propose to do, and why it is novel or timely.
   • Which pathway this represents—incubate, accelerate, or collaborate—and the specific next step this award makes possible (e.g., a named external proposal, exhibition, publication, or partnership).
   • Why it matters: research implications, creative significance, or social impact.
2. Budget and rationale (one page maximum): Total requested, broken down by item, with a brief explanation justifying each.
3. CV

Submit to: Sri Kalyanaraman, Associate Dean for Research, at kal@msu.edu as a single file, by 5:00 PM ET on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Allowable and Unallowable Costs

Allowable: research materials and supplies, small equipment, analysis or creative software, participant and survey-panel payments, student hourly wages, statistical or methodological consultation, travel for fieldwork, program officer visits, and data collection or acquisition.

Not allowable: faculty salary, course buyouts, publication and open-access fees, graduate assistantships, conference travel, and instructional/course materials.

Review and Evaluation

Proposals will be reviewed by the ComArtSci Research Advisory Committee, chaired by the Senior Associate Dean for Research, who will make final award decisions in consultation with the Committee (if relevant, the Committee may seek input from Unit Heads, Budget Director, other Assistant and Associate Deans, and the Dean). Reviewers will weigh four things:

• Clarity and innovation: Is the proposed work clearly described, and does it go beyond a safe continuation of existing work?
• Trajectory: Is there a credible next step, and will this award plausibly help the applicant reach it?
• Feasibility and value: Can the work be done on this budget and timeline?
• Impact on the College: Does the project strengthen the reputation of ComArtSci, seed future external funding, or benefit students, teams, and colleagues across units?

Key Dates

Questions? Contact any member of the ComArtSci Research Advisory Committee — Celeste Campos-Castillo, Serena Miller, Maria Molina, Maryam Naghibolhosseini, Ralf Schmaelzle, or Sri Kalyanaraman.

We will also hold two online informational sessions:

1. Thursday, September 10, 4-5 pm.  
   Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/287729283081202?p=eU8AxfvG6Bxw10IC3r
2. Friday, September 18, 10-11 am.  
   Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/287729283081202?p=eU8AxfvG6Bxw10IC3r