De Lange Major Conference Grant

Proposal timeline:

  • Pre-proposals are due by 5pm on March 1, 2023
  • Decisions on pre-proposals will be made by March 15, 2023
  • Full proposals (by invitation) are due on April 15, 2023
  • Decisions on the full proposal will be made by April 29, 2023

Fund information:

Pre-proposals are solicited for the next De Lange Conference, to be held in 2024. De Lange Conferences spotlight timely, significant themes of wide interest. A budget of up to $150,000 is available for a multi-disciplinary conference capable of attracting a broad audience within the university, as well as wider participation at the local, regional, and/or national levels.

  • Past conferences have dealt with fast-changing technologies and their impact on major social institutions (Emerging Libraries), challenges to cities and urban infrastructure (Transforming the Metropolis), Teaching in the University of Tomorrow, The Future of Work and Bioelectronics, among others (a list of all De Lange conferences is available at delange.rice.edu).
  • Funds may be used to support travel, lodging, meals and honoraria for conference speakers, as well as equipment rental, live webcasting, etc. They may not be used to pay stipends or summer salary to Rice faculty or staff.
  • Administrative oversight and organizational support for the conference is provided by Scientia.

Eligibility:

Faculty, Administrative and Research staff with background relevant to the conference theme.

How to Apply:

By March 1, submit a two-page pre-proposal that includes the following information:

  • theme of the proposed conference
  • the issues to be addressed and a brief elaboration on their significance and timeliness
  • names of those who will serve on the planning committee (a majority must be Rice tenure-track faculty)
  • the anticipated audience (national, regional, local)
  • a preliminary list of potential internal and external participants, with a brief sentence indicating their fit to the topic. A link to an appropriate homepage can be included.

Email your pre-proposal by 5pm, March 1 to the De Lange Conference email (delange@rice.edu).

If the Conference Committee agrees that the proposed conference meets the criteria for the De Lange, you will be invited to submit a full proposal (up to 10 pages) that provides expanded details the conference theme, possible session topics and participants, and an estimated budget. Full proposals will be due on April 15.