The College of Computing and College of Business are soliciting proposals from faculty for convergence efforts to promote new and deep partnerships across the colleges. The RFP is below and attached with proposals due in early September. An information session about the effort is planned for sometime in August.
Download the Request for Proposals and Required Elements List
Background
The Center for Convergence and Innovation (CCI) is a planned building construction, co-locating the College of Computing and the College of Business together into a new, shared facility. The CCI will promote connections among faculty and students across both colleges, as well as the rest of campus. While each college will maintain its own distinct identity, the CCI is expected to create opportunities for convergence spaces, shared degree programs, entrepreneurial projects, outreach to businesses and communities, and increased funding for research. That is, CCI will promote cross-disciplinary collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship with reconfigurable spaces and theme-based digital lab facilities, classrooms, flexible collaboration spaces, open-access conference rooms, a reconfigurable digital maker space, an entrepreneurship training hall, and lecture halls.
Purpose
The purpose of the Center for Convergence Request for Proposals is to encourage CC and COB faculty tobrainstorm a broad range of potential convergence centers to occupy the new building. Prior to the construction of the building, funding will be provided to a handful of proposed “Centers of Excellence”, which support the convergence concept. We define Centers of Excellence broadly: themed-based centers, research-centers, experiential educational centers, centers based around industry partners, etc.
Funding
The Colleges and/or their Advisory Councils have provided $30,000 in seed funding.
Guidelines
Awards will be given based on the following:
- Funds will be spent only in support of Centers of Excellence related to convergence.
- Priority will be given for “Centers of Excellence” based on:
- Convergence Concept
- Likelihood of the work to lead to new external research funding
- Key faculty member(s)
- Sustainability of the Center into the future
- Potential for broader involvement/impact (e.g., industry partnerships)
- Annual Activity/Output
- Physical Space requirement
Process
CC and COB Faculty and staff can submit proposals (including joint proposals) to the Deans of either college by Sept.10th. A panel with representatives from both colleges will develop a final set of proposals for faculty presentation to the College Advisory Councils for their input. This presentation is currently scheduled for October 6th, 2023. The final dollar amount and the number of awards is at the discretion of the Deans. Faculty may be asked to provide feedback on results and lessons learned to gauge the effectiveness of investments and to justify continuation of the funding. Dean Livesay and Dean Johnson are the points of contact for any questions.