Seminars and Workshops FAQs

Harvard ladder (tenured or tenure-track) faculty members from any Harvard school and Radcliffe fellows (current or former) are eligible for the Exploratory Seminar program. (Note: In addition to professors on the ladder track, clinical professors at Harvard Law School and instructors from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine are also eligible to apply as lead applicants.) Unfortunately, adjunct faculty members, lecturers, preceptors, professors of the practice, research professors, professors emeriti, and graduate student fellows who are PhD candidates at Harvard are not eligible to serve as lead applicants. However, a co-applicant who is otherwise not eligible may apply with a lead applicant who meets eligibility requirements. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact Don Tontiplaphol, associate director of Academic Ventures and Engagement, at don_tontiplaphol@radcliffe.harvard.edu.

Harvard ladder (tenured or tenure-track) faculty members from any Harvard school are eligible for the Accelerator Workshop program. (Note: In addition to professors on the ladder track, clinical professors at Harvard Law School and instructors from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine are also eligible to apply as lead applicants.) Unfortunately, adjunct faculty members, lecturers, preceptors, professors of the practice, research professors, and professors emeriti are not eligible to serve as lead applicants. However, a co-applicant who is otherwise not eligible may apply with a lead applicant who meets eligibility requirements. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact Don Tontiplaphol, associate director of Academic Ventures and Engagement, at don_tontiplaphol@radcliffe.harvard.edu.

The choice depends largely on the stage of your research idea. If your topic is still in early development and has not been previously explored, and you are looking to initiate a conversation about the topic, you should apply for an exploratory seminar. If, however, your idea has been gaining traction in the field, is substantially developed, and is on a path to being translated into some tangible outcome (e.g., a publication, a grant application, a course curriculum, an exhibition, a performance, or policy recommendations), you should apply for a workshop.

No. The two programs have different purposes and requirements. If you are still unsure about the appropriate fit for your particular project, please contact Don Tontiplaphol, associate director of Academic Ventures and Engagement, at don_tontiplaphol@radcliffe.harvard.edu.

Yes. Proposals for different projects may be submitted to either the same program or different ones.

Academic Ventures and Engagement is committed to funding innovative, interdisciplinary projects that might not find traction in other funding venues. Our programs are not grants that may be taken to other institutions. All our programs occur on the Radcliffe campus and are coordinated by our professional events staff.

Applications in all disciplines are welcome, and all proposals are considered on the basis of merit and fit with our programs.

The following areas—while not exclusive—are of special interest:

• Radcliffe supports engaged scholarship. We welcome proposals that connect research to law, policy, pressing social issues, and/or seek to actively engage audiences beyond academia.
• Reflecting Radcliffe’s unique history, proposals that focus on women, gender, and society or draw on the Schlesinger Library’s rich collections
• We welcome proposals relevant to the Institute’s focus areas, which include law, education, and justice; climate change, with a particular interest in climate justice; and legacies of slavery.

No. While we strive to find a balance in the distribution, no set number of awards is slated for any particular discipline.

Reviewers are looking for cutting-edge, innovative, multidisciplinary proposals that demonstrate clarity of purpose and academic focus and fit within the parameters of our programs. The standards applied are based on those in the particular field or fields represented in the proposal.

Reviewers consider whether the list includes the key researchers or practitioners from the relevant field or fields. We expect that proposed invitees will vary by gender, race/ethnicity, intellectual perspective, career stage, and institution.

We encourage our program leaders to include as wide a range of participants as possible. The programs are designed to stimulate collaboration across disciplines and among scholars of varying ranks, generations, and institutions. Similarly, we encourage the inclusion of other stakeholders—such as government officials, laypersons, or NGOs—in the discussions when appropriate.

Yes. We encourage the inclusion of participants at different stages in their academic career. Please note that anyone you would like to be in the room for your program—including graduate students—needs to be included on your participant list.

No. During the application stage, you do not need to confirm attendance for anyone on your participant/invitee list. In this stage, it should serve as your “wish list.” Once funding is awarded, we will work with organizers to finalize the budget and participant list. Formal invitations are sent out by our Events staff.

No. These programs are not open to the public. Our private programs are designed to allow participants an opportunity for candid discussion about their subject matter. Any public presentation or programming will need to take place after your seminar or workshop has occurred.

We are looking to bring as many new voices to the table as possible. We encourage applicants to move beyond their established professional circles. We suggest that seminar leaders consider including, when relevant, participants from regional universities, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), faith-based universities, and traditionally conservative universities, as well as participants from diverse geographic regions.

Subject to budgetary limits, an award amount includes:

• Ground and air transportation
• En route expenses
• Hotel for out-of-town guests
• Meals for the program duration
• Meeting space and audiovisual support
• Additional needs, such as language translation services, following discussion with the Radcliffe staff

Funding does not cover:

• Honoraria for organizers or participants
• Recording or transcription costs
• Printing or mailing costs (we offer private program websites as a sustainable alternative)

Not ordinarily. Only in rare cases and under special circumstances may external funding be considered to supplement a program. Please consult with the Academic Ventures and Engagement staff if you have any questions.

All programs convene at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our professional events staff handles all the logistics (invitations, RSVPs, travel arrangements, hotel reservations, catering, room setup, name tags, distribution of agendas, etc.) so that you can focus on the content of your program. Meeting, dining, and lodging spaces are provided on or near the campus.

For each funding cycle, all applicants will be notified by the end of January.

For each funding cycle, all applicants will be notified by the end of April.

Both the Exploratory Seminar and Accelerator Workshop applications include the following sections:

1. Registration: Details (including name, contact information, title, and institutional affiliation) about the organizer (and the co-organizer, if applicable)
2. Proposal: Tentative title, executive summary, and narrative (2,500-word limit) of your proposed seminar or workshop, including the background, motivation, specific ideas to be explored, and description of why the Exploratory Seminar or the Accelerator Workshop program is best suited to/needed for your proposal [Note: Accelerator Workshop applications also require a description of the desired outcome(s) for the proposal.]
3. Invitees: List of people who would ideally participate, with details (name, contact information, title, affiliation, etc.) and a brief rationale for inviting each person
4. Schedule: Outline of the tentative structure of your one- to two-day program
5. Optional supporting documents: Any supplementary materials you deem necessary

Yes. To see samples of prior successful applications, please contact Don Tontiplaphol, associate director of Academic Ventures and Engagement, at don_tontiplaphol@radcliffe.harvard.edu.

Deliverables may vary greatly. In the past, they have included articles/volumes for publication, grant applications, course curricula, policy recommendations, and future conferences. Artists may consider conceptualizing exhibitions, concerts, films, or performances. Please note, however, that neither Exploratory Seminars nor Accelerator Workshops are grant-writing or conference/event-planning meetings. Rather, they focus on the intellectual development of the academic content for any later outcomes.

Although an application should specify a desired outcome, we fully understand that participants may realize over the course of the workshop that a different outcome is necessary or even preferable.

Please contact Don Tontiplaphol, associate director of Academic Ventures and Engagement, at don_tontiplaphol@radcliffe.harvard.edu.