LabSpace at the College of Liberal Arts

Call for Program Lab Proposals

Program Labs are for departmental, programmatic research and instructional needs. Examples may include: instructional lab-classrooms, labs for student research, facilities with specialized equipment shared by a department or area faculty, and labs dedicated to a strategic research area or method that are shared by a number of projects and researchers. The respective department chairs control access to assigned Program Labs. A request for a Program Lab must come from a department chair.

Our current process for Program Labs is less formal than for Project Labs because of the wide variety of possible program uses.

Application Process

To apply for a Program Lab, the chair or director should submit a detailed 3-5 page proposal electronically or on paper to Joe TenBarge on behalf of the program in need. The submission process is ongoing, but proposals submitted by mid April have the best chance of being reviewed and, if approved, implemented by the following academic year.

Once submitted, proposal will be read by the LabSpace Faculty Review Committee. The committee will discuss the proposal and respond in one of three ways. First, the committee may simply approve or deny the request. Second, the committee may request additional information in writing before making a decision. Third, the committee may ask to meet with you and your colleagues to discuss the proposal before making a decision.

Proposal Guidelines

The proposal should detail the benefits and costs of the program to be housed in the space, why the space is required for the program to succeed, and why the departments involved are not able to house it in space already assigned. Also describe the envisioned space, and any sources of funding for renovation, furniture, and equipment. LAITS will provide cost estimates for renovation based on your description.

There is no required format, but please focus especially on:

1. Sources of program funding such as external grants. How likely is the grant to succeed? How will the program be funded otherwise? Can the plan be scaled back if funding is not available? How will it impact plans if space is awarded contingent on the success of the grant proposal?
2. Who will use the lab and how much? List faculty researchers and numbers of graduate students, and explain what they will do in the lab. List any classes or other program functions that will take place in the lab. Show that the lab will be efficiently used.
3. Explain the benefit of the program's use of the lab. What effect will it have on faculty recruitment, research, grants, and publications? How will it help recruit, train, and place graduate students? Will it help with undergraduate teaching or research? What other benefits?
4. Detail any costs other than the renovation (LAITS will detail renovations costs). Explain any salary or other recurring costs and how they will be covered.
5. Outline your program schedule. When would the program begin? When will grants become available? Detail other important program milestones. Keep in mind that awards will likely have a term (probably matching the term of a major external grant) and that proposals for renewal will be required.

Feel free at any point to contact Joe TenBarge to discuss this opportunity further.