Faculty Field Research Grants

General Conditions

1. Voting faculty members (defined here) are eligible and may apply individually or jointly.
2. Priority will be given for first-time applicants.
3. The research must be conducted outside of the United States in Latin America, Spain, or Portugal. Research must be relevant to Latin American or Iberian area studies, including a significant component related to the human societies of the region.
4. LAII will hold one round of competition per year during the spring semester for research to be conducted at any time during the 12 months following April 15, 2025.
5. The Committee requires that those applicants who have had prior field research grants from the LAII indicate in their letter of application what specific results have been obtained from that research. The Committee is particularly interested in knowing if the previous investigations resulted in research papers, publications, or subsequent research awards.  Any outstanding reports from previously funded research should be submitted well ahead of the grant deadline. Proposals for continuation of previously supported projects will not be funded unless the applicant has received funding from other sources before applying again for an FRG.
6. Awards are given on the basis of merit. In general, the committee will provide partial or full airfare. Depending on the number of applications, the merit of any particular application, and the available funding, the committee may also award per diem.
7. No faculty research funding is provided retroactively.

Application Deadline

For research conducted between April 15, 2025 and April 14, 2026, the deadline is Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Only complete applications will be considered by the Grants and Awards Committee. (See application checklist below.)

Proposal Guidelines

1. Most successful projects will represent the humanities, social sciences, or scientific fields with area-relevant applications. Projects conducted in the U.S. will not be funded, nor will projects be funded that happen to be located in Latin America but could be conducted in the U.S., or that have no relation to the human societies of the region. Relevance to human societies of the region can include developing ethical collaborations with local communities and institutions, training opportunities, and local outreach.
2. The grants are primarily for relatively brief periods of research, such as four to eight weeks. Faculty FRGs are not intended to substitute for major research funding. Rather, they are expected to serve as seed funding to support preliminary research leading to funding from other sources, or to assist faculty in completing, updating, expanding, or adding a comparative dimension to previous significant field research.
3. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding from the OVPR, UNM ADVANCE, University Research Allocation Committee, their home departments, and other UNM or external sources to cover any extra costs but also to help ensure that FRG funds can support as many faculty as possible.
4. Applicants should demonstrate adequate knowledge of the language of the country or community in which the research will be conducted. Familiarity with current research related to the topic and geographic site should also be clearly stated within the proposal. If translation services will be needed, applicants must explain how interpreters will be chosen and how their presence will affect the study.
5. Applicants are encouraged to work with scholars and other professionals in the chosen country. Applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain letters of support from such contacts.
6. Faculty members who are nationals of a country in Latin America and Iberia at UNM can be funded for research in their home countries, but priority will be given to applicants doing research outside their home countries.
7. Prior to travel and for funds to be released, all awardees are required to submit their projects to the UNM Institutional Review Board (IRB) to obtain approval for human subjects research or a determination that review is not required. Information about IRB applications and procedures can be found on UNM’s Human Research Protection Office website at https://irb.unm.edu.Prior to travel and for funds to be released, awardees who will be conducting research and other activities involving animals are required to obtain approval from the UNM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before departure. Applicants should contact IACUC for the most current deadline schedule. Information about the IACUC can be found at https://hsc.unm.edu/research/oacc/iacuc/index.html.
8. It is strongly recommended that applicants begin the IRB paperwork as soon as possible. Awardees in the past have had to delay their field seasons because the process was slower or more complex than anticipated.

Application Procedures

1. Application
   • Application is available online at https://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGFeFWSjVDz3WiW
2. Research Statement
   • Applicants should provide a research statement describing the proposed project that specifies the purpose and goals of the research and outlines the research design and method. The statement should be a maximum of four pages (not including references), including a title, double spaced, with one-inch margins, and twelve-point font. In view of the interdisciplinary composition of the Grants and Awards committee, applicants should write their statements in plain language without jargon. If you must use technical, disciplinary terminology, be sure to define your terms. To demonstrate your familiarity with the relevant literature, it is advisable to include bibliographic references.
3. Itinerary
   • Include a research itinerary with dates, locations, and research activities.
4. Curriculum Vitae
   • Include a current curriculum vitae.
5. Evidence of Contacts and Support
   • Optional but recommended: Letters of support from organizations or individuals affiliated with the project in the host country, or evidence of collaboration such as email correspondence, can make a difference in the selection process and are recommended.
6. Budget and Budget Justification Form
   • Use this budget and budget justification form to provide a breakdown of field research costs. Download this form, fill it out, and upload it to the application portal. The budget should clearly state the amounts requested from the LAII, other sources such as the RAC, and personal funds. Describe per diem expenses such as housing and meals and equipment expenses in as much detail as possible. Also provide a general estimate for other transportation in-country such as taxi, bus, and train.
7. Airfare Quote
   • Applicants must indicate the airfare in the budget and include a screenshot of the airfare quote and schedule from an online travel service as Kayak, Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, etc.

Application Submission

Applicants must submit their materials electronically at https://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGFeFWSjVDz3WiW. Complete applications are due Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Selection Procedures

1. The Selection Committee is composed of the LAII Grants and Awards Committee. The Committee members are representative faculty from the sciences, social sciences, humanities and professional schools with significant experience in Latin America and Iberia.
2. Complete applications will be accepted until Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 11:59 p.m.
3. The Committee will have approximately two weeks to review the applications and will then meet to determine the award recipients. Applications are reviewed and awarded solely upon merit.
4. Award recipients will be notified within one week and will have up to two weeks from the date of the award letter to accept the award.
5. Applicants awarded a grant are responsible for obtaining all necessary travel documents including passport, visa, and international health insurance, and to comply with UNM’s international travel policy.
6. Awardees must provide the LAII Unit Administrator, Laiibusiness@unm.edu, with documentation of IRB approval or determination from IRB that approval is not required before the first day of travel for funds to be released.

Post-Award Procedures

1. After returning from the field, awardees must submit a brief report on their research activity and a summary of expenses, including a screenshot of the airfare receipt/itinerary. Future grant proposals by the applicant will not be considered until final reports have been received.
2. Any publication or presented work on the research project should acknowledge the support of the LAII Field Research Grant. Please consult the LAII website for information regarding Acknowledgment of Support, http://laii.unm.edu.