Support for digital scholarship projects can take on many forms from mini-grants and seed grants to launch a project or build a prototype, to large grants to allow for large-scale collaboration, to in-kind support from campus partners. The following sections offer some examples of support available on-campus and from external sources.
For additional information or to schedule a consultation with the digital scholarship experts in the library, send an inquiry to library-ds@umich.edu.
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) "has primary responsibility for research policy, oversight of responsible conduct of research education and compliance, and oversight of administration and support of research activity by the faculty."
Through the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, researchers can find funding opportunities and support for applications. ORSP, formerly known as DRDA (Division of Research Development & Administration) provides administrative support for research at U-M, including processing proposals, submitting materials to funding agencies, and serving as a liaison to sponsoring organizations.
The University Library is eager to support campus research projects in every discipline. If you would like to partner with the U-M Library on your digital project, learn more about How We Support Digital Scholarship. We also suggest consulting our Digital Scholarship Framework and Policy.
For grant applications, the library can provide letters of support, consult on project planning, community agreements, data workflows and management plans, and preservation strategies. We will often require a Memorandum of Understanding before entering into a collaboration, depending on the scale of the project and resources committed, so we encourage researchers reach out early and often.
The University of Michigan’s School of Information offers “Client opportunities" as part of their Practical Engagement Program and provides opportunities for researchers and community members to recruit their students. According to the site: “There are a wide range of client opportunities that include website or application usability evaluation, content management system development, database design and development, digital preservation consultation, and much more.”
The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) was established in 1988-1989, and it creates research partnerships between undergraduate students and University of Michigan researchers and community partners and organizations. Students may be asked to conduct library research, assist in book and/or course development, conduct laboratory/survey research, participate in community-based intervention research, assist with performance art, and/or apply computer technology skills to a project. Researches can receive research support from undergraduate research assistants and UROP pays the student wages.
To find additional sources of external funding, check out the guide to Research Funding and Grants guide, or request a funding search consultation with our foundations & grants librarian.