CRC Research Awards Programme 2008

The programme is aimed at primarily supporting proposals from those working within the community and voluntary sector.

The Programme will only be able to support a small number of projects each year so proposals will be prioritised and even those projects that fully meet the criteria of the programme may not receive support. Research must in the main be completed and findings produced within a 6 month period.

Applicants will be required to demonstrate relevant research experience and a fundamental understanding of community relations principles and practice.

Successful candidates will be required to hold a short seminar to disseminate their findings within the community and voluntary sector. CRC will seek to publish the findings of all the research projects that it supports in the most appropriate form which in most cases will be within a Research Journal.

Selection Criteria

Essential:

1. The candidate should have a proven background in research and analysis in the relevant area.
2. The project should clearly demonstrate how it will fully address the research area identified.
3. The project should result in a resource that will promote informed debate and be accessible to a wide target audience.
4. The candidate should be able to demonstrate critical distance from the research topic and groups involved.

Desirable:
1. Previous responsibility for publications, exhibitions or projects.

In the first instance CRC requires from applicants a proposal (no more than 8 pages of A4, excluding CV details), covering the following:

• Objectives of, necessity for and distinctiveness of the research
• Relevant experience and expertise of the candidate who will undertake the work
• A proposed time-scale and earliest start date
• A detailed outline of the proposed methodological approach
• A detailed costing of the proposed approach
• An outline of the geographical area and/ or social, faith, political or ethnic group(s) involved, and details of the gender and age range of the subjects to be studied.

The closing date for the receipt of applications will be 6^th March 2008;

Short listed candidates may be invited to interview. Research projects will not begin before 1^st April 2008.

Please return applications to: Jo Adamson, Community Relations Council, 6 Murray Street, Belfast, BT1 6DN.