// Individual research project
Eligible candidates are academic faculty and graduate students in accredited institutions of higher education, previously published independent scholars and writers, as well as artists and research-oriented curators.
The expected deliverable is a written document, whether an essay or extended research paper showing deep consideration and thorough, original research on the selected topic. Proposals are for written work only, not for art projects, exhibitions or events such as conferences or symposia.
Submission should include:

1. A 500-word abstract, including a description of the methodology to be adopted.
2. A proposal of no longer than three pages (1.5 line spacing, 12-point type), describing the theme and issues the proposed work will address.
3. CV of the applicant.
4. A list of relevant online and print publications in which the paper could appear. (Please include the average circulation or exposure of these publications, if known).
5. Indication of other possible funding sources for the project. Please indicate clearly which funding has already been received and which is foreseen.

Please note that if you wish to include images with your application, the number should not exceed five and should be delivered in the .jpg format.
The funding for an individual research project will be decided by an international panel of experts. Grants are from US$ 5,000 up to 15,000.

// Joint research project
Eligible candidates are groups of 2-4 researchers comprised of academic faculty and/or graduate students in accredited institutions of higher education, and/or previously published independent scholars, writers, as well as artists and curators.
The expected deliverable is a publishable essay or a series of publishable essays, not an artwork, a series of artworks or an exhibition.
Submission should include:

1. A 500-word abstract, including a description of the methodology to be adopted.
2. A 500-word description of roles and responsibilities of each of the members in the research group.
3. A proposal of no longer than three pages (1.5 line spacing, 12-point type), describing the theme and issues the proposed work will address.
4. CVs of the applicants.
5. A list of relevant online and print publications in which the paper could appear. (Please include the average circulation or exposure of these publications, if known).
6. Indication of other possible funding sources for the project. Please indicate clearly what funding has already been received and what is foreseen.

Please note that if you wish to include images with your application, the number should not exceed five and should be delivered in the .jpg format.
The funding for a joint research project will be decided by an international panel of experts. Grants are from US$ 5,000 up to 15,000.

How does the photographic moment in the history of image-making change the methodology of ontological inquiries, their value, and their justification? How can the ontological status of photography be approached after Kant, Husserl, Benjamin, Heidegger, Barthes, Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, Agamben or Nancy? What is photography’s being in the world today when thought in relationship to the omnipresence of the digital image and of video?

Click here to submit your proposal.

What is the relation between photography and nature? What is the relation between photography and technology? Is photography possible without technology, without a photographer, without a viewer? How can the moment of photography be thought of as a sign of progress or as a sign of decay in the history of human civilization (as compared to, e.g. the historical moment of painting)?

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What is the relationship between photography and memory? How does it serve as a means of memory preservation? What is the relation between photography and trauma theory? How can we explain the obsession of trauma theory with the photographic medium? How can photography be thought of in relation to memory, e.g. as an aid to recollection or a distortion of recollection? Can traditional theories of memory in philosophy benefit from the possibility of photography? How is photography related to the immemorial? Does photography change the meaning of “memory”? Does it change the possibilities of remembrance? Is it a facilitator of absences and if so, what is the status of the presence that it brings before the viewer?

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Does photography produce facts? What constitutes a fact in photography? Does photography bring us closer to or further away from the realm of the factual? Why or how so? What is the nature of the interrelationship between photography and the value-laden realm of ideology? How can photography be an object of an aesthetic inquiry, of an ethical one, an epistemological one, a psychological or psychoanalytical one, an ontological one, a semiotic one, or a logical one? Can photography become a science? Can photography be justified, and, if so, by what means? Under what conditions could photography serve as a vehicle for scientific rather than factual truths?

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Is photography realistic or anti-realistic? Is it real or fictional? Is it an illusion or an imprint? Is it a solution or a new departure point for the realism/anti-realism debate? Is photography inextricably linked to contingency? Is photography closer to the natural or to the theatrical? Does photographic invention involve the reproduction of the real or a performative staging? In what ways does photography contribute to the realism/antirealism debate in the Enlightenment, in analytic post-Wittgensteinian philosophy, in aesthetics and semiotics, in deconstruction, and in the philosophy of science?

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Any topic related to research in philosophy and photography.

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The SIP’s grant programs support innovative research that advances philosophical, historical, and contemporary thinking and making in the fields of photography, which we consider to include everything from art photography to documentary work; video; photography used in surveillance, medical imaging, and new applications. We seek to take a leading global role in fostering knowledge communities around the impact of photography in the world today and tomorrow.

Grants applications are reviewed by panels of leading international experts whose experiences range over the full spectrum of The SIP’s interests in scholarship, philosophical inquiry, art, and curatorial practice. All grants are for one year of support. All grantees who seek a second year of support must submit a Grant Renewal application no less than sixty days prior to the annual application deadline. The first year’s performance and reports will be a significant deciding factor in renewal of the grant.

Grants are awarded based upon merit under the following review criteria: Originality, clarity, feasibility, relevance, and accessibility. For further information, please refer to Submission Guidelines.

Click here to submit your proposal.

All submissions received before the submission deadline will be checked for eligibility, i.e., to verify they meet the submission guidelines.

Eligible proposals will be forwarded for review by an international panel of experts. The review process will be completed within a period of several weeks after the submission deadline.
All eligible applicants will be notified by e-mail at the end of the review period.

When an application is approved for funding, a formal agreement is sent with the terms of the grant, including:

1. A Summary of the proposed work that has been approved.
2. Dates on which the grantee must send a status report to The SIP of work completed until that date and the final deadline by which the work proposed is expected to be completed. On completion of the project, all grantees are required to submit a final report that summarizes the work over the period of the grant, referring to methodology, the research process, and other aspects relevant to the overall experience of the project during the grant period.
3. A payment schedule.

A pre-proposal submission process is available for applicants who wish for their proposals to be checked for eligibility before the submission deadline.
All submissions received by 21/2/2011 will be checked and applicants will be informed of any items missing from their submission and will be given time to re-submit the proposal by the submission deadline of 1/3/2011.

1. Proposal submission deadline: March 1st, 2011 before midnight (GMT)
2. Pre-proposal submission deadline (optional): February 21st, 2011 before midnight (GMT)
3. Announcement of winners: April 18th, 2011

The Panel Chair is Professor Louis Kaplan (University of Toronto). This panel consists of leading international experts in the field of philosophy and photography.
The members of this review committee will be disclosed after the deadline for submission of applications.

Q: What is The SIP?
A: The Shpilman Institute for Photography (The SIP) is a research institute dedicated to photography. The SIP initiates and supports innovative scholarly work and artistic projects that advance the understanding of photography and related media. You may find more information here.

Q: Where are you located?
A: The SIP was founded in Tel Aviv where the first ten events have been hosted. Upcoming events in 2011 include a symposium in Paris and other collaborations in Europe and the US. The SIP online platform is part of our ongoing commitment to the online dissemination of all our activities.

Q: Who should submit research proposals?
A: We are offering funding to writers, theorists, and researchers from various disciplines (be they academic faculty, Ph.D. candidates, independent scholars, photographic practitioners, and research-oriented curators. Undergraduates should not apply.)

Q: Can I send in my proposal by mail? What’s the address?
A: No, all submissions are to be made online.
You are invited to use contact us for additional inquiries.

Q: My proposal refers to a project for which I have received another grant from the University in which I study. Is that acceptable?
A: Of course. Within your submission you are required to indicate all funding sources – both current and future funding (estimated funds and potential resources).
Please note that you have to be specific regarding overhead costs within your institution.

Q: In my paper I am referring to a specific function of photography (for example: scientific photography). Can I submit it as a proposal in your open call?
A: Yes.

Q: I am not sure if my proposal suits the “General Call” or the “Philosophy Call”. What should I do?
A: Your paper should address one or more of the listed themes. You should determine to which of the themes your paper is more relevant, and apply to that call.
You can also consult with us at callsadmin@thesip.org

Q: I wish to submit this paper to a conference. If it is accepted, I will have additional travel expenses. Can I include those in the proposed budget?
A: Yes, you should include travel expenses in your budget, as well as information regarding the activity. Note that the panel will consider this while reviewing your proposal.

Q: Will you publish the paper once it is completed?
A: In accordance with our Legal Guidelines (see below), The SIP supports the publication of research projects that have been recipients in our annual grants program in various forms and on various platforms.

Q: I submitted my proposal to your website and would like to change some of the details and add more materials. Is that possible?
A: Unfortunately, once you have uploaded your proposal, it cannot be changed.

Q: Do you support artistic projects, exhibitions or collections?
A: No, in this round we are only offering grants for essays or extended scholarly papers. There are no exceptions.

Q: Is there a length limit on the research deliverables?
A: There is no word limit to the proposed research for the deliverable of an essay or extended scholarly paper. However, the submission includes two texts that are limited: a 500-word abstract and a proposal (not more than three pages, 12 point type, 1.5 line spacing). Proposals that exceed these word lengths will not be considered.

Q: If approved, when can I expect to receive the grant?
A: The grant will be divided to three equal payments:
I – throughout May 2011 (and only after signing the mutual contract);
II – throughout September 2011;
III – throughout December 2011.

Q: Do you expect me to hand in a fully detailed budget on submission?
A: Yes, we expect a budget with your proposal that details to the best of your knowledge at the time of submission precisely what the grant will be used for and what expenses will be incurred in the process of the work, with figures attached in Euros or dollars in such basic categories as travel and accommodation expenses; research expenses (including such items as archive access when relevant materials are not otherwise accessible, research assistants, and materials specifically relevant to your proposed work); office supplies (not including computers); and any additional categories that are specific to the work you propose.

Q: In my institution we usually write in our local language. Is it possible to submit a proposal that is not in English?
A: No, as the panel is international, all proposals must be submitted in English.

Q: Will the grant support textual research that accompanies an exhibition or artistic production?
A: Yes, The SIP is open to textual research, scholarly writing, or a text accompanying an exhibition that can be published in a catalogue and is not limited to academic publishing, as long as this research and writing fulfill the mission of The SIP that is described on this website.

All applications must be submitted through The SIP’s website and Upload Form.
Criteria for review include:

1. Originality: The work will make a significant contribution to the research field, with potential for expanding the discourse.
2. Clarity: The concept, methodology, and objectives as stated in the proposal are entirely clear. There must be a strong plan for the documentation of research in the work.
3. Feasibility: The work can be reasonably achieved as outlined in the proposal and budget and can meet the intended objectives within the timetable, resources and budget specified.
4. Relevance: The proposed work is relevant to one or more of the themes of the call.
5. Accessibility: The general educated public, beyond the research community, will be able to understand the overall argument of the work, thus meeting the mission of The SIP to enlarge the understanding of photography for the public through research.

Notwithstanding the above, the SIP reserves the right to choose the grantees on the basis of whatever considerations it determines appropriate, at its sole, absolute discretion, without having to provide explanations or details of the said considerations.

Researchers who are chosen by The SIP to receive grants will be required, as a condition of the grant, to sign an agreement that will include, among other conditions, the following undertakings of the researcher to:

1. Warrant that s/he is the original author and sole proprietor of the project, the project has not been published, that no other party has interest, title or right in project and that no part of the project violates or infringes any right of any third party.

2. Inform The SIP about all third parties involved in the project, either as funders or as participants in some other manner.

3. The Agreement will detail the sum of the grant and payment terms, which will be tied to progress and to acceptance of reports. The researcher will accept The SIP’s funding policy, including the policy on terminating projects and that any breach of the researcher’s obligations shall terminate funding.

4. The SIP encourages the publication of the supported research in professional journals and academic publishing houses. The Grantee grants The SIP the right to publish and/or use the Work, and/or any part thereof, in any medium, as the SIP sees fit as part of its not-for-profit purposes. The Grantee agrees to assist The SIP in such publication or use by providing supporting electronic files if required and available. Access to this material will be free through The SIP’s World Wide Web site (or its electronic successor). If publication of the Work in scholarly journals or as a stand-alone book is pending The SIP may delay its use of said rights.

5. Report, on a quarterly basis, to The SIP about the project and adhere to The SIPs instructions in regards to reporting, including report forms, meetings or calls.

6. Grant The SIP non-exclusive rights to use his/her name, image, sound and goodwill in regards to online and printed publications of The SIP and promotional material, such as (but not limited to) its website, blog, promotional material and presentations.

7. During the 12-month Grant period, The SIP holds the right to contact the Grantee regarding activities directed by The SIP or others, such as conferences, blogs, online events, and publications related to the Grantee’s Work, and in which The SIP may invite the Grantee to participate.

8. Agree to defend, hold The SIP harmless and to immediately indemnify The SIP against any costs, losses, damages and/or expenses incurred with regard to any claim made by any third party in connection with the project, including but not limited to with regard to intellectual property, privacy, publicity rights, goodwill, commercial tort claims or any other claim that the project or any part thereof violates or infringes third-party rights. Moreover, the researcher will agree to cooperate in pursuing any claim or other action seeking to protect or enforce any right you granted to The SIP in the project. If any such claim or action fails because of facts that constitute a breach of any of the foregoing warranties, the researcher will reimburse whoever brings such claim or action for expenses and attorneys’ fees incurred therein.

9. Prominently credit The SIP on every publication of the project, including papers, presentations, media appearance and other publications, in a manner to be reasonably requested by The SIP, and notify The SIP well enough in advance of any such publication to allow such decision to be made.

10. Acknowledge that The SIP is not required to publish the project in any of its publications.

11. Resolve any dispute with The SIP solely in the competent courts of Israel and under Israeli law.