A&S Research Leaves, Summer Research Award, Teaching Innovation Award, and Grants
UPDATED 9/3/2026
The College of Arts & Sciences is now accepting applications for Awards and Leaves listed below.
SUMMER RESEARCH AWARD
Applications are due October 1, 2026
A competitive, internal research award program for all tenured and tenure-track faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences. This program is designed to support faculty who seek to submit external research proposals or external fellowship proposals in the following academic year. Faculty are limited to one SRA Award every three years.
Awards of up to $15,000 will fund a research project for one summer. A simple itemized budget should be prepared detailing travel costs, student stipends, other relevant research expenses, and if appropriate, designated supplemental pay.
The Summer Research Award Committee will score all applications and will strive to distribute the awards evenly among ranks of tenure-track and tenured faculty and across disciplines in the college, but they will prefer projects that have a high potential of successfully being funded by external funding agencies and foundations.
Faculty who are awarded an SRA are expected to submit a grant proposal or fellowship application for external research funding in the academic year following the award, in addition to a report following the award term.
Application and Submission Instructions for A&S Summer Research Award 2027
TEACHING INNOVATION AWARD
Applications are due October 15, 2026
The Teaching Innovation Program is a competitive, internal award program for all permanent teaching-track (lecturers), clinical, and tenured and tenure-track faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences. This program is designed to support faculty who seek to enhance and innovate their pedagogy through workshops, conferences, the development of new course preps, or other methods in the following academic year. The Theme for 2027 is “Responsible and Effective Use of AI in Teaching.”
The Teaching Innovation Committee welcomes submissions from all disciplines throughout the College. Awards are available as stipend or funding for programming. Applications for the 2027 award season should focus on the theme for 2027 as the Committee will give preference to new course preparations or significant course redesigns that address the creative/ethical incorporation of AI tools and methodologies.
Faculty members may receive a Teaching Innovation Award no more than once within a three-year period.
Application and Submission Instructions for A&S Teaching Innovation Award for Summer 2027
RESEARCH LEAVES
Applications for Competitive Research Leaves are due November 2, 2026
Baylor’s research leave policy is described in BU-PP 715. Tenure-track; tenured; and clinical track faculty members at any rank with formal research expectations and an active research, scholarship, and/or creative agenda; are eligible. Faculty hired with tenure become eligible to apply for a leave that would begin after three years of service. Tenure-Track Faculty are eligible for a PreTenure Research Leave. Faculty can apply for up to two single-semester leaves or one full academic-year leave every six-years, a timeline that officially begins with initial PreTenure Research Leave. External Funded Leaves and Awards are counted when determining leave eligibility: Policy on Fellowships and Externally-Funded Leaves, BU-PP 746.
PreTenure Research Leaves - Tenure-track faculty in years 1 through 4 receive a non-competitive, one-semester PreTenure Research Leave in year four or five following a successful third- or fourth-year review. No application is necessary for these PreTenure Research Leaves, however a report is required following leave.
Competitive Research Leaves -. Provide eligible faculty with one or two semesters of time to focus on a research project with no other teaching or administrative responsibilities. Faculty taking a research leave must return to their regular appointment for at least one academic year following leave and submit a report following leave.
Application and Submission Instructions for A&S Competitive Research Leave F 2027 - S 2028
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON GRANTS FROM THE BAYLOR PROVOST’S OFFICE