Description of Proposals Required for Visiting Scholar/Scientist Designations

Faculty and Researchers From Other Institutions and Professionals From Industry and Other Entities:

Faculty and researchers from other academic institutions or professionals from industry, museums, or other entities who will not hold an instructional or research appointment at Columbia and who want to pursue their own independent research using University resources or facilities without collaborating with any Columbia faculty member or officer of research should submit:

a full description (or the original proposal) of the project on which they are currently working

a description of the research done to date

a detailed explanation of why they want to come to Columbia, specifically addressing:

☑: the research they expect to accomplish while here;
☑: the specific materials/equipment they want to access at Columbia, and/or particular faculty or officers of research they want to interview or with whom they want to discuss their project in detail because of their expertise on the topic (information from such interviews or discussions would be incorporated into the project and would be distinct from the “chats” the visiting scholar/scientist had with their sponsor during their stay; and
☑: the faculty member or officer of research whom they want as their sponsor and why this person would be most helpful to their project.

Resource and Equipment Specifications for Research while at Columbia

Resources

Ensure all requested resources and equipment are clearly specified.
Identify the required libraries to be accessed and the specific collections/materials needed. For example:
- Butler Library (e.g., journals in a particular subject area or within a specific time frame)
- SIPA Library
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library (e.g., specific manuscript collections, rare editions)

Equipment

List specific pieces of equipment needed and their locations;
Provide a clear rationale for why these specific pieces of equipment are necessary for the research.

Additional Suggestions and Information

Avoid vague references like "the libraries" or "equipment in so-and-so's lab," and generic statements such as “Columbia University offers the facilities and resources that will make for an ideal place to conduct research.”
While the initial proposal requires specificity in the purpose of the research, if additional needs are discovered after coming to Columbia, you will not be limited to the resources originally requested.

Approvals

Approval from Academic Appointments is required before individual faculty members, officers of research, and/or academic administrators (department chairs, deans, institute or center directors) agree to sponsor either colleagues from other institutions or independent researchers working in their field as a visiting scholar/scientist.
Such approval is required whether the request is based on the individual’s own research schedule or is needed for a grant or fellowship application (e.g., a Fulbright fellowship).
Requests for visiting scholar/scientist designations which are contingent on the prospective visitor receiving a particular grant or fellowship should be identified as such, and Academic Appointments will recycle the request (within the Scholar Sponsorship Portal - SSP) with its preliminary approval noting the contingency.
- Upon receipt of this approval, the appropriate academic administrator can contact the individual using the referenced template.
- Once funding has been approved, the application with proof of the secured funding should be resubmitted for final approval to Academic Appointments to obtain formal designation for the individual as a visiting scholar/scientist.

Graduate Students

In exceptional circumstances graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting program in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or certain professional fields at another academic institution who want to use University facilities to pursue their own independent research without any collaboration, training, or mentorship from Columbia faculty or officers of research may be designated visiting scholars (visiting scientists in Social Work). The proposal in support of the visiting scholar/scientist designation should include:

a description of the Master’s thesis/doctoral dissertation as outlined in the thesis/dissertation prospectus approved by their home institution

a description of the research done to date

a detailed explanation of why the individual wants to come to Columbia, specifically addressing:

☑: the research they expect to accomplish while here;
☑: the specific materials they want to access at Columbia, and/or particular faculty or officers of research they want to interview because of their expertise on the topic; and
☑: the faculty member/or officer of research whom they want as their sponsor and the reason this person would be most helpful to their project (specifically noting if their adviser at their home institution recommended that they consult with this Columbia person).

Resource Specifications for Research while at Columbia

Resources

Ensure all requested resources and equipment are clearly specified.
Identify the required libraries to be accessed and the specific collections/materials needed. For example:
- Butler Library (e.g., journals in a particular subject area or within a specific time frame)
- SIPA Library
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library (e.g., specific manuscript collections, rare editions)

Additional Suggestions and Information

Avoid vague references like "the libraries" or "equipment in so-and-so's lab," and generic statements such as “Columbia University offers the facilities and resources that will make for an ideal place to conduct research.”
While the initial proposal requires specificity in the purpose of the research, if additional needs are discovered after coming to Columbia, you will not be limited to the resources originally requested.

Approvals

Individual faculty members, officers of research, and/or academic administrators (department chairs, deans, institute or center directors) should not respond directly to requests from students who want them to serve as their sponsor for a visiting scholar/scientist designation until the approval of Academic Appointments has been obtained.
Such approval is required whether the request is based on the individual’s own research schedule or is needed for a grant or fellowship application (e.g., a Fulbright fellowship).
Requests for visiting scholar/scientist designations which are contingent on the student visitor receiving a particular grant or fellowship should be identified as such, and Academic Appointments will recycle the request (within the Scholar Sponsorship Portal) with its preliminary approval noting the contingency.
- Once this preliminary approval has been granted to students requiring a commitment prior to submitting a funding proposal, the appropriate academic administrator can contact the individual using the referenced template.
- After the funding has been approved, the application with proof of the secured funding should be resubmitted for final approval to Academic Appointments to obtain formal designation of the individual as a visiting scholar/scientist.

Last Updated: 11/16/2023

Description of Proposals Required for Visiting Scholar/Scientist Designations

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