Game Research Call for Seed Money Proposals

Additional information about the call for funding will be given at the Game Research lunch by the coordinators Tuesday June 30, 11.00-13.00h,
Belle van Zuylenzaal, Academiegebouw.
 

Game Research is the focus area of Utrecht University that conducts research related to games, gaming practices and culture, gamification and various other forms of playful interaction such as simulations and apps. Games play an increasingly important role in areas like education, healthcare, safety, urban planning, sustainability, the creative industries, entertainment and other economic, cultural, and societal sectors. Games allow users to practice, play, experiment, research, and learn in a safe and motivating environment. 

Game Research was founded as a research initiative of the game-related teaching and research groups at Utrecht University to contribute to global trends with regard to  serious (or: applied) games, i.e. games designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. Our main research lines are the design and development of engaging games, the study of users and usage behavior that focus on natural and playful interaction,  the validation of the effectiveness and efficiency of serious games, and the interpretation of cultural contexts of digital games and play. 

Researchers are encouraged to apply for funding of initiatives that integrate and intensify activities of Game Research in three directions: the strengthening of interdisciplinary research, the expansion of our research volume, and the increasing of our research impact. Funding can, for example, be requested for writing a major NWO, Horizon2020 or ERC research proposal (personnel replacement costs for the applicants and/or the remuneration of student and research assistants), to set up an international research network, to organize (inter)national conferences or seminars, or to support the writing of joint publications.

Important note: in view of the coordination for matching purposes and the resources applied for, we ask that you first submit your application to and discuss it with the person responsible within your own department (department head, Research Director and/or Director of Education) prior sending it to us.

Criteria

Grant proposals are judged according to the following criteria:

Degree of interdisciplinarity, potential to generate additional means by external funding, and academic and societal impact.
Scholarly quality and relevance/appropriateness of the people involved.
Proposals should ask for relatively small sums of funding (e.g. between € 5.000 and € 10.000, but typically € 7.000) with visible returns.
The project has to start within 3 months after acceptance. The project has to end before September 1, 2016.

Grant proposals contain the following information:

Proposers' contact information (must be Utrecht University employees)
Summary
Project description
Expected aims and output
Time schedule
Detailed budget

Grant proposals do not exceed 3 pages.

Deadline for submission: September 15, 2015
The available budget is € 70.000, the next call for funding will be in the Spring of 2016.
Please submit proposals by e-mail to:  GameResearch@uu.nl
A funding decision will be made at the end of September 2015.