The Office of the Vice President for Research & Innovation and the Graduate School are pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2016-17 Julie and Rocky Dixon Graduate Innovation Awards. This fellowship is designed to support up to four doctoral students who are interested in developing their skills and experience in innovation and/or entrepreneurship in preparation for careers outside of academia. Fellowship recipients will carry the title of Dixon Fellow and will join a community of current and former UO graduate students who have combined learning and innovation.

The activities that comprise the fellowship experience should help enhance the career possibilities of students in areas such as industry, business and the non-profit sector, while remaining integral to the applicant’s doctoral research. Furthermore, the experience gained during the fellowship would ideally extend beyond the value to the individual student by enriching the student’s academic department, lab, research center, or other UO unit by fostering broader connections and engagement between the unit and the community of related companies, agencies, non-profits, national laboratories, etc.

Deadline: Friday, May 13, 2016. Click here to apply.

Award Information:

Up to four awards will be made. Each fellowship carries an award of $14,000 and each awardee will be appointed as a research GTF (graduate research fellow) by the academic department at .40 FTE or greater for the academic year. In addition, recipients will receive a GTF tuition waiver, all but $61 of the mandatory fees, and all but 5% of the health insurance premium for fall, winter, and spring terms to support that appointment. The $14,000 may, in full or in part, be used toward specific activities tied to the innovative career development experience or may be put, in full or in part, toward GTF salary. The department (or research center/institute or school/college) is expected to obtain and provide funding to ensure that the total salary is equal to what that student would receive at the GTF level III, as the award recipient will have been advanced to candidacy by the time the award period commences. This departmental support, and how the $14,000 will be applied, needs to be outlined in the recommendation letter.

All research GTFs are required to be enrolled full-time (9-16 credits) toward the degree. During the academic year, award recipients will be required to be enrolled in research or internship credits (three or more) commensurate with the time spent on award-supported experience.

To apply, students must complete and submit:

1. An Individualized Development Plan (IDP). More information and templates can be found at https://gradschool.uoregon.edu/faculty/idp.
2. A summary of the proposed innovative experience which addresses how it complements your academic research and goals; and how it will contribute to your career development. Be specific about the arrangement worked out with the sponsoring organization and when this experience will occur, the kinds of expected activities involved during and after the experience, and how this opportunity enhances your career possibilities. Please describe any related activities in which you will be engaging, before and/or after the experience that complement the internship. The strongest applications are those that also address how your innovative experience could benefit and enrich the department or the university through the sharing of expertise and learning gained through the beyond-the-academy experience. (Summary should not exceed 1,500 words, nor exceed three pages.)
3. A CV or resume

Students must also acquire (to be submitted by the academic department):

1. Academic advisor letter of recommendation
2. External mentor letter of recommendation

To learn more about the award, including requirements for recipients, visit the graduate school’s website.