The Digital Scholarship Lab is excited to open the Call for Proposals for the 2023-2024 Incubator Program. Proposals will be accepted through Thursday, September 28th, 2023. Apply now!

Do you have a project idea that you can't seem to get off the ground? Do you need access to specific technologies or consultations with experts? Are you past the prototype phase of your project and need help getting to the next step? Do you have an idea for a grant proposal for a digital scholarship project? Are you looking for a community that will give you feedback and support as your project grows? The Digital Scholarship Lab Incubator program supports transformative research projects at these critical junctures and shepherds them to the next phase. 

Selected participants will form a cohort, learning with and from one another, as well as from librarians and experts from around the MSU campus. The Project Incubator begins with four months of workshops. During the fall semester selected project teams will meet bi-weekly, alternating between presentations from facilitators on planning, sustaining, and developing digital scholarship projects and workshop sessions where participants apply the material to their projects and get feedback from their peers. In the spring, the Incubator transitions to bi-weekly co-working sessions in which participants make progress on their goals and consult with digital scholarship experts.  

The DSL Project Incubator Program is open to projects led by Michigan State University faculty, specialists, staff, and/or graduate students. Proposals from individuals or teams are equally welcome, and all team members are encouraged to participate in workshops and co-working sessions. 

Benefits of the Incubator program include:

• Guidance using a project lifecycle management framework that includes planning, defining roles on, delivering, and closing your project 
• Specific advice on applying workshop materials and concepts to your project 
• Access to the DSL Extension, including co-working rooms, high performance computers, and specialized equipment 
• Coordinated access to Library colleagues with relevant expertise: we will facilitate lab and library colleagues’ inclusion on project teams, subject to their availability and interest  

Digital scholarship projects are more likely to be accepted if they meet the following criteria:

1. Early-stage or transitional/transitioning projects, especially those without grant funding, and/or projects with a completed prototype that need help moving to their next step 
2. Projects that leverage digital tools and platforms available in the lab or across MSU and that also rely to a significant extent on lab staff or librarian expertise 

While the Incubator hopes to meet in person in the Digital Scholarship Lab Extension as much as possible, we will work with all cohort members to ensure their safety and comfort during the Incubator.

Proposals must be submitted by the end of the day Thursday, September 28th, 2023. All applicants will be notified by Thursday, October 5th, 2023.

Apply Now

(Proposal form questions available here.)

Information Sessions 

The Incubator team will host two information sessions to give potential applicants the opportunity to learn more about the program. 

• Thursday September 14th, 4:00-5:00pm 
• Monday, September 25th, 12:00-1:00pm 

Info session will be held in hybrid format:

• In-person: Digital Scholarship Lab Project Room J 
• Zoom link (MSU login required): https://msu.zoom.us/j/99856899444 

Further questions about the Project Incubator may be directed to the facilitators, Justin Wadland (wadlandj[at]msu[dot]edu) and Kate Topham (tophamka[at]msu[dot]edu).