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How to Apply » Information for Potential Applicants

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements are the same for all SPARC programs.


The project must be affiliated with an institution and/or organization that would otherwise be eligible for NSF support.

Generally non-US institutions and organizations are not eligible unless partnering with a US entity.

We encourage the Principal Investigator or a senior member of the technical staff to contact us for a preliminary consultation.

The SPARC program does not support projects where the type of activity is one routinely acquired through commercial providers.

Eligibility FAQs

I am a graduate student working on a dissertation/thesis project. Am I eligible to apply for an award?

Yes, graduate students may apply for an award to support their thesis or dissertation project. Graduate students should include a letter of support from their supervisor or thesis committee chair in their application. Graduate students must demonstrate that theywill be enrolled in their current graduate program for the whole period covered by the award for which they're applying.

I am an archaeologist at a non-US institution. Am I eligible to apply for an award?

Because SPARC is funded by the National Science Foundation, you are only eligible for an award if you are eligible to otherwise receive NSF support. Archaeologists at non-US institutions generally must apply through a US-based partner.

I want to apply for a Fieldwork, Data & Analytics or Publication award, but my project will only go forward if I receive funding from a pending grant application. What should I do?

Apply for the SPARC Award, and note in your application:

  • the name of the organization to which you have submitted a related application.
  • the date by which you expect to be notified about the success of the related award.

If you receive a SPARC award to support your work, but cannot take it up because a related grant application was not successful, you may defer once.

What do SPARC awards fund? Do they cover the cost of the whole research project, and salary for myself and other project members? Do I need to pursue other funding sources?

Funding for SPARC awards depends on the project type (see below, Support Overview) and operates within our limits for NSF funding.

Advice and knowledge transfer is covered entirely by SPARC.

For the typical SPARC-supported research project (e.g. Fieldwork, Data & Analytics, and Archiving and Publication awards), SPARC does covers the cost of equipment use, staff fieldwork time (for Fieldwork grants), staff travel to the research site (for Fieldwork grants), staff processing time (for all SPARC awards), and staff time for writing a project report (for Fieldwork and Analytics grants). Additional staff time may be available to allow for collaborative publication writing. SPARC does not cover non-SPARC salaries, travel for non-SPARC staff, in-field transportation, equipment, software, or imagery purchases for the project, laboratory analyses, and other project-related expenses.

Collaborative research projects involve additional cost-share by the project director.

See “Support Overview” for further details.

Total Available Support

SPARC provides research staff time within the limits of its current NSF funding.

Support Overview

How Support is Allocated

Proposals are ranked based on Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts by two reviewers from the SPARC advisory panel and are assessed by the SPARC Program Directors. All project PI’s should consult with SPARC staff at sparc@cast.uark.edu prior to submitting a proposal.

Application Questions for Fieldwork Applications:

Project Information
  • General Application Information: Title, Region, Project Dates, & Locations
  • PI Information: Name, Institution, & NSF Formatted CV (pdf) - up to four
Project Description
  • Describe the Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts of the Project (Text or pdf)
  • What spatial archaeometric data acquisitions are being proposed and how will this fieldwork contribute to achieving the scientific goals of the project?
    Please be sure to address the techniques to be used, planned approaches to data processing and analysis, and why these methods are well suited to the project. If you are uncertain about technical points, please consult with SPARC staff before completing this part of the application. (Text or PDF)
Additional Information
  • Have all required permissions for the proposed project already been secured?
  • What are the sources of funding for the project? If pending grants are not awarded, are there alternative plans?
  • What resources are available to support the project beyond the data acquisition period?
  • Are there weather-related or seasonal constraints on the successful execution of the proposed fieldwork?
  • List the equipment you are requesting for your fieldwork project. If you are uncertain about technical points, please consult with SPARC staff.
  • Describe any plans for related fieldwork which would be performed in parallel with the proposed project.
  • If the project's ideal dates are unavailable, are there alternative dates that would be acceptable?
  • Please describe any other constraints or requirements.
Other Useful Comments
  • Knowledge about CAST-archaeometry opportunities from?
  • Please describe the training benefits of the proposed project for the project's team.
  • If this project would take place in the context of a field school, briefly describe the potential training benefits for field school participants.
  • If possible, please list 2 scientific reviewers that CAST may contact.
Appendices
  • Upload Maximum 5 pages of additional figures or data. (PDF only)
  • Works Cited

Application Questions for Data & Analytics Applications:

Project Information
  • General Application Information: Title, Region, Project Dates, & Locations
  • PI Information: Name, Institution, & NSF Formatted CV (pdf) - up to four
Project Description
  • Describe the Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts of the Project (Text or pdf)
  • What spatial archaeometric analyses are being proposed and how these will contribute to achieving the scientific goals of the project?
    Please be sure to address the techniques to be used, planned approaches to data processing and analysis, and why these methods are well suited to the project. If you are uncertain about technical points, please consult with SPARC staff before completing this part of the application. (Text or PDF)
Additional Information
  • Have all required permissions for the proposed project already been secured?
  • What are the sources of funding for the project? If pending grants are not awarded, are there alternative plans?
  • What, if any, resources are available to support the project beyond the analysis phase?
  • Please note any special software requirements for this project, if known. If you are uncertain about technical points, please consult with SPARC staff.
  • What, if any, are the scheduling constraints for this analytical project?
  • Please describe any other constraints or requirements.
Other Useful Comments
  • Knowledge about CAST-archaeometry opportunities from?
  • Please describe the training benefits of the proposed project for the project's team.
  • If possible, please list 2 scientific reviewers that CAST may contact.
Appendices
  • Upload Maximum 5 pages of additional figures or data. (PDF only)
  • Works Cited

Application Questions for Archival & Publication Support Applications:

Project Information
  • General Application Information: Title, Region, Project Dates, & Locations
  • PI Information: Name, Institution, & NSF Formatted CV (pdf) - up to four
Project Description
  • Describe the Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts of the Project (Text or pdf)
  • What innovative publication or archiving activities are being proposed and how will this contribute to the scientific goals of the project? (Text or pdf)
Additional Information
  • Have all required permissions for the proposed project already been secured?
  • What are the sources of funding for the project? If pending grants are not awarded, are there alternative plans?
  • List the resources, e.g. hardware and software, that are required for the project. If you are uncertain about technical points, please consult with SPARC staff.
  • What, if any, are the scheduling constraints for this analytical project?
  • Please describe any other constraints or requirements.
Other Useful Comments
  • Knowledge about CAST-archaeometry opportunities from?
  • Please describe the training benefits of the proposed project for the project's team.
  • Upload Maximum 5 pages of additional figures or data. (PDF only)
  • Works Cited

*All questions primarily accept text input unless stated otherwise.