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News » Announcement

Call for Proposals 2026

Digital Humanities Seed Funding for Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration 2026/27

The DHI (Digital Humanities Initiative) invites faculty members in the Division of Humanities and the Division of Social Science to apply for a further round of Digital Humanities Seed Funding to develop projects in the Academic Year 2026/27.

1. Goals

The DH Seed Funding scheme has two goals:

  • Build robust project foundations that can facilitate subsequent applications for external grants, especially the Research Grants Council (RGC) General Research Fund (GRF) scheme. 
  • Lead, mentor, and inspire students to explore interdisciplinary boundaries and acquire emerging technical methods via active project participation, as a vital form of experiential learning. 

To achieve these goals, the scheme will support faculty members who either launch new projects in the digital humanities or introduce substantial, innovative DH methodologies into their ongoing research. 

2. Scope and Focus

  • A project’s scale should be moderate and focusing on developing tangible digital outcomes such as databases, data visualizations, digital exhibitions, spatial storytelling, or custom applications.
  • Funding can only be spent on hiring and training student assistants. 
  • Funding is not intended for the digital preservation of completed research projects, but for active, ongoing digital initiatives.

Please refer to the previously completed DH Seed Funding projects for more insights: Digital Humanities Seed Funding Projects.

3. Project Tracks and Timeline

4. Proposal Submission

Deadline: 1st August 2026. Results to be announced before 1 Sept 2026.

5. Student Recruitment and Team Formation

The Seed Funding Scheme aims to attract students from diverse disciplines to contribute and grow with digital humanities projects, such as computer engineering and other programs outside the humanities.

  • Each project can hire 1-2 UG or PG student assistants, with each student working no more than 10 hours per week.
  • The DH team can help Project PIs to form a project team with advice and some logistical support.

6. Project Outcomes Display

a. Interactive Deliverable: A public-facing digital outcome (e.g., website, visualization, database, application, or other prototype) hosted by the University Library and open to the public. Grantees may also create and maintain other openly accessible deliverables formats.

b. Student Reflections: Brief narratives or case studies by student assistants, describing their experiential learning journey: intellectual growth, technical skill development, and joys and challenges along the way.

c. Knowledge Sharing: A project presentation in the Library’s “Taste of Digital Scholarship” workshop series to share research journeys and outcomes with the wider university community.

7. Future External Funding Application

During the Summer term of 2027, the Seed Funding project PIs are welcome to consult the DH Team for digital support or assistance to prepare further funding applications from the Research Grants Council (RGC), targeted to be submitted in early Fall term of 2027.

8. Selection Criteria

A joint review by HUMA and Library will select 2-3 DH projects for 2026/27 cycle based on:

  • Readiness: Data and research materials are rigorous to develop digital projects.
  • Feasibility: Timeline, requirements, and digital methodologies are feasible under the current Seed Funding Scheme.
  • Potential for External Funding: Upon completion, the proposed project outcomes will make future proposals for RGC highly competitive.

9. Roles and Responsibilities

The Principal Investigator is responsible for assigning tasks to the student assistants and ensures they provide bi-weekly progress updates and that their timesheets are submitted by due dates. Upon project completion, the PI must submit a final report outlining the project’s achievements and authorize the Library to showcase the outcomes online and on site. The project is expected to yield some deliverables and student reflections to be showcased on the University website.  

Bi-weekly meetings with the students hosted by the PI are highly encouraged, as it helps the DH Team better facilitate the project’s needs. 

The DH Team assists the project as needed, including website development, publicity, partnership and networking opportunities, training recruited students, etc.  

Dr Steve MA (HUMA) and Yifan WANG (Library) coordinate the tailored technical and project support for DHI. 

10. Contact Us

If you have questions, need help or want to discuss your proposal ideas, contact Dr. Steve MA (HUMA) and Yifan Wang (Library).

If you have other thoughts on dataspace, digital preservation, visualization, and other digital scholarship support options from Library, please email Yifan Wang (Library).