Applications are now open for the Rice Design Alliance Houston Design Research Grant. The grant is open nationally to university students and faculty looking to work on research projects that contribute to the improvement of Houston’s urban environment, with a submission deadline of April 15.
The goal of the grant is to promote research on Houston-specific urban conditions that need urgent attention and that can make a significant contribution to the Houston community through quality design-thinking.
Areas of study should have a critical focus on Houston’s built environment, its history, present condition, and future development. While addressing local conditions of Houston and its region, the proposals should be able to provide context and draw connections with other cities that share similar conditions or global trends in urbanism, design, and architectural thinking.
The Houston Design Research Grant will provide seed funds in the amount of $6,000 for research to a proposal of quality that demonstrates potential to catalyze a Houston-based design project. In addition to funding aid, the winning proposal from each category (Student and Faculty) will be published in Cite magazine, and the winners will present their projects at a lunchtime lecture at Rice Architecture.
Submitted applications will be reviewed by a jury of five to seven members comprised of a diverse mix of individuals representing the community, academia, city governance, and local and international experts and practitioners in the fields connected to architecture, design, and engineering.
Grantees from each of the two categories will be announced at the end of April, during the annual Rice Architecture Awards Ceremony.
The Houston Design Research Grant is made possible thanks to a generous gift from The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (“Mitsui USA”).
Established in 1987, The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation currently supports more than 50 initiatives across the US in the areas of Education, Community Welfare, Arts and Culture, and Employee Matching and Volunteerism.
For more information and to access the grant application form, visit: https://www.ricedesignalliance.org/programs/grants.