The Price Lab provides support to Penn faculty and students for digital humanities projects that are in the early stages of development or are already underway but in need of retooling. We are also available to help advise DH researchers on how to structure their projects soundly, identify existing digital tools and resources, coordinate with librarians and technology specialists on campus, estimate project costs and duration, and prepare effective grant proposals.

With support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, modest funding is available for small projects. Higher level support is also available for one or two projects of larger scope with well-defined goals and time frames. We do not generally support projects for more than two years. To apply for support, follow the instructions on the right. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Price Lab staff and partners are always happy to advise on research projects and assist you prepare an application. Please feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation whether you have a fully formed proposal or just the beginning of an idea. We have a helpful list of preliminary questions pertaining to digital research that we will go through with you.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE to apply for Project Support?

Applicants may be either faculty, staff or students from the School of Arts & Sciences. Faculty from other schools at Penn are also encouraged to apply, provided their project will involve some collaboration with faculty or students in SAS.  Student applicants must name a faculty advisor or collaborator on the project, and include that faculty member's contact information and CV as part of the application.

WHAT KINDS OF PROJECTS will the Price Lab support?

We support research in any of the major strands of digital humanities, including text mining, textual editing, data curation, new media and gaming studies, GIS mapping and other data visualization techniques, image analysis, and sound studies. We understand digital humanities to be a diffuse and constantly evolving set of practices with no clear boundaries and we are prepared to consider all applications on their merits and to provide feedback in every case. To see examples of projects we support, visit the Projects At Price Lab page.

WHAT KINDS OF SUPPORT can the Price Lab provide?

Our team of academic technology specialists and members of our Executive Board will meet with you to:

• Identify the people and resources at Penn best positioned to contribute to your project
;
• Appoint a project manager and assemble a support team to ensure smooth progress of your research
;
• Identify relevant digital humanities tools and resources on campus and beyond, as well as related research projects already underway
;
• Help you to formulate research questions appropriate to digital humanities scholarship
;
• Advise you on the various options and best practices for documenting your work and for managing, storing, and disseminating the data produced by your research
;
• Suggest possible funding sources and offer advice on how to write a successful grant proposal
.

FUNDING

We can provide small planning grants of up to $5,000 to cover such costs as development of a quick prototype or proof-of-concept, or to offset travel expenses for planning meetings with co-investigators or other project collaborators outside of Penn. We can offer a higher level of funding to cover such costs as research assistants or outside consultants for two or three larger-scale projects per year. The kinds of expenses we typically cover include research assistants, software licenses, server space, programming support, and costs associated with data gathering.  

NOTE: We do not generally purchase laptops, workstations, or other hardware for individual researchers. We do cover travel expenses, provided the travel is done at a suitable stage in the life of the project.