Innovation Awards

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Each year the Vice President for Research (VPR) seeks to identify and reward members of the university community that have made outstanding research, creative, and other scholarly contributions. These awards celebrate the outstanding scholarly careers of our most productive and influential faculty members in the areas of basic research, applied research, creative activities, lifetime achievement, and academic partnerships. Innovation Awards in various categories are open to tenured and non-tenured faculty, staff, graduate students, and external entities.
These are honors bestowed on individuals with significant research or creative careers that stand out from the generally impressive work of their colleagues. Faculty awards include a medallion to be worn at commencements.

List of Previous Innovation Award Recipients

Solicitation of Awards

The Vice President for Research is soliciting nominations of individuals for each Innovation Award category as described below. We are requesting the campus community to make recommendations for awards, which will then be reviewed by the Research Advisory Council Awards Committee and approved by the nominee’s respective Dean and Vice President for Research. Self-nominations are not permitted. Nominations will be accepted till February 23rd.

Nomination Form

Process for Applicant and Winner Selection

The VPR office will send each nominee a request for data to support their nomination. An individual can decline the nomination. If an individual elects to submit his/her name, their curriculum vitae and one-page narrative must be submitted to Kim%20Wingo%2C by March 15th. The Research Advisory Council Awards Committee will evaluate applications, and final selections will be approved by the nominees respective Dean and Vice President for Research.

Categories of Awards:

Basic Research Award - The Basic Research Award honors a faculty member who has conducted systematic research to advance general knowledge, understand phenomena or build theories through her/his research and built the rubric of his/her research. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.
Applied Research Award - The Applied Research Award honors a faculty member who has employed the results of basic research to solve specific scientific or social problems or to serve pragmatic purposes such as the practical implementation of research, or to suggest system or policy changes in his/her research area. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.
Creative Research Award - The Creative Research Award honors a faculty member who has achieved a high degree of accomplishment in one or more areas of creative work at The University of Southern Mississippi. Discipline areas include, but are not necessarily limited to, creative writing, dance, theater, music, visual arts, film, radio, broadcast, or creative activities related to the sciences. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.
Lifetime Reserach Award - The Lifetime Research Award honors a senior faculty member whose scholarly or creative career has made an extraordinary and significant impact on their discipline, as perceived not only by our university's faculty community, but also by other members of that profession. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.
Academic Partnership Award - The Academic Partnership Award honors a faculty member who has pioneered or sustained innovative partnerships between The University of Southern Mississippi and other institutions or groups (including but not necessarily limited to businesses, state and federal agencies, professional associations, community groups or nonprofit organizations). Nominees should demonstrate the primacy of their role in establishing and maintaining academic partnerships for the University.
Multidisciplinary Award - The Multidisciplinary Awards honors a faculty member who is a pioneer in cross-disciplinary research collaboration to identify innovative solutions or intellectual accomplishments that extend beyond their field. Nominees should demonstrate high levels of external recognition.
Research Advocate Award - The Research Advocate Award honors an administrator or staff member who has made significant contributions to fostering research at The University of Southern Mississippi. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of internal recognition.
Graduate Student Reserach Award - The Graduate Student Research Award recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated exemplary scholarly or creative achievement. Graduate students must be nominated by a faculty member. Documentation of outstanding accomplishment is required from each nominee.

Eligibility Requirements

Faculty Awards — Basic Research, Applied Research, Creative Activities, Academic Partnerships, Multidisciplinary, and Lifetime Research

A faculty member in his/her college who represents the highest standards in research or creative activities
Tenure track and non-tenure track faculty are eligible for faculty awards
Faculty nominees must be full-time employees of the university
Previous Innovation Award winners are ineligible for five years from the time of the previous award, with the exception of the Lifetime Achievement Award. An individual is eligible to win the Lifetime Achievement Award only once.

Graduate Student Research Award

A full-time graduate student in his/her college who represents the highest standards of research or creative activity
Must be nominated by a faculty member or supervising staff.
Undergraduate students are ineligible

Research Advocate Award

An administrator or staff member in his/her college who has made significant contributions to fostering research at the university
Students are ineligible

Faculty members are encouraged to submit the names of other faculty, administrators, staff, students, or external entities via the Nomination Form. Faculty who consider themselves worthy of nomination may request nomination by an associate or peer who understands the value of their particular contribution to the University. Self-nomination is not allowed.