Space, structure, & discretionary funding

Obermann Center Working Groups provide space, structure, and discretionary funding for groups led by faculty that may include advanced graduate students, staff members, and community members with a shared intellectual interest. Groups have used this opportunity to explore new work and to share their own research, to organize a symposium, and to develop grant proposals. 

This program allows participants from across the campus and beyond to explore complex issues at a moment when cross-disciplinary collaboration is crucial to address shifting domains of knowledge and a rapidly changing world.

Working Groups:

• have one or two co-directors; one must be a UI faculty member (open to all tracks)
• attend an orientation meeting in the fall
• meet a minimum of once a month throughout the academic year
• must provide a list of participating members to the Obermann Center
• provide a one-page report on their activities at the end of the academic year
• can apply for up to $500 per year (during a group's first 3 years) to support their activities

Please note: Funds cannot be used for food, and they must be used by the end of the spring semester. In addition, Working Group (co-)directors may (co-)direct only one Obermann Working Group per year.

Changes for 2025–26: 

Starting in Spring 2025, we will be asking both new applicants and established group directors to articulate a three-year plan for their Working Group as part of their (re)application. We will then award 3 years of funding ($500 per year) to twelve Working Groups, who will be invited during their third year to apply for an additional two years of funding ($1,000 per year). Once a group convenes for 5 years, they can register to continue using the Obermann Working Group title and other resources such as space and office support, but will no longer receive funding. (If you are applying as a continuing group and your application is approved, your group will enter its first year of three funded years.) We believe that this change will help colleagues establish solid intellectual foundations for their projects while also allowing for the creation of new groups which may otherwise not have access to our support.    

We hope that increased attention to project life cycles will allow groups to better manage their projects and achieve their objectives, whether they be reading and writing new scholarship, applying for grants, organizing conferences, establishing networks, or creating new courses.

How to organize a Working Group

We invite applications each spring for the following academic year. One of the directors must be a faculty member, and you should indicate that at least six people have expressed interest in participating. View instructions on how to apply.

If you would like to join an already established Working Group, please email the group's director(s) or obermann-center@uiowa.edu.