Projects are selected based on an assessment by the CARSS Steering Committee and staff, often supplemented by input sought from colleagues close to the topic and problem area in a given prospectus. Key selection criteria include:

• The problems and dilemmas being addressed are compelling in terms of their impact on society, communities, and/or individuals.

• The project has the potential to advance foundational knowledge and to link that advance to policy and practice solutions and/or to evolve new fields at the boundaries of existing social science and other disciplines.

• The project draws upon the extraordinary resources and infrastructure of the University of Michigan without duplicating or competing with existing capacities.

• The project has the potential to attract and retain the interest and active involvement of a diverse range of expertise and talent, often involving others from around the country and the world; while projects may draw principal leadership from elsewhere, Michigan faculty must comprise the core of each project.

• The project is strong in terms of leadership, participation, and collaborative strategies, demonstrating early evidence of common cause and mutual obligation to making the project succeed.

• The project has the potential for attracting external funding over the long term, critically at the point when the CARSS role of project development or incubation is completed.