|
To:
Deans, Directors, Department Heads/Chairs and Faculty
From: R. Timothy Mulcahy,
Vice President for Research
Subject: Development
of Intercollegiate Research Proposals and Networks
Objectives: To develop preliminary networks
of interdisciplinary or interscholastic teams, to increase faculty
members knowledge of sponsors' interdisciplinary and strategic funding
directions, and to enable faculty members to respond more quickly
and collaboratively to emerging directions in research.
General eligibility:
All faculty members and others otherwise eligible to serve as principal
investigators. Matching or cost sharing by collegiate units may
be required.
Deadline: Applications
accepted throughout the year.
These funds will be distributed through a competitive peer review
process.
Awards will be made in 4 categories:
(click to jump to description)
Application Process: Applications, which will be reviewed by an
internal committee within two to four weeks of receipt, should summarize the plans, participants, and anticipated
benefits, and address specific items for the type of request being made.
Please send your original application and TWO copies to:
The Office of the Vice President for Research
Attn: Peggy Sundermeyer
420 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Reporting: At the end of grant period, PIs should submit a brief report, 1-2 pages, describing activities, participants, outcomes, specifically grant applications made or in process, and ideas for further development (or discontinuation) of the activity. The report should also include a summary of expenditures.
Questions? Contact Peggy Sundermeyer at sunde005@umn.edu or 612-626-7850.
Travel support
Awards up to $1500 will be made to cover cost of travel to meetings
or briefings hosted by a funding agency to introduce and discuss
new initiatives or to explore criteria for development of future
Request For Proposals, or to meetings of multi-institutional consortia
exploring interdisciplinary approaches.
Expenses can include airfare, conference fees, hotels and other
cost associated with travel.
Evaluation criteria include breadth of disciplines involved and
potential for future funding opportunities.
Proposal should be not be more than two pages and include:
- Explanation of the significance of the meeting relative to
the potential for future interdisciplinary funding;
- Evidence of support from faculty members in other disciplines;
- A proposed budget; and
- A plan to share with colleagues the information and ideas gleamed
from attendance.
back to top
Preliminary development of collaborative
teams or networks
Successful collaborations require more than great ideas. They require
time and attention to foster the cooperative spirit and engage in
exploration of the research question. Collaboration often starts
by bringing colleagues together for an exchange of ideas and continues
through participation in active discussion and development of a
grant application. Participation by members of interested communities
and organizations outside the University is strongly encouraged.
Awards up to $10,000 will be made to foster the development of intercollegiate
or multi-institutional networks that demonstrate potential for securing
external funding.
Allowable expenses include costs for meeting space, staff support
to arrange for meetings and materials, web, teleconference and other
costs of ongoing communication, or support for graduate assistants
to conduct preliminary research. Faculty salaries, and general use
equipment or supplies including computers, books, and subscriptions
are not allowable.
Evaluation criteria include breadth of disciplines and communities
involved, originality and quality of the approach, and potential
for future funding opportunities.
Proposal should be not be more than four pages and must include:
- Explanation of the significance of the preliminary research
topic relative to the potential for future interdisciplinary funding;
- Evidence of interest from non-traditional fields for collaboration
from within the University of Minnesota or another university,
as well as community partnerships;
- A plan to maintain interest and active discussion among the
team or network;
- A preliminary approach for a grant application and likely sources
for funding; and
- A proposed budget, identifying support from college(s) and/or
community partner(s).
back to top
Support for colloquia or meetings
Awards up to $2000 will be made to bring interdisciplinary colloquia
or conferences to campus. These conferences should facilitate the
exchange of ideas among faculty and other collaborators interested
in developing or expanding connections or networks. Potential collaborations
should be directed toward identifying knowledge gaps that could
be better addressed through broad interdisciplinary collaboration.
Emphasis should be on discussion, learning the concepts and perspectives
of different fields, and exploring grant application opportunities.
Ideally the conference would result in a plan of action, including
one or more ideas for grant applications.
Allowable expenses include staff support to help with scheduling
and arrangements, rental of meeting rooms, parking for visitors
to campus, and travel, meals, and accommodation for guest speakers.
Faculty salaries should not be included and may not be considered
as part of the matching contributions. However, similar personnel
costs of community partners participating actively in the planning
(not just attendance) may be considered as contributed effort, or
in-kind contributions.
Evaluation criteria include breadth of disciplines and communities
involved, originality and quality of the approach, and potential
for future funding opportunities.
Proposal should be not be more than three pages and include:
- Explanation of the significance of the meeting relative to
the potential for future interdisciplinary funding;
- Evidence of support from community partners and faculty members
at other universities; and
- A proposed budget.
back to top
Administrative support to facilitate
submission of large, multi-investigator,
multi-collegiate proposals
There is a high cost associated with developing and assembling multi-investigator,
multi-institutional grant applications. The cost is measured in
additional paperwork, more complex coordination, and increased staff
time. In order to facilitate and provide an incentive to prepare
these types of grant applications, awards up to $2000 will be provided
to offset the administrative costs of the unit having primary responsibility
for the production and assembly. This is often, but not always,
the department or collegiate office of the principal investigator.
To be eligible for this award, the grant application must be for
a period of three or more years, have a minimum total cost of $5
million or more, and be in response to a Request for Application
or Proposal (RFA, RFP) to a broad agency announcement, or proposal
for a multi-collegiate center or multi-university project or consortium.
Proposal should not be more three pages and include:
- A brief description of the project (a draft of the abstract)
;
- A web reference or citation to the RFA or RFP (if applicable);
- The nature or complexity of the additional administrative work
or tasks involved; and
- A proposed budget.
back to top
|
