GENERAL RESEARCH FUND (GRF)
Current Solicitation
FALL TERM 2009
Proposal Deadline: Friday, October 16, 2009 **Please note: proposals must be submitted electronically. See application procedures for details. **
Award Announcement: Approximately Friday, December 11, 2009 |
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Contents
Description
Funds from the General Research
Fund (GRF) are awarded to faculty for research that is not otherwise supported
by organized or directed programs. The intent of the GRF is to enable
faculty to carry out scholarly, creative work that should lead to the
pursuit of other funding sources, or promote the development of scholarly
activities. Projects funded through the GRF could include: pilot research,
emergency funding, emerging research opportunities, new research field
or new research field for investigator, developing research laboratories,
or centrally-shared research resources.
Eligibility
Faculty with the rank of instructor
and above are eligible to serve as Principal Investigator. The Research
Office does not restrict Research Associates from serving as Principal
Investigator; however, some colleges do. Therefore, approval by the dean
of the unit must be received prior to submission of a proposal to the
program. Faculty with courtesy appointments may serve as Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)
only.
The Research Council is interested
in supporting new faculty. However, new faculty with uncommitted Research Office start-up
funds are not eligible for consideration.
Principal Investigators/Co-PIs
may receive an award from the GRF only one time in a 24-month period.
Principal investigators/Co-PIs who reapply after the 24-month period are only
eligible if the required final report from the previous
award(s) was submitted. (see Other Requirements)
Award Information
Maximum award is $10,000. The Research Office has budgeted approximately $50,000 for the Fall 2009 solicitation.
Applicants will be notified
via email of award decisions by the announcement
date listed at the top of this page. For a detailed list of prior awards
see OSU Incentive Programs: Funded
Proposals.
If a faculty member submits
two proposals simultaneously, as Principal Investigator on one proposal
and Co-Principal Investigator on another, and both proposals are ranked
high enough for funding, then only the proposal with that faculty member
as Co-Principal Investigator would receive funding, so as not to disadvantage
other investigators.
Matching Funds
None required for this program.
Use of Funds
Budget Items ELIGIBLE for
support
- Student hourly wages (Graduate students are required to submit
a statement that this work is not a part of a thesis.)
- Salaries/wages for research support personnel (e.g., technicians,
postdocs, clerical)
- Travel to conduct research or visit libraries/archives
- Laboratory animal care
- Equipment
- Supplies
- Services
Budget Items NOT ELIGIBLE
for support
- Investigator salaries
- Faculty release time
- Graduate assistantships
- Graduate tuition
- Bridging funds
- Travel to meetings/conferences (includes related fees, lodging and travel expenses)
- Expenses related to curriculum development, administration, instruction
or training
Application Procedure
The GRF application form is available in
MS Word format. If you are unable to access this form, contact
the Research Office at 541-737-8390.
- Download the MS Word file and complete all sections of the application form.
- Complete items 1-8 within the space provided.
- Item 9, Regulatory Compliance: Due to the regulatory compliance requirements inherent in research it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) to submit the proper forms and receive approval from the appropriate compliance committee(s) PRIOR to the initiation of their research with sufficient time to allow for the review process. The review process could require 4-8 weeks.
- Documentation of approval from the appropriate compliance committee(s) MUST be received in the Research Office, Incentive Programs before the award funds will be transferred.
- Include the following supporting documentation
for a complete proposal packet.
- Items 11-12
- Items 13-14, limit to approximately 200 words each to provide the information requested.
- Item 15, limit to 5 additional pages (double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins) to provide the information requested.
- Item 16, limit resume to 5 pages for Principal Investigator
and 2 pages for each Co-Principal Investigator.
- Item 17, use the layout format provided when detailing major
budget categories. Itemize and justify the requested budget.
- Item 18, "letters of endorsement" from individuals
(non Co-PIs) who are in unique positions to comment on
the merit of the proposal (optional).
- Obtain signatures from the Principal Investigator, Department Head/Chair and College Dean (required on the original copy).
- Submit the completed proposal packet.
- Email the completed PDF or MS Word file with supporting documentation (no signatures required) to debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu by 5:00 P.M. by the deadline date.
- Print 1 original copy of the complete proposal packet with signatures and deliver to the Research Office, A312 Kerr Administration Building by 5:00 P.M. by the deadline date.
Incomplete proposal packets will not be considered for funding.
Deadlines
All application materials, electronic and printed copy (including
supporting documentation), must be received in the Research Office,
A312 Kerr Administration Building, by the deadline indicated at the top of this page.
Review Procedure
The Research Office reviews
all proposals for eligibility. Those requests that qualify are given to
the Research Council for competitive review and evaluation. The Research
Council will provide a prioritized list of recommendations for funding
to the Vice President for Research, based on the quality of the proposals
as reflected in the review criteria. The Vice President for Research will
make award decisions based on recommendations and available funds.
Review Criteria
The Research
Council is composed of faculty members appointed by the Faculty
Senate Executive Committee who represent the diversity of the University's
research enterprise. Proposals that describe the science and equipment
needs to this general audience, providing clear explanations of
the purpose, importance and methodologies of the proposed topic, and avoiding
the use of jargon and unexplained acronyms, will fare better than those
written to reviewers from a highly focused discipline perspective.
The Research Council evaluates
each proposal using the following criteria: (Not in Order of Importance)
Scholarly Merit
- Does the proposal provide a compelling argument for the research?
- Will the proposed work significantly expand or diversify the
investigator's artistic or scholarly base?
- Does the proposed project represent a significant contribution
to the investigator's field of study? If so, how?
- Does the proposal have the potential to significantly affect areas outside of the investigator's field?
- Is there a probability of publication or public dissemination?
- Who is the audience for the proposed work, and why will they
value it?
Nature of Proposal
- Does the proposal provide a clear statement of overall project
objectives?
- Are the proposed methodologies appropriate and accurate?
- Does the proposal provide clear and specific budget information? (for example, price quotes for specific models or quotes for
repair)
- What is the likelihood of definitive results and conclusions?
- Is the text of the proposal well-written?
- Is the requested personal data well-prepared?
Leverage
- Will the project lead to further scholarly activity?
- Does it improve chances for funding from existing sources?
- Does the project offer opportunities for funding from new sources?
- Does it allow researchers to change directions towards work that
is likely to be funded?
- Does the project help build research networks with potential
industrial clients?
Reporting
- If the investigator(s) has received previous funding from the Research Office, have all required reports been appropriately completed? (see Other Requirements)
Other Considerations
- Is the investigator a new faculty member, or faculty trying to
make a significant shift in their research focus?
- Does the proposed work have real-world significance?
- Is there
a need for personal encouragement?
- Does the investigator's college/department have limited research
support?
- Does the project have local relevance?
- Is the project designed to help the investigator network more
broadly within their field?
- Are there contributions from other sources?
- Is the timeline and
budget proposed feasible?
Other Requirements
From investigators receiving
awards, a final report will be due 18 months after initiation of the project.
The final report should contain the following information:
- Header: including Award Information (type, date of award, amount of award), Proposal Title/Instrument, PI, Co-PIs, Department.
- A brief summary of the hypothesis or goals and the scholarly work/activities performed using the GRF support.
- A brief summary of any additional scholarly activities the GRF funding made possible for the investigator(s).
- How and/or on what were the GRF funds expended?
- List all external funding requests (i.e. proposals) that have been developed and submitted as a result of the GRF Funding.
Please submit the report electronically to Debbie Delmore, Coordinator of Special Programs at debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu.
Recipients who fail to submit the required report will be ineligible to receive future funding from the Research Office Incentive Programs.
For
More Information
Contact Debbie Delmore, Research Office at: | debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu | 541-737-8390
