Faculty Research Grant-In-Aid and Faculty Research Stipend

							          Faculty Research Grant-In-Aid and Faculty Research Stipend Programs
                              Frequently Asked Questions


Can I apply for both a Faculty Stipend and Faculty Research Grant-In-Aid during the Feb. 1
cycle?
Yes, most faculty members who request a Faculty Stipend also request funding from the Faculty
Research Grant-In-Aid for student help, supplies, necessary travel, and other costs of projects.
The application process is the same regardless of whether you are requesting additional support
through the Research Grant-In-Aid program.

What is necessary for a complete application?
There are three essential components of a Faculty Research Grant-In-Aid and/or a Faculty
Research Stipend application-
       1. The Proposal
       2. A Unit-head Letter of Support
       3. An updated CV
These documents should be uploaded to the CSCE’s website prior to the grant cycle deadline.

Supplemental Documents-
   *If you have an established collaboration or interviewing a person or group of people, the
   Research and Development Committee would like to see a letter of commitment from this
   individual or organization. This letter can be attached to the proposal or uploaded separately
   as supplemental information of your application.

    *If you received IRB approval for your research prior to submitting your application to the
    CSCE, please upload a copy of the approval letter. (Please note: prior IRB approval is not a
    criteria for review but is necessary before CSCE funds will be released for your project).

What is the format I should use for my proposal?
Guidelines for Proposal Preparation are published on the CSCE website. Please refer to this
document for specific details of each section. Reviewers may refuse to read proposals that
violate these guidelines.

In general each proposal should contain the following sections:
    Section 1-Introductory Information
    Section 2-Project Description/Abstract
    Section 3- Significance and Impact
    Section 4- Itemized Budget and Budget Justification
    Section 5- Project Description:
        o Objective(s)
        o Background and context
        o Methods/procedures/materials
        o Timeline
        o Outcome(s)
        o Collaborations
    Section 6- Reference Cited

When is the application deadline?
The Faculty Research Grant-In-Aid Program has three submission cycles per year with deadlines
at the close of business (5:00 pm) on October 1, February 1, and April 1 of each year. The
Faculty Research Stipend Program accepts application Feb. 1. If the 1st falls on a weekend or
holiday, applications are due on the first work day following the 1st.
Can I apply for a faculty stipend and still teach?
The expectation is that faculty members will devote full time to their research activities during the
Research Stipend award period. Every effort should be made to relieve faculty of such
departmental duties as advising, recruitment and program supervision during the session in which
the award is received. A limited amount of activity is possible but not recommended.

What is the procedure for evaluating the applications?
All complete and accepted applications will be read and evaluated by the Research and
Development Committee. The Committee will assess the applications based upon the application
criteria and rank the proposals based upon quality. From this information, the Committee will
decide which proposals will be funded.

What feedback will I receive if my application is not funded?
If your proposal is considered by the Research and Development Committee but not funded, you
will receive a summary of the reviewers’ comments and suggestions to improve the proposal if
you choose to resubmit in future rounds. To receive feedback, please contact the Center for
Scholarly and Creative Excellence.

Here are some common reasons that can contribute to an application not being funded:

    o   Vague or excessive budget (doesn't have to be super-detailed, but it should be clear that
        the price of requested items is reasonable and accurate).
    o   Not following guidelines (leaving out a section, going over the page limit etc)
    o   Writing to a technical audience
    o   Over-reliance on University funding (no evidence of efforts to raise funds outside the
        university, or no explanation of why that is not possible)
    o   Use of student help for purely clerical reasons
    o   Lack of collaborator confirmation, especially when traveling to do interviews.
    o   Inappropriate expenses (capital equipment for example)

What is the timeline for the review process?
Initial Administrative Review -                                            1 day
File Conversion to PDF and Upload to Committee Blackboard Site -           1 day
Committee Evaluation -                                                     21 days
Notification and Account Creation -                                        5 days

Is there a certain quota of applications that will be granted in each college?
No, the Committee will decide, based on the merit of the applications which proposals will be
funded. Non-meritorious applications will not be funded simply because they are the only one or
one of a few applications from a college.

When do I apply to the Human Subjects Review Committee or Institutional Animal Care
and Use committee for approval?
As soon as you hear about the funding of your proposal, you should begin the process to secure
the appropriate approval. You cannot begin any research until the approval has been obtained.

How will the money be disbursed once an award is made?
The money for the student and faculty salaries will be disbursed through the university payroll
office. You should expect appropriate taxes to be levied and removed on these earnings. The
money for the supplies portion of the budget will be given via a reimbursement process.
Can I apply for research money that would be used for costs associated with my
sabbatical project?
Yes, faculty members are encouraged to apply for funding from the Faculty Research Grant-In-
Aid program to help support your scholarly and creative activities while on sabbatical. Such
grants may include support for student help, supplies, necessary travel, and other costs of
projects. Faculty salaries and travel to conferences are excluded.

Can I submit multiple grant applications during the same funding cycle?
The Committee will not consider multiple applications from the same faculty member in the same
funding category in a given round.

Why should I register my profile on COS Scholar Universe?
Along with over 1600 other universities and research institutions, GVSU has a subscription to the
Community of Science (COS) Scholar Universe (www.cos.com). This database provides direct
access to more than 1.3 million active researchers working in over 200 disciplines and 9
countries. Searches in COS Scholar Universe provide unparalleled exposure to the community
currently studying a topic of interest. Exploring this living research community expands
awareness and access to cross-disciplinary research perspectives, publications, research
methodologies, expertise, and collaborative opportunity.

The GVSU Faculty Expertise database contains profiles of GVSU faculty members and research
associates from all disciplines. Each profile includes a first-person description of creative interests
and expertise as well as biographical information. Cos scholar universe maintains these profiles
and makes them available on the web to members of the gvsu community as well as to other
member educational institutions, corporations and government agencies.

The components of COS include:

    o   Researcher profiles
    o   Funding opportunities database with by-products such as customized funding alerts for
        each researcher, and the weekly COS funding news
    o   Funded research, a collection of five funded grants databases: National Institutes of
        Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of
        Agriculture (USDA), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), and the Medical
        Research Council, UK (MRC).

Advantages of GVSU's participation in COS Scholar Universe:

    o   Members of the GVSU community can readily identify persons with requisite creative
        interests and expertise for potential collaborative or consulting relationships
    o   Universities, corporations and government agencies that are members of the COS
        Scholar Universe can identify GVSU persons and programs for potential research funding
        and collaboration
    o   The GVSU community has free access to specialized COS databases such as funding
        opportunities, the agency award databases, U.S. patents, federal register, and
        fedbizopps/commerce business daily.
    o   The COS Scholar Universe sends customized weekly funding alerts to each GVSU
        faculty member who has completed a basic expertise/funding interest profile.