BABSON COLLEGE FACULTY RESEARCH FUND INTERNAL FUNDING APPLICATION PACKET REVISED NOVEMBER 2017 PREFACE 2 ELIGIBILITY 2 POLICIES 3 FUNDING CRITERIA 3 DEADLINES 4 ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS 4 RESPONSIBILITIES BEFORE AND AFTER APPROVAL 5 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 6
PREFACE Babson College s internal research funding bodies encourage and support a variety of research activities and thought leadership. Internal funding stimulates and supports the scholarly development of Babson College faculty members. In turn, such intellectual vitality increases the public visibility and reputation of the College. The College, through the internal funding bodies, of which the Babson College Faculty Research Fund (BFRF) is one, provides financial support and release time for meritorious scholarly projects of many kinds. Through a competitive process, the BFRF allocates available funds on the basis of its committee s judgment as to which project proposals have the most promise of advancing the following objectives: to sustain, enhance, and renew the intellectual vitality of faculty by supporting the building of intellectual capital through meritorious research; and to increase the public visibility and academic reputation of the College and its faculty, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The BFRF does not intend that the application process to be a bureaucratic burden. Certain guidelines are necessary, however, to ensure that proposals for funding and their ensuing projects are brought to completion. By outlining the application of policies, procedures, and guidelines, this document provides the information you need to apply for research support. The BFRF shall consider proposals only from ELIGIBILITY Full-time faculty members under a current contract who are tenured or tenure-track Full-time lecturers and full-time senior lecturers under a current contract Faculty on reduced course loads for research cannot apply for a course release. Faculty receiving summer support per their employment contract cannot apply for a summer stipend. Division Chairs and Endowed Chair holders are ineligible to apply for BFRF support. Babson Faculty Research scholars are allowed to apply for summer stipends only. The BFRF supports research that is designed to result in scholarly publication. By this we mean scholarship of many kinds. This could include discipline-based or pedagogical research but does not include proposals for curriculum development, case writing or textbooks. 2
POLICIES Royalties/patents/copyrights are governed by the guidelines of the College, including the College Policy on Intellectual property. The funding offices will not retroactively fund research projects. The College will not provide funds to support research that is part of degree requirements (e.g., dissertation). Work that represents an extension of completed doctoral research will be considered. The BFRF may choose to support certain aspects or phases of a proposal and not others, and to make grants conditional. These conditions may be on the applicant s obtaining supplementary funds or obtaining statistical/methodological guidance. In general, funds not used by award recipients do not roll over into the next fiscal year. Exceptions may be made, on an individual basis, for awards that are approved for a longer duration, beyond a single fiscal year. All research projects involving human subjects must have Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before distribution of award funds. FUNDING CRITERIA Internal funding is a competitive process, and we frequently receive more high quality proposals that we are able to fund. In evaluating proposals, the BFRF committee takes the following factors into account. The order given does not necessarily reflect relative weighting. Funding offices may have additional criteria; review the individual guidelines for details. Originality of Thought Most successful applications demonstrate a high level of originality of thought when approaching the proposed project. The novelty of this approach, especially as it relates to previous works in the associated field, is amply and clearly documented in these successful proposals. Proposals will be assessed on literature review and articulation of project s standing in its field. Impact The ultimate goal of disseminating scholarly research is to impact one s field, and this notion of impact is a central part of most successful applications. In the best proposals, the implications of the expected results to the academic or practitioner community are clear and convincing, and the vehicle(s) for spreading the word about the project are respected and high profile. Proposals will be assessed on literature review, articulation of project s standing in its field, and expression of project s external impact. Note that impact also considers where applicant stands in their development of a research stream. 3
Feasibility Ensuring that proposed projects can be completed within the support period is critical for promoting quality research across campus. Moreover, an awardee whose final product has not yet been accepted may not apply for additional BFRF support, and so outlining a project that is far too ambitious to be completed before the submission deadline is not in the applicant s best interest. Proposals will be evaluated on research design/methodology, work plan, expected product, type and degree of collaboration, and dissemination plans. Clarity The BFRF committee is comprised of faculty from across campus, and so a clear and convincing presentation in lay terms of the project s aims is crucial. Proposals will be judged on clarity, coherence, and intelligibility across all sections of the document. Appropriateness Proposals will be reviewed for appropriateness of funds requested for the project s scope and requirements. Proposals will be further weighed on ability to meet responsibilities with previous internally-funded research projects: completing projects in a timely manner, providing IRB approvals, and other duties effectively discharged. Note that not all successful applications excel in all categories. For instance, scholarly reviews are often highly impactful to one s field and easily compiled over the course of a semester, but lack the originality that one might find in basic research or a creative pursuit, while highly original thought may not immediately impact its field. DUE DATES AND DEADLINES The BFRF will publicize proposal due dates and final product deadlines in advance. In general, the funding offices have a once-per-year review process for applications for awards for the following academic year. Submission due dates and deadlines are determined by the College. As a general rule, applications are due by 5:00 PM on the due date. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS Decisions about awards of course releases, summer stipends, major awards, and other research expenses in excess of $2,500 will be made by the BFRF with the consent of the Dean of Faculty. Candidates will be notified as soon as possible after the submission due date. Course releases can be taken in either the Fall or Spring semesters and the due date for the final product will be the same. Summer Stipend final products are due the October following the award date. Detailed binding due dates will be specified in the award letters. 4
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE APPLICANT BEFORE APPROVAL Review all applications materials, including guidelines for making proposals, available on the BFRF website and portal. Review the guidelines of the individual funding offices. For additional advice on the preparation of proposals, contact the BFRF office. Prior to submission, consider seeking feedback on the proposal from your colleagues. The BFRF encourages this informal peer-to-peer conversation to help ensure that the project is as thoroughly developed as possible. Electronically submit the proposal, including a current curriculum vitæ, to the BFRF via the portal on the BFRF website. If research funding has been received in the past five years, be sure to list all sources. Also, clearly indicate the status of those projects, particularly with regard to external publication, in the application. Faculty members are to understand that a signature on the letter of agreement to accept funding constitutes a contract between the signatory and the College. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AWARDEE AFTER APPROVAL Note that the BFRF must approve substantive changes in proposals or budgets before they are put into effect. Contact the BFRF office at the earliest known time (but not later than the end of the contracted time period) in the event that the approved project cannot be completed on time or within the designated fiscal year. In any case, extensions cannot be guaranteed. Understand that faculty members whose projects remain incomplete beyond the completion deadline in their contract or award notification will be ineligible for further internal support until their final products have been received and approved by the BFRF. Electronically submit the final product and supporting information within the time period stated in the notification of approval to the BFRF portal. The funding office may request further information from the applicant concerning the project. The BFRF maintains archives of the reports. Participate (if available) in a lunchtime "Research Discussion" following acceptance of final products. Acknowledge BFRF support when the project appears in publication or other means of circulation, e.g. The author acknowledges the support of the Babson Faculty Research Fund for this research. 5
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR COURSE RELEASES, SUMMER STIPENDS, AND MAJOR AWARDS All information requested must be supplied in the format specified. The words "Not Applicable" may be inserted in sections which do not apply to the applicant's proposal. Be sure to check with the funding sources for details on eligibility, funding options, and other requirements or limitations. In submitting a proposal, please note that the BFRF is an interdisciplinary committee and may not have extensive expertise in the applicant's field of endeavor. Therefore, explain all technical terms, jargon and procedures in lay terms. The proposal must include information on each of the following points, in the manner and format specified. The proposal, excluding vita and any supporting documents, should not exceed five double-spaced typed pages. The BFRF normally awards a single course release or summer stipend for an approved project. Occasionally, however, the BFRF may grant a major award that, for example, includes two course releases within an award period, two successive course releases, a course release and a summer stipend, or the like, with the stipulation that the product of each item in the sequential package must be approved before the next item in the sequence shall be authorized. The timing of such approval(s) will be agreed upon by the BFRF and the award recipient before work on the project begins. A. Purpose Present the research question, problem, or activity to be addressed. B. Literature Review Perform a literature review that demonstrates your familiarity with related research (historical and/or current thoughts/issues) and adds credence to the significance of your research. C. Research Design/Methodology Present the methodology to be used to collect and analyze data. It should address various aspects related to research design as appropriate for your proposed research project. Be mindful of the funding body s interdisciplinary composition, and offer clearly articulated steps and processes as they pertain to your field of endeavor. D. Work Plan Present a suggested work schedule of major tasks. Please be specific in outlining the work plan, including work already completed, work to be fulfilled during this grant period, and/or work remaining after the grant period to bring this to publication. While the BFRF recognizes research projects often extend beyond the timeline of the award, appropriateness and manageability are the main criteria in evaluating a work plan. If this is a collaborative project with co-authors, include a detailed description of how the work will be allocated. 6
E. Expected Results or Product Be clear on what you will deliver as your Final Product for this research award. The College values meritorious scholarship of many kinds, and the BFRF supports a wide breadth of qualitative, quantitative, and creative Final Products. Take time and care to distinguish your product, be it the writing of an investment algorithm, a sequence of experimental poems, an anthropological or ecological field study, a literary-critical paper, or any other of the many and varied Final Products we value. The final product could be intermediate results developed for a larger research project, so long as these results are well-defined and can be evaluated by the BFRF. F. Dissemination Plan Discuss the projected outcome or objectives beyond your immediate Final Product. Consider methods of dissemination, including specific target publication outlets and conference submissions. Be clear as to your target audience. H. Significance Discuss the value of the research or creative activity and the relationship of this work to other work in this field. Describe the status of the proposed work new work, part of a larger, on-going undertaking, and/or the final stage of project. Indicate/how this work fits in your overall research agenda. Explain how this research proposal will enable you to maintain your current faculty qualifications as defined by Babson (i.e. scholarly academic, practice academic, scholarly practitioner, instructional practitioner). For more information please refer to the Statement on Intellectual Contributions and Faculty Qualifications. Supporting Documentation H. Application Submit your completed application, including division chair s email which explains how the requested funds will support the individual s research agenda and describe the feasibility of the expected outcome given the request the applicant is making. I. Budget Research budgets cannot exceed $2500. Explain your anticipated budget expenses. Make every effort to include requests for research expenses in this proposal rather than returning with an additional Mini-Grant application. J. Personal Qualifications Submit a complete curriculum vitæ and any additional relevant information. Applications for funding, project proposals, and supporting documentation should be uploaded in PDF form to the BFRF portal via the BFRF website. 7