BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY SEED GRANT Request for Proposal (RFP) The Office of the Provost is pleased to provide a competitive opportunity in support of faculty research and/or creative work. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Faculty Seed Grant provides competitive funding for faculty engaged in activities that advance scholarship. Funds will serve to seed the research/scholarship efforts of new faculty to begin their research program, or existing faculty who are interested in raising their level of scholarship. The goal is to increase the competitiveness of the faculty for externally funded opportunities for research and creative expression. There are two award categories this year: 1. Scholarly Work (Research and/or Creative Work) Seed Grants 2. Conference Travel Grants Travel grants will be awarded for faculty to present at a conference or for faculty using a conference as a means to build scholarly collaborations. Note: Proposals may be submitted for activities not specifically described herein, however the application must clearly outline how such activities advance scholarly work in the context of the applicant s field. ELIGIBILITY Full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher are eligible to submit. In exceptional situations, faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher who are not on the tenure track will be allowed to submit with a letter of recommendation from their academic dean. Faculty who have received more than one seed grant in the past five (5) years are ineligible to apply. Faculty who have received a single seed grant within the past five (5) years and did not complete the requirements are ineligible to apply. In order to be considered, each applicant must have permission from the department chair (if applicable) and dean of the academic unit in which the faculty holds a primary appointment. While collaboration is strongly encouraged, each faculty member must obtain the appropriate signatures (Department Chair and Dean), and one faculty member must be designated as the Principal Investigator (PI). The PI will have budgetary and reporting responsibility. AWARD REQUIREMENTS All funds must be encumbered no later than April 1, 2018 and expended no later than June 30, 2018. Recipients (or their students) are expected to present at the Academic Showcase in April 6, 2018. 1 P age
Recipients are expected to submit a proposal to an external funding agency no later than August 1, 2018 Recipients must submit a preliminary report to the Office of the Provost indicating how the funds were expended and how the objectives were met by April 30, 2018. A final report is due September 1, 2018. AWARD AMOUNT Total funds available for seed grants is $30,000 and 10-15 awards are anticipated. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Proposals in response to this request are due by 11:59 pm October 31, 2017. Proposals must be submitted electronically using this link. Proposals not following the submission guidelines may be returned without review. Proposal Format Proposals must be prepared using a standard 12-point font and 1-1.5 margins all around. Smaller text may be used in tables, figures and charts as long as it is legible when the page is viewed at 100%. The type density must be no more than 15 characters per inch and the line space must be no more than six lines per vertical inch. Uploaded documents must be in PDF format, with the exception of the budget, which may be uploaded as a spreadsheet. Conference Presentation Travel Grants Conference Presentation Travel Grants should have the following elements: Completed grant application (online form). Statement of Justification The statement of justification is limited to three pages and should include: reason for attendance, plan of participation, (e.g. attendance at sessions, scheduled meetings with colleagues, presentations), how the conference and associated plan inform your scholarship, specific objectives to be met through conference attendance, an after conference plan of action, how what is learned might be integrated with education, and how the associated scholarship aligns with the institutional mission (see below for evaluation criteria). Supporting evidence (e.g. presentation abstract, copy of acceptance letter, conference agenda, e-mail confirmation of a meeting, etc.) Budget request with narrative Budgets should be similar to the template below; the budget narrative should explain each budgetary line item. Suggested reviewers Proposals should include the names of five potential external reviewers who have knowledge of the field for which the seed grant is submitted. Approvals The signature page must have the signature of the submitting faculty, department chair (if applicable), and dean. The signature page is uploaded as a PDF file in the application. 2 P age
Scholarly Work Seed Grant Scholarly Work Seed Grant proposals should have the following elements: Completed grant application (online form). Project description The project description is limited to five pages and should include: context of the work, project objectives, an explanation of the innovative nature of the project, how the activities aligns with your scholarship, how what is learned might be integrated with education, how the associated scholarship aligns with the institutional mission, and an explanation of how the funds will be used. The project description is uploaded as a PDF file in the application. References Cited Include a list of the references cited in the project description. References are not included in the five-page limit. References cited are uploaded as a separate PDF file in the application. Budget and Budget Narrative Requests will be allowed for summer salary (through June 30), materials and supplies, travel for conference or research/creative work, and to hire student research assistants. Use the budget template below (fringe rate is 19.39%) and include a more detailed narrative for each of the categories in the template. The budget is uploaded as a spreadsheet or PDF file (make sure it is aligned and legible) in the application. The budget narrative is limited to one page and must align directly with the budget. The budget narrative is uploaded as a PDF file in the application. Suggested Reviewers Proposals should include the names of five potential external reviewers who have knowledge of the field for which the seed grant is submitted. Approvals The signature page must have the signature of the submitting faculty, department chair (if applicable), and dean. A signature page is required for each investigator and should be uploaded as a single file. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals for the Faculty Seed Grant will be evaluated on the following merit criteria: Alignment of the proposed activity with faculty scholarship and career goals Integration of scholarship and education Innovative Nature of Proposed Activity (Scholarly Work) Proposed use of funds Objectives to be completed within the funding period Strength of Participation Plan (Conference Travel) or Work Plan (Scholarly Work) Potential external funding sources Alignment with Institutional Mission The following questions may be of use when preparing the proposal: Alignment with Career Goals and Institution How does this work/travel fit into my larger plan for scholarly work? 3 P age
How does this work/travel align with the mission, vision and core values of Bethune-Cookman University? Who are the natural collaborators within the University for this work? Integration of Scholarship and Education How will findings be integrated into classroom or co-curricular instruction? How will students be involved in the activity or ancillary products? Innovative Nature of the Proposed Activity Does the work propose new methods, ways of thinking or unusual collaborations? Is it likely that the work will contribute to the knowledge base in the field? Proposed Use of Funds Is the request for funding consistent with the proposed scope? Does the budget reflect eligible expenditures? Objectives to Be Completed Within the Funding Period Are the objectives reasonable for the time frame? Are the objectives clear, measureable and consistent with the overall goal of the research? If the objectives are achieved, how likely is this work to lead to scholarly publication? If achieved, are the objectives designed to provide adequate support for proposal to a funding agency? Strength of Plan Is the participation plan reflective of a strategic approach to conference attendance? (travel) Does the participation plan identify specific workshops and networking activities that are aligned with the scholarship? (travel) Does the project narrative reflect of understanding of the subject matter (background/lit review)? (scholarly work) Does the project plan include tasks and timeline aligned with the objectives? (scholarly work) Potential External Funding Do the selected funding sources support the type of research/creative work proposed? Is the funding sources list sufficient with regard to quantity and timeline to assure submission of the required proposal within the time frame? Questions may be addressed to Dr. Adrienne T. Cooper via email at coopera@cookman.edu or telephone (386) 481-2076. 4 P age
Table 1. Travel Grant Budget Template Registration Airfare Private Auto Mileage Car Rental Parking Incidentals Hotel Accommodations Total Table 2. Scholarly Work Seed Grant Budget Template Salary/Personnel Fringe/Benefits Materials/Supplies Travel Student Stipends Total 5 P age