Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA 2013-02) Intensive Methodological Training Section I. Description and Objectives Stat CORR (Statistics Community of Representative Researchers) is funded through ORSP to host meetings, workshops, and training clinics to foster and promote the dissemination of quantitative and qualitative research skills. The purpose of this ORSP/Stat CORR funding opportunity is to advance the statistical knowledge base among investigators at SF State by providing opportunities to obtain training in statistical methods. Due to rapid changes in the complexity of research methodology and statistical analysis, investigators may find themselves unable to conduct analyses applying the latest techniques. These more complex approaches may require specialized training outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. We invite applications from individual investigators who would like to advance their statistical skills with the goal of helping them publish in peer-reviewed journals and prepare extramural grant applications. Key Dates Deadline for online submission: Wednesday April 17 th by 5:00 PM Anticipated Announcement of Funded Proposals: June 2013 (please follow the Weekly Memo) Earliest Anticipated Start Dates(s) for awards: July 1, 2013 Section II. Methodological Training Award Information 1. Funds Available Awards will vary in size per person per proposal, up to a total of $2000, for methodological training, statistical consultation, or any combination of these (e.g. $1,000 for training and, $1,000 for consultation, per year). Additional funding may be possible but will need to be justified. The amount requested will be evaluated in light of the expected impact of the award on the applicant s publications and grant proposal development. Applicants can request funds for any combination of the following: (1) local training; (2) non-local, domestic training; and, (3) statistical consulting. Examples of non-local domestic training include: (a) a full day intensive course on research methods or statistics offered during a professional conference; (b) a weekend workshop offered by a statistical software training organization; (c) a one-week summer institute in research methods or statistics offered at another university. An example of statistical consulting would be seeking the review and advice of a statistical expert for assistance in developing a proposal and/or research plan. 4/15/2013 1
2. Number of Applications Multiple applications per eligible PI may not be submitted for Intensive Methodological Training funds (see eligibility, below). However, multiple training or consultation requests can be requested within a single proposal (see budget limit). This funding program does not affect applications to the small grant program FOA 2013-01 or vice-versa. Section III. Methodological Training Eligibility Information Eligible Criteria Only full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty or those with existing PI status established as of January 1, 2013 are eligible to apply. Only a single proposal (that may have multiple requests within the budget limit) is allowed. Proposals including international travel will not be allowed. Section IV. Methodological Training Application Information Content and Form of Application All information will be entered or uploaded through an online submission form. Only the proposal in pdf format will have a maximum word count of 1,000 words. Please prepare to submit the following information online: Title: Should reflect the skills to be acquired and the discipline of the researcher (e.g., Hierarchical Linear Modeling in Sociological Research). Contact Information: Applicant s name, university address, telephone number and email address. Proposal: (restricted to 1000 words maximum) Describe your overall vision for the training experience. Applicants should explain clearly: (a) their current level of expertise in the methodological area (e.g. novice, conversant, advanced) and the significance of the method to the applicant s academic discipline, (b) the additional skills to be acquired and the specific training resource to be used (e.g. biostatistics analysis from the UCSF Biostatistics 200 course offered; hierarchical linear modeling from the SPSS five-day training course); (c) how the skills would lead to (i) peer-reviewed journal submissions and/or (ii) extramural grant submissions; and, (d) how the skills will be transferred to others in the SF State community (e.g. teaching graduate students, consultations with other faculty) via at least one beginning to advanced level methodology presentation or lecture about what was learned. (e) list a website that documents the training opportunity, including contact information for the training or consultation provider; location and date(s) of the training opportunity (or opportunities.) 4/15/2013 2
If funding is requested for individual consultation, please summarize the qualifications of the individual and/or institution to be consulted and describe how the consultation will proceed. Line Item Budget: Applicants may request funding for multiple activities--local training, non-local domestic training, and/or individual consultation--or for any combination thereof. As an example budget worksheet, you might use the format below. Note, the online form will have data entry fields for each line item. Item Cost Comments Registration 400 Early bird, academic rate discounts Software 0 Freeware from site Hotel 270 $90 x 3 days Per diem food 165 $55 x 3 days Parking 39 $13 x 3 days Airfare 400 Round-trip Ground transportation 30 Round-trip airport to hotel in X city; shuttle express 1 way; light rail +bus Consultant 450 3 hours @ $150 per hour If multiple activities are proposed, provide a separate breakdown of line-item costs for each planned activity. For example, if funds are requested to support participation in a statistics course at a nearby university and in a non-local statistics course, break down the costs separately for each activity (e.g., for the local training, specify course registration fees and any other necessary expenses; for the non-local training, specify amounts requested for: (a) round-trip airfare to and from training site, (b) hotel lodging during training, (c) per-diem for meals and ground transportation, and (d) tuition/registration fees.) In the online submission form, we recommend that complex requests are clearly outlined in the budget justification section. Section V. Methodological Training Application Review Information Review Process and Criteria Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the peer review process. Each of the following criteria will be separately rated during review, scored on a 100-point scale as shown. a. Significance (30 points): Within the academic discipline of the applicant, how important is the methodological area of study? Is this a methodology that is used frequently in peerreviewed publications within the discipline of the academic? b. Relevance to Professional Development of Applicant (40 points): How will the applicant s knowledge and skills be advanced? How will participation in the training/consultation contribute to the applicant s ability to develop specific publications and extramural grant submissions? 4/15/2013 3
c. Relevance to Campus Community (15 points): How will the knowledge gained be shared with others in ways that will benefit the campus community? d. Budget (15 points): How reasonable is the proposed budget, taking into account the significance and relevance of the proposed training activities. PART III - ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION A. Additional Information Section I. Mechanisms of Support Support for this funding opportunity is provided by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at San Francisco State University. The awardee will be solely responsible for planning and directing the proposed training, remaining within budget and reporting on training outcomes Section II. Application Processing 1. Submission Process Your application must be successfully submitted online no later than 5:00 p.m. April 17, 2013. We strongly suggest early submission (e.g., 48 hours before the deadline) for ORSP to review completeness. 1. Follow this link to an online submission form: There, a. Logon with your SF State email credentials; b. Fill out all information requested in the online form; c. Within the form, screens will allow you to upload your proposal i. First check your word count before converting the proposal to pdf format (1,000 words) ii. Save As your proposal as a pdf file as follows: Lastname_Firstname_IMT2013[.pdf] iii. Upload the file iv. Submit your proposal 2. If on submission, the online form doesn t show an immediate confirmation message, assume your submission didn t go through. Go through the steps above and try again. If you get stuck see contact information below. Once an application has been submitted online, it will then be evaluated for completeness by ORSP. All applicants will receive an e-mail notification approving (or disapproving) the submission within two business days. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. If you do not receive an email approving your submission within two business days, please contact ORSP. Review of submitted proposals will be conducted by STAT CORR (see below) and funding decisions will be made following additional review by ORSP, the relevant Dean and the Provost. 4/15/2013 4
2. Notification of Award After the peer review of the application is complete and funding decisions have been made, each applicant will receive formal notification as to the outcome of their proposal. The anticipated date for these notifications is June 2013. Award notifications will be copied to cognizant Chair(s) and Dean(s). Preliminary selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance or to expend funds. PIs of funded projects will receive instructions for accessing their award funds. The anticipated start date for all funded projects is July 1, 2013. Additional Requirements At the end of the funding period, all awardees under this FOA may also be asked to make a presentation at ORSP s Research Roundup (TBD June 2014). Section III. Contacts STAT CORR Richard Harvey Stat CORR 8-3478 rharvey@sfsu.edu Jeff Cookston Stat CORR 5-2133 cookston@sfsu.edu 4/15/2013 5