Office of TWU s Hub for Women in Business 2016 2017 Faculty Research Program Application Deadline: 5:00 pm Central Time, Monday, December 19, 2016 for online submission Program Description The primary purpose of TWU s Hub Research Program (HRP) is to provide seed money so that faculty members will be able to compete more successfully for larger research grants from external sources for continuation of their research. The HRP provides support for faculty research that intersects any discipline within Texas Woman s University (TWU) women s business ownership or start up, innovation activities of women. Research is defined as a systematic study directed toward fuller scientific knowledge or understanding of the subject studied and includes all research activity, both basic and applied. PI Model: The traditional research project grant consists of a single Principal Investigator (PI) leading a research team on an independent research project. Although this model clearly continues to work well and encourages creativity and productivity, it does facilitate collaboration. A multiple PI model uses more than one investigator (co investigators) where each of the listed co investigators will be expected to share responsibility for directing the project or activity. Therefore, the HRP will accommodate both models. If a multiple PI model is used, a Contact PI is designated at the time of application in order to facilitate communication. A collaborator is a research team member (external or internal) who adds expertise to the project without serving a large enough role to be considered an investigator. Program Funding The HRP is supported by funds received through a State of Texas Special Item funding, only awarded on a biennium basis. Awards for this faculty research program by TWU s Hub are limited to $10,000. A faculty member may serve as PI on only one award per fiscal year but may serve as Co PI or collaborator on more than one HRP proposal. Applicants may request that a portion of their salary come from their HRP grant. Note that investigators cannot draw salary support from more than one HRP award per fiscal year. It is important that requests for faculty salary and resulting release time (academic year or summer, tenure or non tenure) be approved by the unit administrator and dean. If funded, a letter reflecting administrative support for release time (if given) must be placed on file with TWU s Hub prior to a budget being set up for the project. This letter must state specifically what the PI and Co PI s workload would be for a semester or summer term. This letter of support does not need to be submitted with the application. If the entire budget or a substantial portion of the budget is spent for faculty salaries, then the proposal has to explain how other costs or expenses of the project is covered. In no case may a grant request 3
exceed $10,000. Also, in no case may a grant negatively impact the administrative unit s non tenure salary funding. Contact the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) for assistance in preparing the grant budget, if needed. Eligibility All full time tenured faculty, research faculty, and tenure track faculty members at TWU are eligible to apply and serve as PI and co investigators. If two or more faculty members submit as co PIs, the award will be funded per the designation of the lead PI. Non tenure track faculty are eligible to serve as co PIs. A person not meeting the eligibility requirements as an investigator or co investigator may serve as a collaborator (including non TWU personnel). A collaborator may not receive direct funds from the HRP. Awards are made with the expectation that faculty members continue in service at the University for at least one academic year following the award period. Persons known to be in their terminal year of employment at TWU are not eligible to apply. A faculty member may submit only one application per academic year and serve as PI on only one award per fiscal year. Faculty with outstanding HRPs or other obligations from previously awarded internal funding will not be considered. Application and Submission Instructions Detailed instructions for completing the application are located at the end of these program guidelines. The proposal must be submitted online through the TWU SharePoint system by Monday, December 19, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. central time. A cover page is generated within the SharePoint system that must be printed and signed by the PI, then routed for signatures through the unit administrator and Dean. This signed cover sheet must be received by the time the application is reviewed by the review committee, generally within 2 weeks of the deadline. Scanned and faxed copies are accepted. Applications which do not meet these deadlines cannot be considered for this competition. Review Process Texas Woman s Hub for women in business (Hub) along with its advisory group will review and recommend applications for funding. The review committee will not look favorably on proposals: That utilize university students as the only study participants, That are essentially for textbooks, revising courses, class notes, Performing editorial duties, Compiling non scholarly bibliographies and catalogs, Having relevance only to TWU, That are research for the applicant s dissertation, or That are primarily equipment requests. Members of the review committee will not be familiar with the applicant's discipline. Therefore, the proposal must provide an explanation of the project s significance so that it is understood by a variety of laypersons. Committee reviewers will use the criteria shown on the HRP Review Committee Evaluation form to consider the proposal. Expected Outcomes and HRP Reporting Requirements 4
HRP awards are intended primarily as seed monies for research projects that will yield pilot data or preliminary studies that may result in external funding. Faculty members who receive HRP funding are expected to show scholarly productivity appropriate to the discipline (such as peer reviewed publications) and to seek further support for their research from funding sources outside the University. A research proposal for external funding related to the funded HRP project must be submitted within 18 months of the end date of the HRP research project. Failure to meet the requirements of the program may affect future eligibility to receive internal funding. Please call Texas Woman s Hub at 940 898 2221 for more information and/or assistance. 5
2016 2017 TWU Hub Research Program INSTRUCTIONS Applications will include the elements shown below. Proposals will be submitted online via the SharePoint system at https://share.twu.edu/sites/rschsponsprog/hrp/cf%20applications/forms/allitems.aspx. Each section of the application must adhere to the page limits and other guidelines as detailed below. GENERATING, EDITING, AND SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION Generating a New Application: To generate a new application, go to the HRP SharePoint Site. You may be prompted for your Portal username and password. If you are accessing the site from an off campus computer, you may need to add "@twu.edu" after your username to log in. Depending on the security settings of your computer, you may be required to log in more than once. Once you are logged into SharePoint, you will press the "new" button to initiate a new HRP application. You will be able to save and edit the form until the SUBMIT button is actually used. DO NOT use the upload button to upload other files. When the "new" button is pressed, you will be asked for the PI s first name, middle initial, and last name. The file will be saved using these fields, so once this information is entered and the "Initiate a New Application" button is pressed, this information cannot be changed. Editing the Application: The information entered on the application will be saved each time that you press any button. Press the Save & Exit button at any time to save the form and exit the program. When you return to the SharePoint site, the application will be listed; click on the link to enter the application to edit. Submitting the Application: Once all the sections are marked complete, a SUBMIT button will appear on the main menu. Prior to pressing the SUBMIT button, make sure that all items are complete and entered as they should be submitted. Once the SUBMIT button is pressed, the application will be marked complete and the proposal will no longer be accessible for editing. During the SUBMIT process, the PI will be reminded to print the cover sheet, abstract and budget form for routing if they have not already done so. If you have difficulty generating the cover sheet, please contact ORSP for assistance. Obtaining Signatures: Once the cover sheet, abstract, and budget information have been entered, the pages required for routing can be generated. Investigators may choose to do this before or after the proposal has been submitted, providing that any materials required by specific unit administrators and/or deans can be attached. The cover sheet signed by the PI, unit administrator, and dean must be received in TWU s Hub by the time the application is reviewed by the committee. To make sure this deadline is met, TWU s Hub strongly suggests that this signed cover page be submitted within two weeks of the deadline. Electronic (scanned and faxed) copies will be accepted. 6
APPLICATION CONTENTS Cover page (online SharePoint form) Investigators: All full time tenured faculty, research faculty, and tenure track faculty members at TWU are eligible to apply and serve as PI and co investigators. If two or more faculty members submit as co PIs, the award will be funded per the designation of the lead PI. Non tenure track faculty are eligible as co PIs. A person not meeting the eligibility requirements to serve as a PI or co PI may serve as a collaborator (including non TWU personnel). A collaborator may not receive direct funds from the HRP. The awards will be made with the expectation that the faculty members continue their service at the University for at least one academic year following the award period. Persons known to be in the terminal year of their employment are not eligible to apply. A faculty member may submit only one application per deadline period and serve as PI on only one award per fiscal year. Faculty with outstanding HRPs or other obligations from previously awarded internal funding will not be considered for funding. Other Project Information: The screen contains other information. The title is the only field that is required. However, if the project uses human subjects, animals, recombinant DNA or biohazardous agents, or radiation, the appropriate box should be marked. The compliance approvals for these items are not required at the time of submission but will be required at the time of award. Abstract (online SharePoint form) An abstract of no more than 150 words is required for proposal submission. Budget (online SharePoint form). Allowable costs include salary support for faculty applicant, wages for graduate research assistants and/or undergraduate students, maintenance and operations, equipment (provided this is not the major part of the budget), and travel (for data collection only). Note that fringe benefits must now be included on HRP awards. Maintenance and operations (M&O) expenses are items such as postage, telephone calls, paper, computer software, equipment costing less than $1,000. Requests for travel funds to attend professional conferences or present research results are not usually granted from the HRP. Travel for data collection purposes can be included. Funds for consultants must be well justified in the proposal narrative and can be listed in the Other category. University procedures and deadlines must be followed with regard to purchasing, travel and payroll so please work with our office on the expenditure of these funds and do not pay for any expenses out of pocket with the expectation of reimbursement. The budget justification is required for submission and should include details and rationale for the costs included in the budget items. 5
Environment / Resources (online SharePoint form) In the space provided on the form, provide information regarding the environment and/or resources. Be specific regarding where the research will be conducted and what facilities are available. This section will be evaluated on the following: Has the location and setting of the study been identified? Is this space adequate for the research study? If off campus, is site feasible and have letters of support been obtained? Are the equipment, trained personnel, and other physical resources needed already in place to the investigators and are they adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements? This section must be completed before the application can be submitted. Research Plan / Narrative Attach a project narrative of no more than 5 pages. The font should be 11 point or larger although figures, charts, tables, figure legends, and footnotes may be smaller in size providing they are readily legible and include a caption. Margins must be at least one inch, and the application should be single spaced with page numbers. Attachments may be uploaded as.doc,.docx, or.pdf. It is strongly recommended that you convert the file to.pdf before uploading especially if using symbols, figures, charts, etc. The 5 page research plan should include the following: Specific Aims (used interchangeably with: hypothesis, research questions, or objectives) Research Strategy Inclusion of women as the primary topic of interest Geographic scope is limited to samples or populations within U.S. and North America. Intersection of the PI s research question and women business ownership and/or start up activities Innovation explain how the application challenges current theory(ies) and seeks to shift current research or describe novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies. Methodology describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. These should clearly align with the aims of the research. Include a timeline to describe the tasks to be accomplished during the project. Significance explain the importance of the problem, the critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses, or how the project will improve scientific knowledge relevant to the discipline and women business owners. Describe the journals targeted for publication of this work. Other If the project uses human subjects, animals, recombinant DNA, biohazardous materials, radioactive materials, or radiation devices, provide details about the protocol in this section. Discussion of future external funding opportunities 6
Resource / data sharing plan include a proposed method of presenting results References List all relevant literature references. There is no page limit for this section. The file is required before the proposal can be submitted. Curriculum Vitae and Summary of Qualifications The PI's (and co PI if applicable) curriculum vitae must be uploaded in order to submit the proposal. In addition, a one page description of the applicant s qualifications to complete this work is required. Research Support Past Internal Support: For each investigator, list any past internal funding received in the last five years in the space provided on the form. Publications, proposals submitted, and awards received resulting from past internal funding: For each investigator, list all publications (including those submitted and in progress), proposals submitted, and awards received for the past 5 years that are a result of past internal funding. Appendix Attach here any project surveys, questionnaires, or other data collection instruments as well as any letters from colleagues agreeing to collaborate on the project, letters from data collection such (such as a school district) stating that the project may be conducted there, or letters from the appropriate administrators endorsing a request for faculty salary support from the grant (not required at the time of proposal submission). Surveys, questionnaires, or other instruments used should be combined into one.pdf and uploaded in the first space. Letters should be combined into one file and uploaded into the second field. These are the only materials that are allowed in the appendix. These items have no page limit and are not required for proposal submission. 7
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY 2016 2017 TWU s Hub Research Program REVIEWER EVALUATION FORM TWU s Hub Research Program (HRP) provides seed money so that faculty members will be able to compete more successfully for larger grants from external sources for continuation of their research projects or creative activities. Outside review is an important factor in the evaluation process. In particular, the Research Support Committee seeks your unique expertise and insight into the attached proposal. The following criteria are provided as possible guidelines for your review. However, please provide any additional information you believe could be relevant to a comprehensive assessment of the quality and importance of this research proposal. Principal Investigator: Inclusion of women as the primary topic of interest Intersection of the PI s research question and women business ownership and/or start up activities Geographic scope is limited to samples or populations within U.S. and North America. Innovation explain how the application challenges current theory(ies) and seeks to shift current research or describe novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies. Methodology describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. These should clearly align with the aims of the research. Include a timeline to describe the tasks to be accomplished during the project. Significance explain the importance of the problem, the critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses, or how the project will improve scientific knowledge relevant to the discipline and women business owners. OVERALL EVALUATION For the overall evaluation, consider all aspects of the application. A strong application will contain a clear, succinct literature review directly related to the proposal, good ideas, strong design and methodology, and clearly indicate how the application will allow the applicant to compete more successfully for larger grants from external sources for continuation of the research project or creative activity. Please circle the number indicating your overall evaluation. Highly Recommend for Funding Recommend for Funding Do Not Recommend For Funding Score OVERALL RATING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Reviewer: (Name, Department, and Program / Component) Comments: