Winter Quarter RSP Announcements

FUNDING FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF GRADUATE RESEARCH

http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/documents/grad.shtml

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research announces the winter 2018 call for applications for the Fund for the Enhancement of Graduate Research. A total of $30,000 is available this academic year for this program from the Graduate School. While the main funding cycle occurs during spring, quarterly off-cycle awards are considered upon the recommendation of the faculty advisor on a case-by-case basis.

Calendar of Internal Deadlines http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/pdf/calendar.pdf

Projects selected for funding will be funded effective the following quarter and upon approval of required research protocols. Funds must be expended before the applicant graduates.

Research Compliance:  If the research proposed in the grant application involves animals or human participants/subjects, please contact Janai Symons, Research Compliance officer to understand the compliance application process (Janai.Symons@wwu.edu).  The research protocol must be approved prior to the grant award, so the application should be submitted well in advance of the research (at application time, or sooner).

All currently enrolled graduate students in good standing are eligible to apply.  The awards are designed to assist students in accomplishing their theses work.  The maximum award is $1,000.  Guidelines and applications are available from Graduate Program Advisors, Department Chairs and on the Research and Sponsored Programs website http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/documents/grad.shtml.

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PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/documents/pda.shtml  

The purpose of this program is to assist faculty in the process of preparing a grant application for a new project that has high potential for obtaining significant funding from external agencies. The extramural funding to be sought is for supporting research and scholarly activities, which contribute to the mission of the university and professional development of faculty. Funding is for all aspects of the preparation of a significant external proposal, data collection, proposal writing, etc. The Project Development Award (PDA) program budget is $40,000. A maximum of four awards will be made annually, with two awards* in Fall quarter and two awards in Winter quarter.

Please Note:

  • Any expenditure not in the approved budget must be pre-approved by RSP and all funds must be expended within one year.
  • All expenditures must follow the University’s policies, guidelines, and procedures in regards to expenditures, including, but not limited to, purchase, travel, reimbursements, and items requiring additional special handling.
  • Please check with Business Services as to whether or not your purchase requires additional special handling
  • RSP only approves funding, and verifies expenditures match the approved budget prior to signing off on purchase forms, services reimbursement, travel, etc.
  • These funds are not intended to supplement externally funded grants or gifts.
  • Faculty may not exceed 100% effort under any circumstances, including summer.
  • No equipment, general purpose software, computers, laptops, or other electronic devices may be purchased with Project Development Award funds.
  • For faculty members who currently have externally funded projects, the proposal must not be for an extension of the current work nor for a renewal or continuation of the existing grant. These are intended to be seed grants for new projects.
  • Funds may not be combined with Mini-Grants, Grant-in-Aid Projects, Pilot Project Grants, Enhancement of Graduate Research Awards, or Research and Creative Opportunities for Undergraduate Awards.

 

Under the Project Development Awards Program, a faculty member may request:

  • One course buyout1and the equivalent of a Pilot Project Award2 funding level,

OR

  • The salary equivalent to one Summer Research Grant3 and the equivalent of a Pilot Project Award2 funding level,

OR

  • Up to $10,000 in support of the project: to hire students, purchase supplies and/or travel4.

1          A single course buyout of no more than five (5) credits.

2          For the equivalent of a Pilot Project Award a faculty member may request funds up to $4,000 to hire students, purchase supplies, and travel4.

3          Funding level of the Summer Research Grant as set by the CBA.

4          Travel to complete the project, not to disseminate results.

During the tenure of the award, the faculty member will work on developing a proposal for extramural funding.

 

Funding Criteria/Guidelines

Eligibility:

  • All tenured and tenure-track faculty (with an employment agreement for the following year) are eligible to apply. NTT faculty (with an employment agreement for the following year) may apply, but preference will be given to tenure and tenure-track faculty.
  • Faculty members who receive a Project Development Award within a five year period of the closure of a previous PDA are not eligible. First-time investigators are encouraged to seek guidance from experienced scholars/mentors.

The Research Advisory Committee will evaluate and recommend proposals to be supported based on the following:

Criteria:

The purpose of this program is to assist faculty who have the potential for obtaining significant funding from external agencies. The extramural funding to be sought is for supporting research and scholarly activities which contribute to the mission of the university and professional development of faculty. The scope of the project must warrant the amount of support requested.

  • Clarity, completeness, and strength of statement of need/problem/creative activity
  • Opportunity for advancing professional scholarship of the faculty member
  • Likely impact on discipline/students/community
  • Clarity and feasibility of endpoints -- specific agencies to which the proposal will be submitted are identified and includes a timeline for submission
  • Adequacy of the proposed budget to meet project objectives

Additional details

  • The proposal resulting from the Project Development Award is expected to contain support sufficient to engage students in the faculty member's research. Multi-year proposals for external funding are encouraged.
  • Results from prior Project Development Awards and whether they resulted in proposals to external agencies must be stated in the application.

 

Application Instructions

Complete applications must be received by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs by the deadline (announced in Western Today and in Calendar of Internal Deadlines) and should include the following information:

  1. Project Development Program Application Cover Sheet (last page of form)
  2. Detailed project description (not to exceed five pages; organized like a typical extramural proposal). The description should be written in clear, non-technical language that a colleague from another discipline can comprehend and review fairly. Remember to also keep the criteria in mind while writing the proposal.
  3. The expected budget (suggested format) for the proposal to be developed and the funding agency/program to which the proposal will be submitted.
  4. A list of all prior internal awards and whether they resulted in external funding proposals or grants.
  5. References not to exceed two pages
  6. Two page current vita (suggested format)
  7. Budget justification detailing each line item for the Project Development Award

The award period is one calendar year, at the end of which the faculty member shall submit a short report to RSP on the results of the project and a timeline for submission of the external proposal.

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PILOT PROJECT AND GRANT-IN-AID AWARDS

http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/documents/mini.shtml

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is committed to assisting faculty with scholarly/creative activities by providing small grants. Please refer to the RSP website for additional information on these grants and helpful information on writing the requests before your submission.

A maximum of 2 Pilot Projects and 2 Grant-in-Aid awards will be made Winter Quarter 2018.

Pilot Project
DEADLINES

  • Maximum award - $4,000
  • To generate data for a specific project for extramural funding
  • Reviewed by the Research Advisory Committee

Grant-in-Aid
DEADLINES

  • Maximum award - $2,500
  • To assist with a specific research project or performance/exhibit/creative activity
  • Reviewed by the Research Advisory Committee

To apply for a Grant-in-Aid or Pilot Project use the Grant-in-Aid & Pilot Project Form.  

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FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES PROJECTS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/documents/ugrad.shtml

Objective: to provide encouragement for undergraduate students to engage in scholarly/creative work in their disciplines and to provide funds which may make it possible for them to do so. The program budget is $15,000, divded equally among the three quarters.

Eligibility:  Competition is open to any registered undergraduate student in good standing.

Award Amounts:  Grants will be normally be awarded in the range of $100 - $500 per project.  This program is designed to support individual student projects only. Students who are graduating must spend awarded funds prior to graduation.

Solicitation of Proposals:  The Vice Provost for Research will solicit proposals for consideration in early fall, winter and spring quarters of every year.  Awards will be available upon approval, which includes approval of required research protocols. Funds must be expended before the awardee graduates.

Research Compliance: If the research proposed in the grant application involves animals or human participants/subjects, please contact Janai Symons, our Research Compliance Officer to understand the compliance application process (Janai.Symons@wwu.edu). The research protocol must be approved prior to the grant award, so the application should be submitted well in advance of your research (at application time, or sooner).

Complete applications must be received by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs by the deadline (announced in Western Today and in Calendar of Internal Deadlines).

Application forms and detailed instructions are available in the offices of the deans and chairs, on the Rsearch and Sponsored programs web site: http://www.wwu.edu/rsp/documents/ugrad.shtml and from the Secretary to the Vice Provost for Research in Old Main 530.

Review: Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty committee appointed by the Vice Provost for Research.

Reporting:  At the end of the project, a brief written final report must be prepared by the student and submitted to his/her faculty mentor with a copy to the office of the Vice Provost for Research.  In addition, each student should be prepared to present an oral or poster presentation of the results in an appropriate forum.