Request for Applications
(2014-2015)
Overview: The College of Science (CoS) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is requesting applications for funding of multidisciplinary pilot projects aimed at enhancing our overall scholarship and research resources. Awards are intended to catalyze high-caliber research aligned with the strategic directions of the College and the University, and to lead to sustainable collaborations among CoS faculty, and with scientists at top tier academic, governmental and private sector institutions. The program is expected to increase our external research funding and to develop intellectual property.
Award Information: CoS intends to fund pilot projects in amounts up to $20,000 per project, for a total of $100,000. Approximately 5 awards are anticipated, contingent upon the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Eligibility: All tenured and tenure-track faculty from the CoS are eligible to apply as Principal Investigators (PIs). Awards will be made to teams of researchers that include members from at least two CoS departments. Only new projects or those previously submitted (less than 2 years) and unfunded will be considered. Previously funded projects are not eligible.
Competitive Preference Priorities: This year’s competition includes two competitive preference priorities. These priorities are:
· Competitive Preference Priority 1- “Junior Faculty Applicant” - Projects that include a junior faculty member (CoS tenure-track assistant professor) as PI.
· Competitive Preference Priority 2- “New Research Collaboration”- Projects that propose new inter-departmental collaborations, as well as extramural collaborations with researchers from national research universities, government laboratories and industry.
Application and Submission: Deadline for application submission is November 7, 2014. Applications should be submitted electronically to the Dean’s Office (talmengor@utep.edu) with a copy to the Associate Dean for Research (eschwab@utep.edu). The following formatting rules apply:
· Paper size – 8x11 inch
· Margins – 1 inch
· Spacing – single
· Font – no smaller than 12-point Times New Roman
Applications should not exceed 5 pages in length and must include:
· Face Page (not counted towards the 5-page limit) – indicate application title, PI, Co-PIs and External Collaborator’s (if any) names, affiliation, contact information and if the application meets a competitive preference priority.
· Project Summary– less than 300 words
· Goals and Specific Objectives
· Research Methodology and Specific Tasks
· Facilities and Other Resources
· Role of External Collaborator(s)– indicate how/why your planned external collaborations will enhance your proposed research and improve the sustainability prospects of your endeavor.
· External Funding Application Development– identify the funding agency, program, and approximate date on which you intend to apply for further external funding to ensure the sustainability of your project; provide a brief “risk” assessment indicating why you consider your application for external funding is likely to be funded, and what additional support from the CoS (e.g. research mentorship, proposal writing assistance, interaction with funding agency) would maximize your chances for success.
· References Cited- (not counted towards the 5-page limit)
· Itemized Budget- (not counted towards the 5-page limit) – with a brief justification
· NIH-Style Biosketches of the PI, Co-PIs and External Collaborators (two-pages each, not counted towards the 5-page limit)
Any application that does not comply with either the formatting or the content requirements above will be considered non-responsive and will not be accepted for review.
Application Review: Applications will be reviewed by the College of Science Strategic Research Planning and Development Team (SRPDT). The SRPDT will be assembled and led by the CoS Associate Dean for Research and include other CoS staff and faculty members from different academic units. Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria: (1) intellectual merit, (2) novelty of the proposed research, (3) potential impact on the field, (4) the likelihood of the proposed project to be sustainable beyond the initial funding period, (5) the potential of the proposed research to be funded from external sources, (6) the qualifications and capabilities of the investigators, (7) meeting competitive priorities. The SRPDT will make recommendations to the Dean of the CoS who ultimately decides what projects will be funded. Funding decisions will be announced by November 17, 2014.
Post-Award Requirements: Funds should be used to obtain preliminary results that will enhance the chances of the selected teams to secure further external funding. Allowable expenses include: student support, core facility fees, travel for data collection (field work), and purchase of small equipment and software (in amounts totaling less than $5,000). Funds cannot be used to purchase computers, travel to conferences, or for any type of entertainment expenses (refreshments, food, etc.). Before the end of the funding cycle, all selected teams will: (1) publish/submit for publication at least one manuscript using the data and analysis facilitated by these awards; all publications will be in an international journal listed in the Science Citation Index (ISI), (2) present results in oral or poster format at a national or international conference (3) submit applications for external funding based on the preliminary results obtained. PIs will submit a preliminary report to the CoS on March 31, 2015 including an outline of their planned application for external funding. In addition, a final report will be due on August 15, 2015. Technical details (report length, format, and content) will be provided to the PIs at least one month before each report’s due date.
Contact Information: Any questions or requests for further information should be addressed to Emil Schwab, Interim Associate Dean for Research (e-mail:eschwab@utep.edu).
