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Research Incentive Program- Call for Proposals

Deadline: March 21, 2011

February 15, 2011

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION
• PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR SUPPORT
• GUIDELINES
• ALLOWABLE EXPENDITURES IN PROJECTS
• SELECTION PROCESS
• TIMETABLE
• COVER SHEET

Download Research Incentive Program Guidelines in PDF format.

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MEMORANDUM

To: Miami University Faculty
From: James Oris, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship
Date: February 15, 2011
Subject: Research Incentive Program

 

INTRODUCTION

The Research Incentive Program (formally Research Challenge) was created in 1985 by the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR), to enhance the capability of Ohio universities to attract external (federal, corporate, and foundation) funding for research. The OBR directs Ohio universities to invest Research Incentive funding in such a manner as:

• To enhance the quality of research and scholarship at Ohio universities;
• To increase the level of federal and private research funding received by Ohio's universities, and;
• To encourage research efforts that support the Third Frontier Project and economic growth in Ohio.

Guidance from OBR requires that Miami University’s Research Incentive will align with the goals of the Ohio Third Frontier or its Ohio Centers of Excellence. Ohio Third Frontier targets its investments to support technology areas that represent Ohio's key competitive opportunities in Advanced and Alternative Energy, Biomedical Technology, Advanced Materials, Instruments - Controls - Electronics, and Advanced Propulsion, (http://www.thirdfrontier.com).

This “Call for Proposals” describes procedures whereby groups of faculty can suggest promising research projects and enter into a dialogue with the University’s Research Incentive Advisory Committee concerning the project’s merit and potential. Miami University expects to invest significant funds from its Research Incentive allocation in support of ideas and projects suggested in response to this announcement.

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PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR SUPPORT

As prescribed by the OBR, “Funds should be used with the intent of building strengths, fostering additional externally funded research, and promoting Ohio's economic revitalization."

Research Incentive funds may be used to encourage research or scholarly activity in existing or new research directions in any discipline or research area present in the University.  The primary OBR (and Miami) requirement is that Research Incentive funds are used in areas that are aligned with Ohio’s Third Frontier Project or its Ohio Centers of Excellence and are to be used with the clear intent to foster additional externally funded research and commercialization activities.

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TYPES OF PROJECTS

For the 2011-2012 Research Incentive competition, the Miami University Research Incentive Advisory Committee will give priority to interdisciplinary research projects aligned with the Ohio Third Frontier goals and to work at strengthening established research centers in ways that will significantly improve their capacity to generate external support.

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GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS

The required format for proposals is as follows:

• Cover page (available as a MS Word fill-in form) with appropriate endorsements.
• Identify what area of the Third Frontier this project is addressing.
• Identify potential internal collaborations with other faculty or within Research Centers, or external collaborations with other institutions and industry.
• A maximum five-page project description.
• One-page budget request and budget justification ($40,000 maximum request).
• One-page statement of the plan for obtaining traditional external funding.
• Two-page vitae for each research program faculty member including funding record.
• Listing of external proposals submitted in the past five years and their status (as many pages as needed).

The project description that comprises the body of the proposal should concisely address the following questions in language that can be understood by non-specialists:

• What are your goals and objectives?
• Why is the project significant?
• How are you going to conduct the project?
• What resources are needed for conducting the project (give cost details in budget page)?
• What is the plan for attracting external support, and which agencies, foundations or corporations would be likely sponsors?
• What is the plan for potential commercialization or potential economic impact of project outcomes?

The proposal must be endorsed by the appropriate department chair(s) and divisional dean(s).

Previous recipients of Research Incentive funds are eligible to submit proposals, but are required to include an additional statement demonstrating the effectiveness of the earlier funding in attracting external funds from the federal government, foundation, or industry.

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ALLOWABLE EXPENDITURES IN PROJECTS

Specific allowable costs are direct costs normally incurred during the conduct of sponsored research, including salaries, consultant fees, equipment, domestic travel necessary for the conduct of the research, publications, supplies, and other direct costs.  The following specific points also are noteworthy.

•   Miami expenditures for equipment are limited to 25% of the total Research Incentive Program funds awarded to the institution in any one biennium.  Equipment is defined as having a $5,000 or more unit price with a useful life of >1 years.  Requests for equipment totaling over 25% of a project budget should be cleared with the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship prior to submission.

•   Faculty, student, and technician salaries (and associated fringe benefits) may be charged to Research Incentive Program funds.  Research Incentive Program funds may not be used to pay salaries for sabbaticals or professional leaves of absences. Faculty summer salary requests are limited to $6,200 (plus fringe benefits).  If release time for the academic year is requested, the budget must identify the amounts of funding necessary to hire faculty replacements for assigned instructional responsibilities.  If a graduate research assistant stipend is requested, it will be necessary to request a waiver of tuition/fees.
                                                                                                                                                       
•   Research Incentive Program funds may not be used for training students in research methods and techniques as part of course work, workshops, or conferences; sponsoring conferences, symposia or workshops; presentations at conferences; or international travel.  

•   Research Incentive funding may be combined with other funding available through sponsored programs or from funds available in departments and academic divisions.

•   Funds from this Research Incentive program must be expended prior to August 31, 2012.

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SELECTION PROCESS

A Research Incentive Advisory Committee will be appointed to review proposed projects and to make recommendations regarding the most meritorious projects to be funded.  Faculty should anticipate a considerable breadth in Advisory Committee (reviewer) backgrounds.  Faculty are also encouraged to discuss ideas with the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship prior to submittal of their proposal.

Submissions will be reviewed and ranked by the Advisory Committee utilizing the following criteria:

• Alignment with the Third Frontier Project
• Alignment with Miami University’s Ohio Centers of Excellence
• Extent to which the project will enhance the ability to attract external research funds
• Intrinsic merit and timeliness of the proposed work and the probability that it will make a significant contribution to the field of knowledge
• Previous record of the principal investigator(s) in seeking external funds for research
• Quality of the personnel and adequacy of the resources necessary for the project
• Clarity of the written document (it must be understandable to a non-specialist)

Faculty who suggest projects for funding through Research Incentive may be asked to meet personally with the Research Incentive Advisory Committee to discuss their ideas and proposed project.

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TIMETABLE

March 21, 2011(5 pm)	One electronic copy of the proposal (PDF) is due no later than 5:00pm, sent to the Office for the Advancement of Research & Scholarship (Rachel Pfeiffer: rachel.pfeiffer@muohio.edu), and the original proposal with signatures to OARS.
April 2011	Review by the MU Research Advisory Committee (MURAC); possible meetings and/or discussions with the Committee
May 2011	Associate Dean forwards its recommendations to the Provost
May 2011	Distribution of funds to specific research projects at Miami University
June 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012	Research Projects Conducted

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For additional information relating to the Research Incentive Program, please contact

James Oris, Associate Dean for Research
Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship
102 Roudebush Hall
513-529-3600