DATE: August 2007 Updated 10/2/07
TO: All FSU Faculty
RE: Committee on Faculty Research Support (COFRS) Regular Summer Awards 2006 - 2007 Request for Proposals (RFP)

Important Dates:

Overview:

The Council on Research and Creativity (CRC) administers several grant programs to support the development of research and creative endeavors by FSU faculty members. These programs, made possible by FSU research-generated funding, aka sponsored research and development (SRAD), have been established to promote faculty scholarship generally, but are also intended to assist and encourage faculty members in seeking additional or continued funding for their endeavors from external sources.

These CRC grant funds can be used only to support research and creative activity.

Herein, the CRC announces the availability of grants to faculty for summer salary support capped at $13,000 in support of research and creative activity during Summer 2008. This is the regular COFRS program and is distinct from the special program for First Year Asst Profs (FYAPs).

Eligibility:

• The CRC will accept proposals from full-time FSU faculty members, or others, listed as eligible to submit proposals (see http://www.research.fsu.edu/contractsgrants/documents/InvestigatorEligibility.pdf).
• Visiting professors, whose only reason for being labeled ‘visiting’ is the expectation that they shortly will attain permanent residency status, are eligible to apply for this award.
• Generally, PIs will not be awarded more than one CRC grant during a fiscal (aka academic) year.

Hiatus:

• For COFRS, there will be a 3-year hiatus period.
• Faculty who have received a COFRS award in the fiscal year (FY), aka academic year (AY), 2004-2005 or 2005-2006 or 2006-2007 will not be eligible for consideration in this round of COFRS competition.
• Only one proposal from a PI may be submitted to this program per competition round.

Important Notations regarding this COFRS program to be considered as you prepare your proposal:

• Teaching while utilizing a Summer 2007-2008 COFRS award will be permitted; however, the PI must make clear, in the proposal text, how teaching will not hinder his/her program of research or creative activity.
• There will be less emphasis in the proposal review on the eventual acquisition of external funding. However, this does not totally remove the need for external funding consideration. SRAD funds are invested to support this program with the expectation that successful external proposals will be generated within one year after the award from this program to provide more SRAD funding to the university.
• Proposal elements must be written in clear, concise language so that reviewers from any discipline immediately will be able to understand the scholarly merit of your plan; appropriateness of the research approach and methodology; potential contribution to knowledge or scholarship; likelihood the expected outcomes will be met.
• Priority will be given to meritorious proposals from those PIs without current support, but who provide evidence of plans to seek additional external funding following this project.
• If the project is being brought to completion during or shortly after the award period, the PI should explain, in the proposal text, how its completion positions him/her for obtaining external funding for a subsequent project or new phase of research. In both cases, the PI must specify likely funding sources and the amount of support those sources may provide.
• New This Year: A review process has been established for COFRS whereby the PI must recruit two FSU faculty reviewers willing to serve as part of the university-wide review group to review your proposal and approximately 5-6 other COFRS proposals. It is expected that the reviewers will be anticipating this task, have agreed to assume this task and do not plan to submit their own COFRS proposal during this competition round. A section of your proposal text will be dedicated to this topic; see Proposal Contents, Proposal Text.
• COFRS reviewers are FSU faculty members, not CRC members, and will be following CRC review guidelines and standards for scoring the proposal. The CRC makes final funding decisions based on the number and merit scores of proposals received and funding allocated to the program. Guidelines and standards will be those specifics laid out in these notes and in the proposal text according to the Proposal Contents instructions found later in this RFP.
• Each reviewer will provide 'blind,' electronic feedback, not just a numeric score, which will be shared with the PI and department chair and dean. Reviewer identification will never be known by the PI, except the reviewer he/she recruits.

Proposal Preparation Instructions:

Example Proposals: Examples of selected successful proposals are available. Email this program’s coordinator for the instructions to this secure site.

When preparing a proposal to this program, please adhere to all instructions as these make it possible to properly and expeditiously manage the process. Failure to follow instructions may render your proposal unacceptable.

Proposal Text document set-up:

• single-spaced typed pages
• single-sided typed pages
• 11 pt. font with margins no smaller than 1" top, bottom and sides

Proposal Contents

NOTE: Some forms may have been modified. Do not use forms you stored from previous years. Old forms will not be accepted.

A complete COFRS proposal electronic upload (upload instructions follow later in this RFP) will consist of:

• COFRS DSR Form 1 Proposal Transmittal Form. Open the document. Fill it in electronically; save it to your computer. Print out the saved copy. Sign it as the PI. Take the printout to your department chair and dean for signature; note that they may want to read the proposal and see the budget or other document before signing. Once you have all signatures, bring the original signed document with ink signatures to the program coordinator (see last page of this RFP).
• Abstract   PDF OR  Word Doc Do not make the abstract any longer than the one page form provided.
• Proposal Text. (See Important Notations section above) The proposal text (usually 10 pages or less; excessive length can be a reason for a reviewer to discount a proposal's merit) will contain separately titled sections on the following. Sections should be numbered to agree with the following format. Do not put each section on a separate document page!
  1. Summary of the research or creative activity proposed and plans to pursue additional external funding support; specific attention must be paid to responding to the points listed in the Important Notations section above and this section as well.
  2. Description of the status of existing knowledge concerning your proposed project;
  3. Description, only somewhat technical, of your proposed project, including scientific or creative objectives, data or materials to be used, methods of analysis or performance of the project, basis for evaluation of results or conclusions, and the importance, significance or contribution of your project to the field;
  4. Statement indicating the amount of progress anticipated during the grant period and the intended schedule for completion of the project, publication, performance, etc. If appropriate, briefly describe program mode before the grant period and subsequent work that will be necessary;
  5. List any professional obligations the PI has for the award period;
  6. It is expected that this supported research or creative activity will lead to proposals to external agencies for the further support of your proposal research or performance area.
     • Summarize information on potential outside funding sources to support follow-up activity, how this award will enhance the prospects of external funding and plans for submitting proposals to these agencies or foundations;
     • Provide a statement of impact or intended outcomes;
  7. List two or three source references or bibliographic citations that the interested reviewer might investigate for further information;
  8. What federal/state or other grant applications have you made in the last five years, including CRC or Cornerstone grants? Briefly list them, indicating agency, date applied, status and if funded, what was the award amount? This request would appear to duplicate information required in the Support Document (Current & Pending) form below, and so it does; this duplication is intentional.
  9. Keywords for electronic searches;
  10. Statement indicating name, department, phone number and email address of two recruited* FSU faculty reviewers to read and evaluate your proposal (see Important Notations); and
  11. Statement indicating your permission to use this proposal as an example of an awarded format in the event it is funded.
          *”Recruited” means that you have communicated with a faculty member about serving as a COFRS reviewer, reading yours and possibly 5-6 other COFRS proposals, AND they have agreed to do so, AND they are not also seeking COFRS funding this year..
  12. New This Year: Documents such as Animal Use Form, any Human Subjects approval documents, any Hazardous Materials approvals, DNA, RNA approvals, must be uploaded behind the Proposal Document. This will NOT count as Proposal Text pages.
• Support Document (aka Current & Pending)  PDF  OR Word Doc
  1. Use this form for listing titles of current or pending funds for research projects indicating by what agency funded and at what monetary level for the last five years (include any CRC or Cornerstone funding)
  2. You must summarize prior CRC or Cornerstone awards, if any, for the last five years indicating the outcome of each, including success/failure in attaining additional internal or external funding.
• Proposal Budget   PDF OR  Excel Doc
  1. Use this form to outline your budget plan
     1. Typically, COFRS proposal funding is applied as support toward one PI's salary for 6.5 pay periods during Summer 2007-2008, specifically May 8 through August 6, at an award maximum of $13,000.
     2. PIs may request that the salary support be waived and the award applied to Other Expense items such as travel or supplies, and it is possible for the PI to request salary support for a student instead, or a combination of salary and travel, for example.
     3. Regardless, whenever salary is supported, fringe benefits expense** must be subtracted from the $13,000 award.
     4. Purchases for equipment, computers or computer devices or similar purchases are not encouraged, but can be considered, subject to approval of the CRC.
        ** Fringe benefits rates are available at http://www.research.fsu.edu/contractsgrants/documents/factssheet.pdf . Income tax deductions can also occur with any salary component. Insurance is can also be a component of fringe benefits. All must be deducted from the $13,000 COFRS award, meaning a portion will be salary and a portion will be fringe or taxes or insurance, with the total award being $13,000 nothing greater.
     5. We encourage you to request and justify the full available award amount; there is no advantage to you by submitting a 'lower bid' so to speak.
  2. Account close out will automatically occur within 60 days following the award period end date. See also Payback Circumstances later in this RFP.
• Curriculum vita PDF OR  Word Doc
  1. Use this form indicating the PIs name, history of employment, publications, grants and awards (including any FSU awards), and other data pertinent only to the research or activity proposed in this submission.

Research Compliance Notes:

• Research activities requiring compliance review and approvals (human or animal subjects, DNA, RNA, hazardous materials or marine lab for example) will require the completion and submission of appropriate forms seeking approval for such research BEFORE such research is attempted and BEFORE any award funds are released to the PI. See human subjects website, site for animal research information, site for Environmental Health & Safety or SRS forms page for other compliance requirements which may apply to your research or performance plan.
• Also see new note above, item #12, under Proposal Text.

Other Special Notes:

• No-Cost Time Extension. While it is rare for COFRS awards to require an extension, it is possible providing your award is for a category other than salary or fringe benefits. To request a no-cost time extension, no later than 30 days prior to the current award period end date, send a detailed email to Jan Townsend at jtownsend@fsu.edu indicating (1) why you need this extension and (2) suggesting a new award period end date. The CRC will consider your request and advise you by return email. It is possible that the CRC may need to discuss this request with your department chair or dean before rendering a decision.
• For additional advice on preparation of this proposal, PIs may wish to consult colleagues who have been successful in previous CRC funding competitions.

How to Electronically Submit a COFRS Proposal:

Your proposal MUST be submitted two ways:

1. YOU must use the CRC/CS Online System https://submissions.research.fsu.edu. It’s easy to do.
2. The OMNI System is also required. HOWEVER, regarding OMNI, DO NOT ATTEMPT to submit your proposal through OMNI Grants Module unless you have completed the detailed, formal training. If you have not had this training, Jan Townsend will submit your proposal through OMNI for you.
   • Authority for Jan Townsend to submit through OMNI on your behalf is only accomplished only if you send a hard copy of the Sponsored Research Transmittal (DSR) Form, fully signed by PI, any co-PIs, department chair, director (if any) and dean, to the program coordinator’s office (see last page of this RFP).
   • IF – and only IF – you have completed OMNI Grants Module training may you submit a proposal into OMNI yourself.
   • If you do submit a proposal into OMNI for this program, you must email jtownsend@fsu.edu with the Proposal ID Number so that she can locate the proposal and further process it.

What IS OMNI?

The FSU OMNI (On-Line Management of Networked Information) system is designed to handle the university's financial and human resources needs. Included in the financial system is a Grants Module wherein faculty, with full training, may submit grant proposal information.

While OMNI requires that proposals be electronically submitted through its system in order to link to all other appropriate proposal management modules, and ultimately generate a funded award, the OMNI system does not have the capability of providing review/evaluation options.

To accomplish this, the CRC and Cornerstone programs utilize an additional on-line proposal submission process which provides

1. an electronic method for submitting your proposal to the program coordinator (Jan Townsend),
2. an electronic method for the coordinator to assign those proposals to reviewers, and
3. an electronic method whereby those reviewers can submit their evaluation score and comments regarding the proposal back to the coordinator.

What is the CRC/CS System?

Jan Townsend, acting as in the role of an agency (similar to NSF, NEH or NIH), will require that you submit your proposal through the CRC/CS On-Line Proposal Submission process. You do not need special training to use the CRC/CS On-Line system. It is only through this process that your proposal will be accessible to reviewers so that evaluations can be recorded and funding recommendations made, and perhaps awarded.

To begin the process, you will need to completely read the instructions in this announcement. Prepare and save your proposal elements in your computer. See Proposal Contents section above for specific forms required for your proposal.

Once you have done this, then go to https://submissions.research.fsu.edu and follow the simple instructions.

1. If you have completed a PROFILE for the CRC/CS Online process in the past, DO NOT make a new PROFILE. Go right to #3. If not, first make a PROFILE so our database will know who you are.
2. Start the Submit a New Proposal process by answering all the questions and uploading all the required elements.
3. You will have an opportunity to submit/store/save your proposal and update/edit it until the posted deadline for the program.
4. You will receive an email confirmation of your proposal submission, even in its initial form, providing you with a login name and passcode so that you can revisit your proposal until you are satisfied that it is final, or the deadline is reached, whichever comes first!

You should note that proposals received after the deadline will not be processed and incomplete proposals will not be accepted, so please revisit your proposal before the deadline to make certain it is complete.

CRC Required Reports

Within 30 days of the close of the award period, the awarded PI will be asked to electronically report the results of this funding, plans for the next phase of research and the submissions of external proposals resulting from this award. This report is required. The PI will be sent an email reminder with directions to the website for filing the report and the required login information. This award will be followed via this report process for two years beyond the award year.

Payback Circumstances

• PIs who later find that they have funding from another source for similar or same support are requested to decline acceptance of this award so that funds can be redirected to provide support for other applicants who would otherwise go unfunded.
• New This Year: Deans and department chairs note:
  • In the event the PI resigns from FSU prior to Fall 2008, the awardee's dean or department chair has the responsibility of notifying the CRC's program coordinator. Any expense support received by the PI from this program prior to an effective resignation date from FSU must be repaid to the CRC by the PI, the dean or the department chair.
  • Sixty (60) days after the award period ends, if it is determined by the program coordinator that an award has a positive balance, the CRC will reclaim the unused portion of this SRAD project. Conversely, if sixty (60) days after the award period ends, the award appears overexpended, has a negative balance of more than $100, the program coordinator will contact the designated departmental representative via email to review the records and then make arrangements for the proper transfer of the negative balance to another of the department’s SRAD projects.
  • If there is no response from the department after the required email notification, the Office of the Vice President for Research will deduct any negative balance from the departmental SRAD account. If there are insufficient funds in the departmental SRAD account, the department’s E&G or future SRAD distribution will be tapped for the negative balance. Department chair and dean will be notified via email.

Questions?

Jan Townsend, Program Coordinator --- CRC and Cornerstone --- Office of the Vice President for Research, Florida State University, 109 Westcott Building, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1330 Direct Line: 850.644.8636 jtownsend@fsu.edu