DATE: August 2009
TO: All FSU Faculty
RE: First Year Assistant Professor (FYAP) Request for Proposals (RFP) 2009 - 2010

Important Dates:

• Deadline to Apply Electronically: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 11:59 p.m. This is the CRC's deadline and it is FIRM, no exceptions; your department or college/school may have imposed an earlier deadline for departmental review; check with them.
• A separate deadline for the original Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF), with all required signatures in ink, is 4:30 p.m., Thursday, November 12, in 109 Westcott.
• Award notification, directly to the PI, via email w/attachments, is planned on/about January 15, 2010.
• Award Period aka Performance Dates: May 10 - August 6, 2010
• Read all instructions now. Print out a copy of this RFP.

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 its competitive FYAP program, providing $17,000 maximum in support to first year assistant professors for summer salary support to facilitate research and creative. The program's purpose is to give beginning faculty members an opportunity to devote significant time and effort, during their first summer at FSU, to the research and creative activity responsibility of their academic careers, including efforts to obtain external funding for their work. Through this program, the PIs will be critiqued on their grant writing skills in preparation for those future successes in seeking external funding.

Eligibility, Determination of and Limitation of:

Participation is open to all FSU faculty who, as of the award distribution date:

1. have completed all requirements of their terminal degree;
2. are appointed full-time; and
3. Are in their first year as a full-time Assistant Professor at FSU. Visiting FYAPs, whose only reason for being labeled "visiting' for Summer 2010 eligibility is the expectation that they shortly will attain permanent residence status, are eligible.
4. Assistant Professors expecting to be hired by FSU mid-year 2009-2010 may apply for the Summer 2010 program with the approval of their FSU chair and dean. They may apply only once.
5. Exceptions to the eligibility policy should be submitted by email to the Vice President for Research with supporting rationale provided by the department chair, dean or equivalent official prior to the proposal deadline.
6. It is the applicant's responsibility to plan, direct and execute the proposed project.
7. Each application must indicate a single Principal Investigator (PI) as the primary contact person.
8. To be eligible for funding, the deadlines shown herein must be satisfied.
9. Generally, PIs will not be awarded more than one CRC grant during a fiscal (aka academic) year. Exception: Those faculty who are eligible to apply for the First Year Assistant Prof program in this year (AY 2009-2010) may also apply for a Planning Grant in the same academic year - a Planning Grant only.

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

• Teaching while utilizing a 2009-2010 FYAP award will not be permitted.
• 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 through FSU's Sponsored Research Services 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.
• The CRC seeks FYAP proposals that clearly indicate a planned effort to establish an on-going program of research or creative activity at FSU.
• Applications for support to write textbooks or to develop instructional materials will not be accepted.
• FYAPs for 09-10 will attend the 2010 Grants Workshop as classroom participants. A poster session will be required of the 09-10 FYAPs in the following year, at the 2011 Grants Workshop. Further detail on these requirements will be sent to you via email at a later date.
• In a continuing effort to help new faculty receive the best possible opportunities for growth and development, the CRC strongly encourages mentoring. Toward that end, FYAP applicants are required to name an FSU mentor. This should be a more senior colleague willing to be 'on record' as someone who will guide you in your early career, demonstrating practical lessons, arranging skills practices, observing and providing feedback to you regarding your development and having periodic discussions with you regarding your progress in your new career. See Proposal Contents below.
• Any participation in an Academic & Professional Program Services (APPS) workshop is allowed under this program.
• High priority will be given to meritorious proposals from those PIs without current support, but who provide evidence of plans to seek additional external funding through FSU's Sponsored Research Services following this project.
• Reviewers 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.
• If a proposal text is shown by initial reviews to be less than stellar, the PI may be required to rewrite the text using the criticisms received. This rewriting process causes a delay in the award notification. To avoid these delays, PIs are advised to seek review of their proposal PRIOR to initial submission; use your Mentor!

Proposal Preparation Instructions:

Example Proposals: Examples of selected successful proposals are available. Email the Program Coordinator at jtownsend@fsu.edu for examples.

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 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 FYAP proposal electronic upload (upload instructions follow later in this RFP) will consist of:

• FYAP DSR Form 1 Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF). Word Doc OR PDF Open the document; note that there are instructions for completing the form. 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, including those of any co-PIs and related department chairs and deans, scan the document and upload it. If you don't have a scanner, upload the unsigned document.  However, you must also bring the original signed document with ink signatures to the Program Coordinator for additional processing at least before 4:30 p.m. the day of the electronic deadline (see last page of this RFP for the delivery location).
• Abstract   PDF OR  Word Doc Do not make the abstract any longer than the one page form provided. Use the 11 pt font established on the form. Word limit is 250.
• Proposal Text.   PDF  OR Word Doc (See Important Notations section above) The proposal text (usually 5 pages or less; excessive length can be a reason for a reviewer to discount a proposal's merit) will contain separately titled sections based on the following. Sections are to be numbered to agree with the following format. Do not put each section on a separate document page!
  1. A concise description of the proposed program of research or creative activity to be undertaken, the methods to be used, the timetable to be followed and the goals to be achieved;
  2. Proposal must clearly be part of a new research program extending beyond the terminal degree and involving substantive departure from or modification of the PI's dissertation research;
     1. PI will list in this section the title of his/her dissertation/s in order for the reviewer to assess in what way the FYAP proposed project extends beyond the dissertation/s.
     2. PI will list in this section the date all terminal degree requirements were completed and date first appointed as a full-time Asst Prof at FSU.
     3. PI will list in this section any previous experience since earning the terminal degree including the institution name, your title while there, and dates you work there; keep this information brief, not to exceed two pages.
  3. Summary of the PI's overall, long-term research goals and how the proposed project relates to those long-term goals;
  4. A brief statement regarding a mentoring plan and identify a mentor from FSU who will advise you regarding teaching, research and university operations at FSU. You may also have an outside FSU mentor for the purpose of research mentorship, but this will not substitute for an FSU mentor. For useful discussion of mentoring in science and engineering (likely adaptable to other areas), visit http://books.nap.edu/openbook/0309063639/html/index.html.
  5. Keywords for electronic searches; keywords will mirror the keywords you typed into the Proposal Transmittal Form, and
  6. A proposed schedule of activities, with a detailed budget explanation, is required. The information should mirror the items you will be placing in the actual budget form.
  7. Statement indicating the amount of progress anticipated during the grant period and the intended schedule for completion of the project (including start and completion dates), publication, performance, etc. If appropriate, briefly describe program mode before the grant period and subsequent work that will be necessary, if any;
  8. List any professional obligations the PI has for the award period;
  9. Statement indicating your permission to use this proposal as an example of an awarded format in the event it is funded.
  10. Documents such as Animal Use Form, any Human Subject approval documents, any Hazardous Materials approvals, DNA, RNA approvals, must be uploaded behind the Proposal Document text. This will NOT count as Proposal Text pages.
  11. References, if any, will be placed in this section or, if too detailed, they can be shown as part of an appendix section. Note: include any appendix materials at the end of your Proposal Document text. Then upload that document.
  12. Remember, while you may add any appendices or approval forms to the Proposal Document text for uploading purposes, the proposal text per se remains limited to no more than 5 pages; i.e. you might have an upload in the Proposal Document text of 10 pages (5 proposal text pages and 5 appendices pages, or a total of 10).
• Proposal Budget   PDF OR  Excel Doc Use this form to outline your budget plan
  1. FYAP proposal funding is applied as support toward one PI's salary for 6.5 pay periods during Summer 2009-2010, specifically May 10 through August 6, at an award maximum of $17,000. Less than full salary support often may be supplemented from other sources available within FSU, up to full salary.
  2. In no case may a FYAP award recipient be assigned teaching or service duties during Summer 2010.
  3. However any participation in an Academic & Professional Program Services (APPS) workshop is allowed under this program.
  4. Whenever salary is supported, fringe benefits expense, tax consideration and terminal leave expense** must be subtracted from the $17,000 award.
  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.
  6. Account close out will automatically occur within 60 days following the award period end date. See also Payback Circumstances later in this RFP.
  ** 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 can also be a component of fringe benefits. All must be deducted from the $17,000 FYAP award, meaning a portion will be salary and a portion will be fringe or taxes or insurance, etc., with the total award being $17,000 nothing greater.
• Curriculum vita PDF OR  Word Doc
1. Use this form indicating the PIs name, academic history, 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 facilities for example) will require the completion and submission of appropriate forms to the appropriate FSU department or group, seeking and receiving approval for such research, BEFORE such research is attempted and BEFORE any funds can be released to the PI, if awarded. 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 Proposal Text, item #10.

Other Special Notes:

• No-Cost Time Extension are not allowed in the FYAP program.
• For additional advice on preparation of this proposal, PIs may wish to consult colleagues who have been successful in other CRC funding competitions.

How to Electronically Submit a FYAP Proposal (the link to the online proposal submission site is shown below in red:

You Must Use:

• the CRC Online System. The CRC has its own process and is NOT part of OMNI workflow.
• DO NOT SUBMIT A PROPOSAL INTO OMNI FOR THIS PROGRAM. If you mistakenly 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 take the necessary actions.

The CRC programs utilize a special online proposal submission process which provides

• an electronic method for submitting your proposal to the Program Coordinator,
• an electronic method for the Program Coordinator to assign those proposals to reviewers, and
• an electronic method whereby those reviewers can submit their evaluation score and comments regarding the proposal back to the Program Coordinator.

This office, acting as in the role of an agency (similar to NSF, NEH or NIH) will require that you submit your proposal through the CRC OnLine Proposal Submission process. You do not need special training to use the CRC OnLine 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 and then prepare and save the various proposal elements in your computer. See Proposal Contents section above for specific forms required for submission.

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 Online process in the past, DO NOT make a new PROFILE. Go right to #3.
2. If you have never submitted a proposal through our system, first make a PROFILE so our database will know who you are.
3. If you don't recall having created a PROFILE, contact the Program Coordinator.
4. Start the Submit a New Proposal process by answering all the questions and uploading all the required elements.
5. You will have an opportunity to submit/store/save your proposal and update/edit it until the posted deadline for the program.
6. 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 in the CRC system until you are satisfied that it is final, or the deadline is reached, whichever comes first!

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

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 initial 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.
• Deans and department chairs note:
  • In the event the PI resigns from FSU prior to Fall 2010, 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 or has a negative balance, 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 is your conduit for CRC proposal submission. Here is her contact info:
Program Coordinator, CRC
Office of the Vice President for Research
Florida State University
109 Westcott Building, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1330