Council on Research and Creativity

DATE: August 2008
TO: All FSU Faculty
RE: MultiDisciplinary Support(MDS) 2008–2009 Request for Proposals (RFP), formerly known as InterDisciplinary Support (IDS)

Important Dates and Messages:

• Deadline to Apply: Friday, November 7, 2008, 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; check with them.
• Award notification, directly to the PI, via email w/attachments, is planned on/about January 8, 2009.
• Award Period aka Performance Dates: February 1, 2009 – January 31, 2010
• Read all instructions now. Print out a copy of this RFP.

At a minimum, the software you will need is: Internet access, MS Word, MS Excel, Adobe Acrobat (read, write/edit and save capabilities will require that you have more than the ‘free’ Acrobat reader). Please be mindful that program coordinators and proposal reviewers will not be able to read all types of software, so please limit your uploaded documents to MS Word (.doc), MS Excel (.xls), Acrobat (.pdf); WordPerfect (.wp) or Lotus (.wk) formats are also acceptable but not preferred. Do not use .mdi or any photo program to save or submit your documents.

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 up to 2 awards capped at $25,000 each as a source of initial funding to support the formation of multidisciplinary alliances at FSU.  The proposal must describe how the initial joint efforts will result in new and unique programs of research or creativity that will lead to external funding.  An example might be the use of a symposium to bring noted experts from specific fields to FSU to help establish contacts useful in writing proposals. Such a meeting might also help faculty refine the goals and scope of their program, and it could attract the attention of faculty in other related areas.  It is expected that FSU would clearly benefit from the external funding resulting from the establishment of new multidisciplinary research projects.

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.
• The PI may not have received a COFRS award in the summers of 2006, 2007, or 2008.
• Only one application from a PI may be submitted to this MDS program per competition round.

Hiatus:

There will be a 2-year hiatus period. Faculty who received an MDS award in the fiscal year (FY), aka academic year (AY), 2006-2007 or 2007-2008 will not be eligible for consideration for this academic year.

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

• SRAD funds are invested to support this program with the expectation that successful external proposals will be generated within one year after any award from this program to provide more SRAD funding to the university. There will be an emphasis in the review for the eventual acquisition of external funding.
• 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.
• 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.

Proposal Preparation Instructions:

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

NEW THIS YEAR: Here are some examples of previously funded collaborations (departments, not individuals) to provide you with some idea of the types of multidisciplinary activities we are interested in seeing:

• College of Information & Instructional Systems (part of the College of Education)
• Geological Science, Mathematics, School of Computational Science (all Arts & Sciences)
• Mathematics and Economics (Arts & Sciences and Social Sciences)
• Communication Disorders (2 faculty members, but with different research approaches; College of Communication)
• History and Biological Science (both Arts & Sciences)
• Oceanography, BioMedical Science, Chemistry and Magnet Lab (Arts & Sciences, Medicine and NHMFL)
• Geriatrics and Ethnomusicology (Medicine and Music)

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

• MDS 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, scan the document and upload it. You must also bring the original signed document with ink signatures to the program coordinator for further processing (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 8 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. List any co-PIs, their full names, departments and research interests;
  2. Brief, non-technical description of the proposed program of research or creative activity;
  3. Context or description of the status of the field of activity;
  4. Statement of how the proposed activity would aid the establishment of a new program at FSU;
  5. Statement regarding available external sources of support for research of the kind you are proposing, including a statement regarding applications you have made or intend to make for support from these sources;
  6. Keywords for electronic searches; and
  7. Statement indicating your permission to use this proposal as an example of an awarded format in the event it is funded.
  8. 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. A proposed schedule of activities, with a budget not exceeding $25,000, is needed.
     2. Administrative support and some travel are allowed under this program, subject to approval of the CRC.
     3. 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. The CRC does not support tuition or matriculation fees in its awards. Make certain to select the correct Waiver in Section 43 of the Proposal Transmittal (DSR) Form. Waiver 1 will be the default if no tuition or matriculation fees are being supported.
  3. The CRC will support a stipend for a student hired on this grant; stipend only.
  4. 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.
  2. A vita for each co-PI is not needed.

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 #8 above under Proposal Text.

Other Special Notes:

• No-Cost Time Extension. 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 should consult colleagues who have been successful in CRC funding competitions.

How to Electronically Submit an MDS Proposal

You Must Use:

• the CRC/CS Online System
• If somehow you manage 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.

The CRC and Cornerstone programs utilize a special on-line proposal submission process which provides

• an electronic method for submitting your proposal to the program administrator (Jan Townsend),
• an electronic method for the administrator 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 administrator.

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/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 the various proposal elements in your computer. See Proposal Contents section above for specific forms required for submissions.

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 you have never submitted a proposal through our system, 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 in the CRC/CS system 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 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 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 during the award period, 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