Faculty Research Grant

Faculty must be tenured or have a tenure-track appointment at the time of application. No proposal will be accepted from investigators who received a Faculty Research Grant during the last academic year or have an open Faculty Research Grant at the time of application.

There will be two rounds for FRG and CDG funding each year. Proposals are due at the Office of Research, Academic Affairs (ezynda@iusb.edu) by 4:00 p.m. on October 18, 2024 and March 7, 2025.

You should write your proposal so that it can be understood by someone outside of your discipline.

A complete application will include the following, clearly labeled:

1. Completed and signed Proposal Route Sheet
2. Abstract: A 250-400 word summary of the proposal.
3. Proposal narrative answering the following questions:
   1. What is the project intended to accomplish (objectives, significance)?
   2. How does this project fit into current research in the area (include brief lit review)?
   3. How does this project fit into your research from the last five years? Is this a continuation of previous research or is it completely new to you? Clearly indicate related work that was supported by an FRG. 
   4. What methods will you use to obtain the project's objective or answer the research question? If appropriate include a data analysis plan.
   5. What activities are planned? If this is a collaborative project the applicant should clearly specify his/her role and activities under the grant in relation to other participants.
   6. What outcomes do you expect? How will the results be disseminated?
   7. What qualifications do you bring to the position as grant director?
   8. What previous grants (IU South Bend and external) have you received, what resulted from those projects?
   9. What efforts are underway to obtain additional funding for this project?
4. Detailed budget and budget justification. Include all items necessary to complete the project, including but not limited to summer salary, travel, supplies, equipment, and subcontracts. Indicate budget costs supported by department/division or other sources. Travel rates and other items for budget consideration can be found online. Summer salary requests should be based on the salary rate in place at the time the proposal is submitted and shall not exceed two months over the period of the grant and must include fringe benefits (30% of salary request) as a budget line item.
5. If your research involves human subjects, you must speak to when you will seek IRB approval and any award will be contingent on IRB approval being received. 
6. If you have previously been awarded an FRG, please attach your last FRG Final Report updated with relevant dissemination information. 
7. Two letters of support addressed to the Contracts and Grants Coordinator (research@iusb.edu). At least one letter of support must be from someone outside IU South Bend who is qualified to discuss the proposal's merits. Letters of support do not require original signatures but should be sent from the author's email account.
8. Current curriculum vitae (electronic version preferred).

1. Electronic proposal submission is required (except for signed route sheet). Staff of the Office of Research (4181) are available to assist in proposal preparation.
2. 12pt type, 1-inch margins, and page numbers are required.
3. It is recommended that the Project Narrative not exceed 5 pages.
4. It is recommended that the Curriculum Vitae not exceed 10 pages.

Decisions by the Research and Development Committee will be based on consideration of the following:

1. Strength of applicant's proposal. Keep in mind that the committee is made up faculty members from different disciplines. You should write your proposal so that it can be understood by someone outside of your discipline. Keep in mind that all acronyms should be spelled out the first time they are used and you should make sure that all discipline-specific terms are clearly defined.
   1. Project's objectives/research questions clearly explained.
   2. Significance of project's objectives/research question is clearly and convincingly articulated in the context of extant research/work in the area.
   3. Research method that will be used to address the objectives/research question is clearly and convincingly articulated.
2. Strength of supporting letters of recommendation.
   1. The committee attaches special importance to the external letter. The letters should clearly address the methodolgy, feasibility, and importance of the proposed project in additions to the capabilities of the PI. 
   2. Any internal letter should address not only the proposed project, but also the institutional benefits that may result from this project.
3. Faculty member's prior record of accomplishment.
4. Faculty member's efforts to seek external support. It is strongly recommended that applicants describe their search for funding and/or the possibilities of such funding in their field. In cases of equal merit, those who have addressed the issue of seeking external support will be given priority.
   Note: Prior FRG recipients must demonstrate that funding was sought from outside IU before being eligible to submit future proposals.
5. Prospects for peer-review publication, exhibition, performance, etc.
6. Potential impact on faculty member's career. (In cases of equal merit preference will be given to junior faculty members.)
7. Amount of recent internal research support. No proposal will be accepted from investigators who received an FRG award during the last academic year or thost that have an open FRG at the time of application. 

See the commitee's decision rubric here. 

1. Faculty must not hold any teaching or other service-rendering appointments during a period for which they request summer salary support.
2. If you plan to teach during the summer keep in mind that the total earned from university sources in salary (excluding fringes) can’t exceed 13-weeks of your academic year salary (weekly rate calculated at 2.5% of the previous academic-year salary).
3. Faculty who receive summer salary support must continue at IU South Bend through the academic year following the summer of the grant. If the recipient does not remain at IU South Bend, the amount of the grant must be repaid.
4. Grants will not ordinarily be made to fund attendance at professional conferences, unless the proposal demonstrates the conference's relevance to the research project. When requesting travel money, the applicant should clearly indicate that departmental and divisional resources have been pursued and are either not available or being used to partially fund the project.
5. When funding is obtained from other sources for projects also supported by these IU South Bend funds, the Faculty Research Grant may be reduced by an amount equal to the other funds provided, unless the application makes clear that different costs within the same project are involved.
6. Because some projects may yield royalties or other income to recipients of these grants, each applicant agrees, as a condition of the grant he or she may receive, to repay the University from such personal income whenever it exceeds $100 in any year. Each year that such income exceeds $100, the recipient is obligated to repay to the University one-half of the amount in excess of $100 until the grant is repaid. Equipment and supplies purchased with grant funds become the property of IU South Bend.
7. Acknowledgment of the source of support should be included in any publication resulting from a project supported by these grants. Grant recipients are requested to provide the Office of Research with copies of publications or announcements of presentations or performances resulting from this grant.
8. Grant recipients are required to submit a report to the Office of Research at the end of the project. Failure to address all the application materials and questions (see below) may result in the proposal being rejected.

1. Applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal approximately three weeks after the deadline.
2. A grant must be expended within the project period specified in the award unless an extension is requested and approved by the Research & Development Committee or its designee.
3. Significant changes in project objectives, procedures, or budget cannot be undertaken without the approval of the Research and Development Committee or its designee.
4. A closing report must be sent to the Office of Research within one month of the project expiration date. Individuals who have not submitted a report on previous grants will not be eligible for future grants.
5. After the specified deadline unused funds will revert to a campus account.
6. These grants will normally terminate when their recipients' appointment at IU South Bend comes to an end.