Faculty Scholarship Grant Program
2014 Funding Cycle
Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
1. What is the total amount of money that will be available for FSGP grant awards in 2014?
$200,000.00.
2. Will any unspent funds from the annual $200,000 FSGP budget be allowed to be carried over to the next year?
No they will not. Use it or lose it.
3. What amount of FSGP funding may I, or any single applicant, apply for?
The monetary awards will range between $10,000 and $50,000 per grant, for any FSGP fund category.
4. May I apply for less than $10,000?
Yes, requests for less than $10,000 will be considered. However, if your funding request is less than $5,000 it would be prudent to explore other sources of internal (SMU) funding that you may be eligible for and that would better suit your scholarship needs.
5. If I am awarded money in 2014, do I have to spend it by 2014?
No. All funds awarded to faculty through the FSGP program will extend over a period of up to three years.
6. What are the eligibility criteria to apply for a FSGP award?
See the FSGP Application Guidelines (pp. 2-3) for detailed information about who is eligible to apply (as the principal investigator) for a FSGP grant, as well as who is eligible to participate as part of the project team.
7. Where will I find all the material required to apply for a grant from the FSGP?
On the following page of the SMU website: http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/academic_affairs/grant_proposals
8. If my proposed project does not align with any of the FSGP funding priorities, can I still apply for this internal grant?
Yes, although the applicant must be mindful that the FSGP funding priorities, established by the OAA and endorsed by the FORC, reflect two major SMU strategic priorities: Teaching and Learning, and Interprofessional Education.
9. Does the FSGP supplant the other internal SMU grant programs (e.g., the faculty seed grants)?
No, it does not. The FSGP is in addition to the other current internal grant programs.
10. Will FSGP funding be available in 2015?
The OAA anticipates that FSGP will be a continuing source of funding, budgeted from year to year. As are true with all institutional expenditures, funding depends on the continuing financial success of the institution. FSGP funding will remain a high priority of the Academic Division.
11. Will the timeframes and procedures for 2015 FSGP applications be the same as the 2014 funding cycle?
No. Since this 2014 funding cycle is inaugural launch of the FSGP and occurs late in the year, the processing time for applications is shorter than usual. There will be a specific set of timelines and instructions established and published for 2015.
12. Where should I direct my questions regarding the FSGP application process?
Send your questions via email to: . Designated FORC and OAA representatives have access to this account, which is closely monitored.
Application Timelines and Processes
12. What are the relevant deadlines for FSGP applications for 2014?
Timeline for 2014 Funding Cycle:
Step in application process / Due date“Letter of Intent” to submit FSGP / August 15, 2014
Completed FSGP Application submission (electronic and print copies) / September 15, 2014 by midnight (11:59 PM)
FORC Recommendation to OAA / September 30, 2014
Decisions from OAA to Primary Investigator / October 15, 2014
Grant Monies Awarded / November 1. 2014
13. Is submission of a letter of intent (LOI) required?
Submission of a LOI is not required to submit a FSGP application— however, it is strongly recommended. Faculty who do not submit an LOI could decrease their potential to receive funding.
14. What is the format of a LOI, what information should a LOI contain and to whom should I send it?
Letters of intent should be sent as an email to: ; addressed to the Chair of FORC, and should address three points: a) Topic – a brief description of approximately 50 words, b) Name of the PI and other faculty on the project team, and c) Approximate total budget that will be requested.
15. Which application package should I use for the FSGP?
There are now separate application packages for the Faculty Research Seed Grants and the Faculty Scholarship Grant Program. Please use the FSGP application package entitled Faculty Scholarship Grant Program Application – 2014 Funding Cycle. Detailed guidelines, specific to the FSGP grant application are available as a separate document entitled FSGP Program Procedures and Instructions for Grant Application Submission – 2014 Funding Cycle.
16. What are the key differences between the applications for the Faculty Research Seed Grants and the FSGP?
Key differences are as follows:
· The FSGP Application Criteria Checklist (p. 4 of the application)
· FSGP-specific questions (3) on the Dean or Department Chair Approval Letter (p. 6 of application)
· The Proposal Content must include a plan for dissemination with a timeline (p. 9 of application)
· The detailed budget………
17. What is the rationale for the three questions that must be answered on the Dean or Department Chair Approval Letter (part of the application package)?
The responses by the approving administrator to the three questions in this section is a way of documenting that the faculty requesting FSGP funding and his/her Dean/Chair has negotiated FIA and workload issues according to the guidelines in the document, FSGP Program Overview. The OAA reviewers will require this information to determine if certain FSGP funding criteria are met.
18. For the 2014 funding cycle, will FSGP applications be reviewed as they are submitted?
No. The timetable set for the 2014 cycle is provided in the response to question 12. All applications will only be accepted on September 15 (no early submissions allowed). All applications will be reviewed by the FORC between September 16 and September 29 and by the OAA between September 30 and October 14, according to the processes described in FSGP Application Guidelines.
19. Who will complete the initial review of FSGP applications?
The FORC will complete the initial review of all applications. See p. 2 in the FSGP Application Guidelines for more information regarding the application review sequence.
20. Who should be listed as members of the project team on the FSGP application? Should individuals who are not SMU faculty be listed?
All persons anticipated to be involved should be listed as part of the project team. The IRB application (if applicable) will require this as well.
21. Should I expect a major change in the rubric used to review a FSGP application?
There will be two rubrics used to review FSGP applications: one to assess the scientific merit of the project proposal and one to determine how well the proposal aligns with the FSGP criteria established for Category I and Category 2. The first rubric (FORC SciMerit) is essentially the same as the rubric that has been used for Faculty Research Seed Grants. The second rubric (OAA Programmatic) is new. Both rubrics are available as informational documents in the FSGP application package.
22. Can the primary investigator’s curriculum vitae replace the NIH Biosketch requested in the application package?
No. the NIH BioSketch format is required and has 2-page limit. A fillable, Biosketch template (as a Word document), with an example, can be downloaded via this link: grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/biosketchsample.doc. Copy and paste the link into the URL box in any browser.
Proposal Content
23. How will an application reviewer be able to determine if the focus of the proposed project aligns with funding priorities of the FSGP?
The Proposal Content section of the application should provide the reviewer with the information required to make this determination. Applicants should review the funding priorities for each FSGP category in the FSGP Program Overview document, and thoroughly read item 9 in the FSGP Application Packet.
24. Can faculty dissertation studies be funded by FSGP?
At this time, dissertation studies and student research will not be considered for FSGP funding.
Use of FSGP Funds/Budget Considerations
25. Are the potential items for funding through FSGP much different than the Faculty Research Seed Grants?
See pp. 3-4 and 6-7 of the document FSGP Program Overview for a list of potential items/activities for which you can request funding. A major enhancement of the seed grant funding included in the FSGP is the possibility of fiscal remuneration of faculty time related to the FSGP-funded project (either faculty release time or stipends)
26. Can funding be requested for either or both faculty release time and faculty stipends?
The principal investigator must negotiate this with their supervising administrator, the Dean/Chair/Director who will sign the approval letter.
27. Is funding for travel expenses related to implementation of the FSGP-funded research project possible?
Yes. This does not refer to travel expenses for presentation of research to the outside community.
28. Will the FORC or OAA be able to change the dollar amount that is being requested by the primary investigator?
Principal investigators may be asked to modify the amount of their funding request – see item 3.2 on p. 5 of the document FSGP Application Guidelines for more information about modifications to funding requests.
29. What kind of budget planning resources are available to faculty who are applying for a grant through the FSGP?
Peggy Griffith (Budget Director) is available to consult with faculty regarding budget planning.
FSGP_FAQs_2014 Funding Cycle 2