UA Little Rock Research and Creative Activity Seed Grant Competition
FY 2018-2019
Purpose
The UA Little Rock Research and Creative Activity Seed Grant Competition will award grants that will act as “seeds” for innovative research and creative activity projects that can be continued beyond the term of seed grants by seeking external support.
External support could be in the form of, but not limited to, proposals submitted to federal funding agencies, private foundations, and other entities for funding of research and creative activity grants and faculty fellowships (e.g. such as those funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Department of Defense and non-profit entities such as the Ford Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).
Based on the lessons learned during the last three offerings of the seed grant competition and recognizing that research and creative activity are very diverse across the range of disciplines at UA Little Rock, two different tracks in the competition will be offered.
Track A will fund four one-year grants, each valued up to $6,000
Track B will fund two one-year grants, each valued up to $12,000.
Track A and Track B grant proposals will compete separately.
Submissions in Track A will be required to make the case as to what strategies will be adopted to seek external support.
Submissions in Track B will be required to submit a grant proposal for competitive federal funding in the fiscal year following the term of the seed grant award. Funds must be used for at least one of the following purposes:
- Generate quality, strategic preliminary data or activity to attract external sponsors
- Expand the scope of a currently funded project in research or creative activity
- Increase the competitiveness of a highly meritorious but previously unfunded proposal
Seed Grant Submission Requirements
- Only UA Little Rock tenured faculty and tenure-track faculty as well as full-time instructors are eligible to participate.
- The PI may not have an active internal seed grant and must have completed all requirements of prior seed grants for which he/she was the PI when the funding of the current RFP commences Fall 2018.
- PIs may submit a proposal in either Track A or in Track B, but not in both tracks.
- Proposals must be prepared and routed through the standard approval channels for sponsored funding applications.
- PIs must submit a one-page letter of intent, followed by a full proposal submission
- Track A proposals will be required to make the case as to what strategies will be adopted to seek external support
- Submissions in Track B will be required to submit a grant proposal in the fiscal year following the seed grant term for competitive federal funding.
Applications Deadlines
- A one-page letter of intent (LOI) due at 5 PM on April 18, 2018 (full proposals will not be accepted without submission of LOIs).
- Confirmation to PI from ORSP for full proposal submission: April 20, 2018
- Deadline of full proposal submission: 5 PM on May 30, 2018
- Announcement of winners: on or before July 16, 2018
- Project duration: Aug. 16, 2018 to Aug. 15, 2019
- Submission of six-month programmatic and financial reports: Feb. 28, 2019
- Submission of final programmatic and financial reports: Oct. 15, 2019
- Date of Seed Grant Expo: September/October 2019 (exact date to be determined and announced later)
Requirements for Letters of Intent
PIs must submit an LOI not to exceed one page to INTERNALRFP@ualr.edu[1] (with a copy to the department chair, the associate dean overseeing research in the college, and the college dean) no later than April 18, 2018.
Submissions that have been inadvertently made without copies to department chair, associate dean, and dean will be forwarded to them.
ORSP will email confirmation to PI to proceed for full proposal submission by April 20, 2018 (with a copy to the department chair, associate dean overseeing research in the college, and the college dean).
The LOI must include the following information:
- Names of the PI and all other UA Little Rock participants, with departmental affiliations listed for each participant
- A project title and project summary not to exceed a half page
- Names and contact information of three potential reviewers with expertise in the proposal’s subject matter. Any conflicts of interest need to be pointed out. Applicants should not contact the potential reviewers.
- Tentative budget
Requirements for Proposals
The following documentation and forms must be submitted to ORSP no later than 5 p.m. on May 30, 2018.
Incomplete applications may not be evaluated for funding. Submissions in Track B will be required to submit a grant proposal in the fiscal year following the seed grant term for competitive federal funding.
- Completed, signed, and approved Authorization Request Form.
- Cover Page identifying project title, name, and affiliation of PI and other collaborators on the proposal and a 250-word abstract written for the lay audience.
- Project Narrative (maximum of 6 pages, single-spaced, font size 11 or 12) that describes the proposed project in the following order:
- Rationale and significance
- Project overview
- Implementation plan
- Expected outcomes and broader impacts
- Past record of external support for PI’s research or creative activity
- Specific plan to seek external support following conclusion of work on seed grant. Track B proposals are required to articulate their plans for grant submissions to federal funding agencies
- References
- Budget and budget justification
The ORSP Budget Template must be used. The funds must be used in accordance with state and university policies. Overspent funds will default to college and departmental funds. Since this is an internal RFP, no indirect costs will be charged.
Suggested line items include:
- Faculty/staff summer salaries
- Summer salaries are restricted to no more than one summer month per participant.
- Extra compensation is not allowed
- Fringe benefits
- Supplies
- Travel support (i.e., agency visits, research site visits, grant writing workshop attendance). Foreign travel is not allowed.
- Student support (undergraduate and graduate)
- Specialized data analysis or preliminary studies
- Other research infrastructure support
- Biosketches for each team member (preferred one page, and no longer than two pages per person).
- Other than collaborators on the proposal, letters of commitment need to be submitted for any external partners contributing to the project.
Review Process
A committee appointed by the Vice Provost for Research in consultation with the Provost will review proposals and recommend awards in Track A and Track B.
The committee will use a scoring rubric as well as feedback from the external reviewers to guide them in their discussions and arrive at recommendations for winners in both tracks. These recommendations will be made to the Vice Provost for Research who, after consultation with the Provost, will announce winners by July 16, 2018.
Scoring Criteria
Scoring will be based upon the following five criteria:
- Significance of the Research and Creative Activity: How important is the research and creative activity? Is it unique from other projects being done in the field right now? Will others in the field find it important?
- Quality of Research Plan: Are the researchers using the appropriate methods? Is a detailed plan presented for performing the work? Are any components missing? Does this plan reflect the best practices in the field?
- Expected outcomes and direct impact to UA Little Rock and the surrounding community: Describe the expected results of the research and how the outcome will directly impact UA Little Rock and the surrounding community. Will students be educated in the process of completing this research and creative activity? Will faculty, staff, and/or students benefit and grow professionally from this project? Will journal articles be written, conference presentations made, etc.?
- Strength of plan to seek external support following conclusion of work on seed grant
- Impact on acquiring/enhancing external support: Will the research and creative activity of the seed grant provide what is needed to be competitive in the pursuit of external support?
- Qualifications of the investigators, partnerships, and facilities: Are the researchers qualified to perform the proposed research and creative activity? Are additional con-investigators needed? When appropriate, are the facilities listed in the proposal available and adequate to complete the work?
Project Requirements
The work outlined in the proposal must start August 16, 2018 and progress consistently during the next 12 months.
An annual presentation to the university community will be required and will be arranged through ORSP.
The awardees must pursue their plan of seeking external support after the conclusion of the seed grant statement of work. The proposed budget for any external proposals resulting from the seed grant activity must include indirect cost recovery at the university’s federally negotiated rate or at the maximum rate the external entity will allow.
Per university policy, all required proposal forms must be completed, submitted to, and approved by ORSP before submission to external agencies
Reporting: Programmatic and financial progress reports must be submitted to the Director of ORSP after the end of the second quarter. A final programmatic and financial progress report must be submitted no later than 60 days after the end of the award and should include a copy of the action taken to seek external support.
Questions?
If you have any questions or would like to request more information about the UA Little Rock Research and Creative Activity Seed Grant competition, please contact
Tammie Cash, Director, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Email: tlcash@ualr.edu
Phone: 501-683-7749
Or
Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya, Interim Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate School
Email: axbhattachar@ualr.edu
Phone: 501-569-8659
[1] The listserv will distribute submissions to the Vice Provost for Research, Director of ORSP, Associate Director of Pre-Award for ORSP, and ORSP IT Specialist
