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Collaborative Research Grants (IUCRG)

Request for Proposals (PDF)

July 13, 2012

Indiana University is pleased to announce the 2012-2013 opportunity to fund Collaborative Research Grants. This opportunity is open to faculty on all Indiana University campuses. Funding decisions will result from a competitive peer review of proposals in response to this call. The Vice President for Research will make the final funding decisions, based on reviewers’ recommendations. The maximum funding per project will be $75,000 but in exceptional cases, when there is a convincing justification, this maximum could be exceeded. The goals of this competition are to facilitate and support outstanding research and cutting edge discoveries by teams of experts who have not worked together previously in the project’s subject matter. Teams should include experts from different campuses, schools, departments, or disciplines. This opportunity is open to all fields of research.

The intent of this initiative is to support research which will advance a research field and in doing so, impact the lives of Indiana residents, the US and the World. The program as a whole is designed to help increase Indiana University’s competitiveness for external funding involving innovative and transformative research; proposals must, therefore, include explicit plans for securing external funding for projects extending from the findings of the IUCRG. IUCRG recipients are required to submit a proposal for external funding within 18 months from the date that IUCRG funds are available. Applicants should make explicit their plans for targeting external funding including but not limited to the funding agency and institute/program.

IUCRG will fund projects in emerging fields of study, innovative or multidisciplinary research with the potential to significantly increase Indiana University’s research competitiveness, reputation and funding. Proposals should fit at least one of the following subject areas:

1. Biological and Health Sciences: innovative multidisciplinary or multi—collaborator approaches to issues in neuroscience, biological, biomedical or chemical sciences;
2. Physical Sciences and Computer Sciences: innovative multi-disciplinary or multi-collaborator approaches to compelling issues in physical sciences including engineering research, or approaches to other areas of research that rely upon innovative uses of technology, engineering, or computer sciences; research into effective approaches to K-12 STEM education (not curricular development) or education for sustainability;
3. Social and behavioral sciences: innovative multi-disciplinary or multi-collaborator approaches, reliant upon methodologies of the social and behavioral sciences, to issues of local, state, national or international significance.

All proposals should indicate which category or mix of categories from this list of areas best describes the proposed research. Arts and Humanities proposals that do not fit into these categories should be submitted to Indiana University’s New Frontiers seed funding program.

Eligibility: All faculty and staff whose appointments allow them to submit external proposals are allowed to apply. A minimum of two faculty members from different campuses or schools, or different disciplines from the same campus must collaborate as co-primary investigators on the proposed project. Projects must be for NEW areas of research for the investigators, within their areas of expertise, but not a continuation of previous or current research activities. Faculty previously submitting together for external funding (NIH, NSF, etc) are not eligible unless the IUCRG proposal represents a new area of research, or a new collaborator(s) is added to enhance the breadth of the proposed science.

Submission Deadlines: Grant proposals must be submitted electronically by the close of business day on December 11, 2012 (updated) via http://research.iu.edu/funding_collaborative.shtml. Terms of Awards: Applicants can request up to $75,000 for one year. Budgets must be justified and consistent with the scope of the proposed project. Applicants must commit to submitting an external funding proposal within 18 months from the start of the award; failure to do so will preclude eligibility for future internal funding programs. Final reports are required at study completion detailing the project’s progress including proposals submitted and funding received. IUCRG support should be acknowledged in all related publications and reports. Recipients of funding will participate in an open Workshop in the spring of 2014 where awardees will present project results and detailed plans to secure external funding. Award notices are expected to go out no later than February 15th with funds available March 15, 2013.

Budget Restrictions: Funds may not be used for faculty/administrative salaries or tuition; graduate student stipends may be allowed. Travel to a conference by PIs to present project data resulting from and related to the funded project may be allowed.

Application Format: The proposal must include:

• Project description (12 point font; single spaced, 5 page limit excluding references) comprising the following:
  • Background and Significance of the larger project, including discussion of the scientific or scholarly opportunities made possible through this new collaboration
  • Potential impact and transformative effects of the project on the field
  • Specification of plans for grant submission within 18 months from the date IUCRG funds are available; 1-2 paragraphs providing evidence that a funding agency is currently interested in research proposals which may result from the findings of the IUCRG. This includes not only naming interested agencies and programs, but also PAs or RFAs with submission dates beyond the completion of the IUCRG proposal, reports of a discussion with a program director of a funding agency, agency website information specifically noting such interest, etc.
  • Goals of the pilot phase of the project including timing of milestones
  • Overview of the Research Plan to accomplish goals
  • Explicit statement of each team member’s specific role on the project
• Budget, budget justification, and timeline: Explain why IUCRG funding is essential for securing external funding of the project, and what each budgeted item will contribute to the research plan. Please note that budget reasonableness is an important component of the review criterion.
• Biosketch or brief CV (4 pgs. max) for each investigator, showing current and pending support. Proposed IUCRG projects must not overlap with current funding.
• Statement of support from all investigator’s Department Chairs and Deans
• If a proposal involving the co-primary investigators has been reviewed and declined by any external funding agency, the reviews must be included, along with additional information in the appendix noting how the IUCRG proposal differs fron the one submitted for external funding.
• No appendices other than funding agency reviews are allowed.

Review Criteria: The proposals will be reviewed by ad hoc panels of subject experts. Final decisions will be made by the Vice President for Research based on reviewer’s recommendations. Awards will be based on:

• The intrinsic intellectual merit, innovation, and potential impact of the project on the research field(s) involved, including the degree to which it expands the knowledge base or raises new scientific questions across disciplines;
• The strength of the research team and the collaborative nature of the work
• The feasibility and innovation of the project, appropriateness of the research plan and the reasonableness of the budget
• The probability of the project leading to external funding.