SUNY CORTLAND OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND SPONSORED PROGRAMS
Summer Research Fellowship Program (2007)
Faculty Research Program (2007-2008)
Application Guidelines: July 1, 2006 — May 31, 2008
INTRODUCTION
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) has prepared the following application guidelines for the 2007 Summer Research Fellowship Program (SRF), and the 2007-2008 Faculty Research Program (FRP). These opportunities are specifically designed to better enable award recipients to pursue external funding opportunities to continue and expand their research. Eligible applicants and application deadlines and requirements differ by program as described below. Any research project will be considered eligible for review as long as the proposal meets the eligibility criteria and deadline(s) for the given program. Applicants should remember that award decisions closely match the intent of each program. If you have questions about any of these programs, contact Glen Clarke in ORSP (ext. 2511) or the College Research Committee (CRC) member representing your discipline. (See Page 8 for a list of the current CRC membership.)
A. GENERAL OVERVIEW
For both of these programs, research is broadly defined as a two-step inquiry that includes both the identification of a problem or question related to a specific discipline and an investigation of the identified problem or question using methods appropriate to that discipline. The researcher’s goal is to seek and disseminate findings in an objective or imaginative fashion. Effective proposals describe both steps in this process such that a reviewer readily visualizes the benefits of completing the research.
The CRC serves as the peer review body for these competitions. CRC members recognize that accepted models of research and creative activity differ across academic disciplines, ranging from quantitative statistical models to more qualitative research designs. Past experience has shown that in certain disciplines and for certain lines of inquiry, quantitative research analysis may be neither feasible nor appropriate.
These guidelines are designed to provide a consistent process leading to fair award decisions. Members of the CRC believe that an applicant from any discipline can write a thoughtful proposal expressing the nature of the problem being studied, some background to the project, the specific plan of work to be done, and the evaluation or intent of proposed activities. Applicants are encouraged to craft proposals enabling members of the CRC to visualize the benefits of completing the research using the proposed research methodology.
B. SRF & FRP APPLICATION DEADLINES
Program / Faculty Eligibility / Deadline(s)* / Decision TargetTo Dean* / To ORSP*
Summer Research Fellowship Program / Full-time, non-tenured, tenure track / Mon., 10/23/06 / Mon., 10/30/06 / Fri., 12/01/06
Faculty Research Program / Full-time tenure-track / Mon., 02/05/07 / Mon., 02/12/07 / Fri., 03/23/07
* Applications must be received on or before the close-of-business on the deadline date.
C. SRF FRP SPONSORS, AWARD PERIODS, AVAILABLE FUNDS & AWARD RANGES
Program / Sponsor / Award Period / Available Funds / Award RangesSummer Research Fellowship Program / Office of the Provost / 05/21/07–08/17/07 / $20,000 / $3,000 - $5,000
Faculty Research Program / Office of the Provost / 06/01/07–05/31/08 / $20,000 / $1,000 - $3,000
SRF and FRP Guidelines, Page 8
SRF and FRP Application Guidelines, 7/06 – 5/08
D. PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
1. Summer Research Fellowship Program (SRF)
Purpose: Provide opportunities for eligible faculty to participate in scholarly activities and establish an ongoing research program.
Eligibility: Eligible faculty will be invited to apply. Full time, tenure-track faculty up to and including their fourth year of service (including prior service) toward their continuing appointment who are returning to SUNY Cortland for the 2007-2008 academic year are eligible to apply.
Deadlines: Monday, October 23, 2006 (to Dean); Monday, October 30, 2006 (to ORSP).
Effective Dates: May 21, 2007 — August 17, 2007.
Funds Available: $20,000.
Description: The SRF is a premiere fellowship program intended to enable Fellows to devote concentrated and uninterrupted time to research throughout the summer months. It is expected that this scholarly work will have two primary objectives: 1) form the basis for a national presentation and ideally a publication; and 2) provide the foundation for a larger project for which the Fellow is required to pursue (and ideally to secure) external funding. Each SRF award is $5,000 and may be used for personal compensation and/or research support. Fellows will receive $3,000 during Summer 2007 and the balance of the fellowship upon submission of an external proposal for funding (approved by ORSP) before Summer 2009. Note that all personal compensation is payable only during the summer months to reduce the fringe benefits charge to the lowest rate (currently 14.5%). Note that international faculty possessing an H1B Visa are assessed a fringe benefit rate on salaries of 45.05%. As such, international faculty members are strongly encouraged to contact ORSP prior to completing the budget to discuss means to maximize the awards based on individual needs and visa status. Awards to those with 12-month appointments support a replacement during the investigator’s project period. Award recipients are not permitted to teach or hold another appointment during Summer 2007. See Pages 3-5 for specific application guidelines and instructions and Pages 9-13 for the Summer Research Fellowship Application.
2. Faculty Research Program (FRP)
Purpose: Stimulate research and scholarship among the full time faculty at SUNY Cortland.
Eligibility: Full time, tenure-track teaching faculty and professional staff are eligible to apply.
Deadlines: Monday, February 5, 2007 (to Dean); Monday, February 12, 2007 (to ORSP).
Effective Dates: June 1, 2007 — May 31, 2008.
Funds Available: $20,000.
Description: Research is encouraged on the premise that active inquiry in one’s field fosters excellence. An instructor's firsthand involvement in current problems and methods of inquiry benefits all students, particularly those who go on to graduate school. The intent of the program is to provide seed money for projects that are new and likely to lead to future funded research. Awards this year will range between $1,000 and $3,000 and may be used for personal compensation and/or research support. Note that all personal compensation is payable only during the summer months to reduce the fringe benefits charge to the lowest rate (currently 14.5%). Note that international faculty possessing an H1B Visa are assessed a fringe benefit rate on salaries of 45.05%. As such, international faculty members are strongly encouraged to contact ORSP prior to completing the budget to discuss means to maximize the awards based on individual needs and visa status. As such, international faculty are strongly encouraged to contact ORSP prior to applying to discuss means to maximize the awards based on individual needs and visa status. Awards to those with 12-month appointments support a replacement during the investigator’s project period. Award recipients receiving personal compensation cannot teach more than one session during the summer. New faculty members are especially encouraged to apply. See Pages 4-5 for specific application guidelines and instructions and Pages 14-18 for the Faculty Research Program Application.
SRF and FRP Guidelines, Page 8SRF and FRP Application Guidelines, 7/06 – 5/08
E. INELIGIBLE PROJECTS
The College Research Committee does not support funding through these programs for:
Þ Undertakings which are not fundamentally acts of inquiry.
Þ Activities aimed primarily toward substantial monetary gain for the investigator.
Þ Textbook preparation.
Þ Course work or curriculum development.
Þ Studies to be used for a thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Þ Studies restricted to local problems in the administration or operation of SUNY Cortland.
Þ Applications seeking capital improvement funds.
Þ Projects that supplant what normally would be supported by the department or College.
F. GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING AND SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
1. Submission Instructions
Please submit applications consistent with these guidelines. The CRC reserves the right to decline to review an incomplete or late application or an application that fails to respond to a required element of any section of the application packet.
If proposed research involves the use of human participants or the use of human body fluids, funding is contingent upon full investigator compliance with SUNY Cortland’s Institutional Human Participants Policy (see http://www.cortland.edu/osp/hrp.htm, especially the link to SUNY Cortland’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) Policies and Procedures). Contact Amy Henderson-Harr in ORSP (ext. 2511) for details. If proposed research involves live vertebrates, contact Dr. Mary Beth Voltura, Chair, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ext. 2713).
For assistance in preparing an application, contact Glen Clarke in ORSP (ext. 2511). The ORSP can also assist faculty in trying to match a first-time applicant with a previous award recipient.
2. Required Application Elements
a. Summer Research Fellowship Program: Submit all of the following information in this order:
1) Completed SUNY Cortland 2007 Summer Research Fellowship Program (SRF) Application Form (as cover sheet) signed by the applicant, department chair and dean or division head. (Page 9)
2) Abstract: Attach a 200-word summary of the project in terms understandable to an informed layperson. If you agree, please include the following optional signed statement at the bottom of the abstract: “In the event that this proposal results in an award, I hereby authorize the State University of New York College at Cortland to release this abstract for college publicity and/or educational purposes.”
3) Narrative: Divide your two- to three-page narrative into seven sections with these headings:
a) Specific research question.
b) Significance of the project.
c) Literature and background.
d) Rationale.
e) Research design and methods.
f) Evaluation of project success/goals and objectives met.
g) Dissemination.
4) References cited page (listing complete citations only for the references cited in the narrative text).
5) Plans for the pursuit of external funding, listing potential sponsors and application deadlines.
6) Completed SUNY Cortland 2007 SRF Budget Narrative. (Page 10)
7) Completed Application Agreement between 2007 Summer Research Fellowship Applicant and the State University of New York College at Cortland College Research Committee. (Page 11)
8) Curriculum Vitae - 2 page maximum.
9) Completed and signed SUNY Cortland 2007 SRF Application checklist. (Page 12)
10) All other applicable attachments specified on the SRF Application checklist.
SRF and FRP Guidelines, Page 8SRF and FRP Application Guidelines, 7/06 – 5/08
b. Faculty Research Program: Submit all of the following information in this order:
1) Completed SUNY Cortland 2007-2008 Faculty Research Program (FRP) Application Form (as cover sheet) signed by the applicant, department chair and dean or division head. (Page 14)
2) Abstract: Attach a 200-word summary of the project in terms understandable to an informed layperson. If you agree, please include the following optional signed statement at the bottom of the abstract: “In the event that this proposal results in an award, I hereby authorize the State University of New York College at Cortland to release this abstract for college publicity and/or educational purposes.”
3) Narrative: Divide your two- to three-page narrative into seven sections with these headings:
a) Specific research question.
b) Significance of the project.
c) Literature and background.
d) Rationale.
e) Research design and methods.
f) Evaluation of project success/goals and objectives met.
g) Dissemination and potential for future funding.
4) References cited page (listing complete citations only for the references cited in the narrative text).
5) Completed SUNY Cortland 2007-2008 FRP Budget Page. (Page 15)
6) Completed Application Agreement between 2007-2008 Faculty Research Program Applicant and the State University of New York College at Cortland College Research Committee. (Page 16)
7) Curriculum Vitae - 2 page maximum.
8) Completed and signed SUNY Cortland 2007-2008 FRP Application checklist. (Page 17)
9) All other applicable attachments specified on the FRP Application checklist.
3. Guidelines for SRF and FRP Narratives
The narrative should (in section a) present a clear statement of the specific research question to be investigated. The applicant should (in section b) discuss the significance of the proposed work in relation to the investigator's discipline or to general knowledge. Typically, successful applicants accomplish this by stating (in section c) how the research complements or extends the existing literature or practice in an area and including appropriate background information to provide context and promote understanding. The logic (i.e., the rationale) which links the research to the literature or practice should be clearly presented and documented with appropriate references (in section d). Any previous, related work by the applicant should be explained as well.
To enable the CRC to evaluate proposals, the investigator has the responsibility (in section e) to discuss the elements, criteria, variables, dimensions, or parameters of the problem to be analyzed, interpreted, manipulated or evaluated. This information serves to clarify those aspects of the problem that the author believes to be important and to tie the question to the specific procedures to be used. The investigator’s research design and methods will include the procedure for collecting and interpreting data / information central to the project. A timetable of proposed activities should be specified.
Where appropriate, the design of the project should be such that comparisons are permitted between or among experimental and control conditions. The CRC is aware that not all research is experimental; however, most fundamental acts of inquiry rely on meaningful comparisons in order to draw conclusions. For example, an investigator examining the impact of a noteworthy feminist writer might formulate a hypothesis exploring the author's popular appeal and contextualizing her work by comparing it to work by her contemporaries. It is acknowledged, however, that some forms of inquiry do not rely on comparisons; for example, ethnographic research seeks to gain a deeper level of understanding of a particular phenomenon. Nonetheless, the applicant is solely responsible in the narrative for clearly describing the phenomenon under investigation as well as why understanding that phenomenon is important.
Specific details of the analysis should be presented. In the natural and social sciences, for instance, statistical evaluations (which might be descriptive or inferential) are often needed; in other areas such as the fine arts and humanities, judgments by peers, an audience, or some other body may be appropriate. It is the experience of the CRC that proposals with poor methods or poorly described methods (e.g., undefined variables, criteria, elements, procedures, analyses) are less competitive and less likely to be funded.