Funding Your Research: Strategies to Find & Secure Funding for Research & Education

Peter A. LarsenSponsored Programs Enhancement205 ATDCpalarsen@mtu.edu orpete@mtu.edu 906.487.2906

Presentation Overview• Internal Funding Opportunities

http://www.mtu.edu/research/references/awards-management/internal-awards/

• Finding Funding for Your Research– COS: Uncover Funding Opportunities

http://www.mtu.edu/research/resources-for/researchers/funding-resources/cos/

– Other methods• External Funding Opportunities

– Foundation & Corporate – Government (Federal & State) – Graduate Student Funding

• Limited Submission Reminders• Proposal Development • Questions

Internal Funding Opportunities

• Internal Awards:– Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2)– Research Excellence Fund (REF)

• Infrastructure Enhancement (IE)• Research Seed (RS)• Mentoring Grants (MG)

Announced via:Tech TodayResearch NewsblogSent electronically to Deans & Department ChairsAvailable on the Research website

Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2) - Total

Awards $15-20,000Purpose: Provide equipment funds to assist the research efforts of faculty, staff and students. Primary factor is the broadness of the impact the equipment will have on the campus community.– All faculty and staff are eligible to apply.– October deadline (4:00 pm today, 10/22)

Research Excellence Fund (REF) Total Awards $400,000

Three types of REF Grants with a February Deadline:(There is a limit of one submission per

Principal Investigator per category.)

• Infrastructure Enhancement (IE) ($150,000 avail.)• Research Seed (RS) ($220,000 available)• Mentoring (MG) ($30,000 available)

Research Excellence Fund (con’t)

• Each award has a selection committee that make the award determinations

• Duration of project one year (July 1 – June 30)• Proposal format guidelines exist and must be

followed• Reports are due at the end of each project

REF Infrastructure Enhancement (IE)

Purpose: Provide resources to develop the infrastructure necessary to support sponsored research and graduate student education.– Chair, Dean, Center/Institute Directors must be PI,

other faculty are eligible to be Co-PI.

Each year $150,000 is awarded

REF Research Seed (RS)

Provide untenured tenure-track faculty with resources to develop externally supported research. – All untenured tenure-track faculty in any academic

unit are eligible. Tenured faculty, research faculty or research staff can be co-investigators.

Each year $220,000 is awarded

REF Mentoring Grants (MG)Provide newly-hired untenured tenure-track faculty in their first two-year appointment with resources to collaborate with established nationally known researchers.• Mentor cannot be affiliated with Michigan Tech•Mentor should not be someone with whom a

mentoring relationship already exists such as a previous advisor or senior research collaborator.

Each year $30,000 is awarded

REF Hints• Reviewers will be your peers at Michigan Tech, but not necessarily experts in your field.• Interdepartmental collaboration is encouraged.• Impact on subsequent external funding is a key point of review.• Summer salary is allowed, but has historically been suggested for removal from the budget.• As with other programs, follow the guidelines exactly.• You still need a transmittal and an approved budget.

Finding Funding• Search techniques

–COS is our primary University-sponsored search engine. It is detailed in upcoming slides.–Other techniques work best in specific situations and are described by type of funding throughout presentation.

• When to look for funding–One year lag time in most cases–Note the cycle of federal programs

COS: What is it?• COS: a global resource for information critical to

scientific research and projects across all disciplines• Find funding with COS Funding Opportunities:

22,000+ records, 400,000 opportunities• Identify collaborators with COS Expertise: search

500,000 profiles of researchers (1,600 institutions)• More information (including a tutorial) available at:

http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/vpr/cos/cos.html

COS: Sign up

COS: Searching

COS: Expertise

Foundation Funding• Yes! Some foundations do fund research.

– Private foundations are generally driven by the interests of an individual or family.

• Many private foundations do not have websites and can be difficult to find.– How Michigan Tech can help:

• Foundation Center• FoundationSearch.com

• Michigan Tech contact: – Priscilla Khoury, Director of Foundation Relations (487-1608,

pjkhoury@mtu.edu)– When to contact Priscilla

Foundation Funding• Timeline: Many foundations meet quarterly for

funding decisions (board meetings)• Preliminary contact with foundation staff is

essential• Look at what the foundation funds, not what

they say they fund• Consider your overall plan for funding your

research

Foundation Funding• Many private & corporate foundations have a

limited submission policy even though it may not be published. Assume all foundation proposals are limited submission, if not otherwise stated.

• To be sure that your proposal does not conflict with another, use the Foundations Internal Notification Form: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/sprot/forms/foundations_proposal_internal_notification.html

Corporate Funding• Corporations do fund research• Again, assume a limited submission situation,

if not otherwise stated. – Most corporate research is not funded through a

formal “call for proposals.” • Coordinate with the corporate development

staff of the office of Institutional Partnerships (through MTU fund)

Government Funding• Searching Tools

– Grants.gov– MyNSF (daily email)– NSF search by division/directorate/program– COS– Google

• Most agencies offer customized funding alerts• Program officers in charge of one interesting opportunity can direct

you to other related programs• Talk to a program officer at NSF• Network at conferences—find out who is funding research in your

area of interest

NSF Funding

Government Funding• In addition to funding within disciplines, look

for programs specifically for certain situations– Examples:

• NSF CAREER Awards, other early career faculty awards

• Equipment programs• Course and curriculum programs• Fellowship programs• Education/outreach programs (REUs, RETs)• Research centers

Funding for Graduate Students

• Write students into your proposal budgets!• Encourage students to seek independent funding—even if they

are internally funded.• Nearly all Federal agencies that sponsor research also sponsor

individual graduate fellowship competitions:– NSF, NIH, EPA, NASA, Homeland Security, etc.

• Michigan Tech’s Resources • Grad School website/funding blog

– http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/admissions/financial/• Proposal Incentive Award Program

• Also, consider funding undergraduates – Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs); supplements

Limited SubmissionThe VPR Office posts limited submission opportunities on the following web site and tracks all submissions.

This is a VERY IMPORTANT internal process for external support.

http://www.mtu.edu/research/administration/sponsored-programs/proposal-preparation/identification-funding/limited-submission/

Limited Submission• Current opportunities

are obtained from various sources and posted on the web site and notification is emailed to deans, chairs, and directors.

• Internal deadlinesare set and any proposals submitted after the deadline will not be eligible for submission.

• Internal competition occurs when submission of more than the maximum number allowed has been reached for a particular sponsor

Limited Submission

Last-minute opportunities: “new unlisted”

Immediately notify the VPR office, Laurie Stark at ldstark@mtu.edu, with information to announce on

the web site.

Limited Submission• Less than ten (10)

business days prior to the deadline: all proposals received in the VPR office will be submitted on a "first come first serve" basis.

• More than ten (10) business days prior to the deadline: an announcement will be emailed to the deans, chairs, directors and normal instructions will apply.

Proposal Development• How do you get started?

– Ask questions of program officers, foundation staff, your colleagues

– Initial writing• Develop a 2-3 page concept for a research project• Develop a strategic plan for your research• Develop a problem statement, overall goal, and objectives• Sketch out a three year timeline for research, package

themes– Focus your efforts on areas of greatest opportunity

Proposal Development• How do you get started?

– Prior Awardees/Examples of Successful Proposals– Templates for proposals, budget justifications, etc are

available– Internal Resources (Pete & others)– Books/Online Help

• NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide– http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg

• The Science of Scientific Writing– http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/the-science-of-scientific-

writing/1

Proposal Development Hints• Start early: you will use all the time no matter how much you

have. – Especially true with subcontracts and support letters

• Have several people review drafts (someone in your field, someone outside of your field, education person, final editor for grammar, spelling, etc.)

• Don’t underestimate the amount of time to package and put together the “other stuff”

• Make the proposal look nice and proofread• Be willing to accept feedback even if you don’t agree. REVISE,

RESUBMIT. Address reviewer comments. Why?

Proposal Development Hints• Scope: be realistic• Amount of research detail (varies by sponsor)• Think like a reviewer (BE a reviewer, too!)

– Follow all directions– Use suggested format and headings– State your project goal and objectives EARLY!– Use logical headings, use graphs, charts, figures, etc to your

advantage– Write for the review sheet. Give your reviewer key phrases

for the review sheet. (Example, NSF Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts)

How Can I Help?

• Finding funding• Navigating the “internal” process• Collaborating on campus• Information about Michigan Tech• Management, outreach, evaluation plans• Proofreading, editing• Feedback from a first-time reader• Learning fastlane, grants.gov, etc.

Questions?