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RECOMMENDED ACTION

Information only.

RESEARCH AFFAIRS COUNCIL

AGENDA ITEM: IV – B

DATE: June 7, 2012

****************************************************************************** SUBJECT: Competitive Research Proposal Update

The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Competitive Research Grants was posted on February 1, 2012 and a total of 52 proposals were submitted by researchers within the Regental system by the March 30 deadline. Each proposal was assigned three reviewers to evaluate and provide feedback on the proposals and an updated evaluation tool was implemented to increase the amount of constructive feedback provided by the pool of reviewers under contract with the Board of Regents central office. Reviews were completed on May 15 and award winners for this year include:

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Dr. Adam French, Atmospheric Sciences – “An investigation of a non-traditional

severe storm evolution: Isolated supercells evolving from squall lines” (Grant Amount: $54,011)

• Dr. Randy Hoover, Electrical/Computer Engineering – “Increasing Autonomous Capability Through Collaborative UAV/UGV Swarms” (Grant Amount: $85,310)

South Dakota State University • Dr. Katie Bertrand, Natural Resource Management – “Year 2 Continuation Proposal:

Will climate change influence population dynamics of native fish in Great Plains streams? Enhancing a modular experimental stream system to increase competitiveness and research capacity at SDSU” (Grant Amount: $49,629)

• Dr. Qiquan Qiao, Electrical Engineering – “Novel Polymers for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells (Year 2 Continuation Proposal)” (Grant Amount: $50,000)

• Dr. Cheng Zhang, Chemistry/Biochemistry – “Design and Synthesis of Electro-Optic Chromophores for Spatial Light Modulation” (Grant Amount: $99,425)

The University of South Dakota • Dr. Khosrow Rezvani, Basic Biomedical Sciences – “Regulation of p53 stability and

function by the UBXN2A, a new strategy for cancer therapy” (Grant Amount: $100,000)

Competitive Research Proposal Update June 7, 2012 Page 2 of 4

Letters to both award recipients and non-recipients were mailed the week of May 28.

Historical Background

Historically, the Competitive Research Grant program was designed by Governor Rounds in conjunction with his 2010 Research Initiative to strengthen South Dakota’s research competitiveness and to generate commercial activity derived from research. The primary goal of the program was to give university faculty an opportunity to start a sustainable research program and to help build research capacity in their department. During the first year of the program a total of 52 proposals were received. To provide release time from teaching, funding was requested for the top 19 proposals to represent 25% of the faculty members’ nine month salary, plus one summer month (excluding all indirect costs). The funding was matched (25%) by the university to provide 50% release time and two summer months of salary to the awardees to do research. For FY07 and FY08 a similar approach was employed to award just under $500,000 each year to approximately 20 faculty members throughout the Regental system (see Table 1).

Table 1 Fiscal Year Total Submissions Total Awards Total Allocation

2006 53 19 $444,293 2007 35 20 $441,760 2008 36 15 $376,377 2009 31 6 $499,450 2010 49 6 $480,992 2011 35 7 $528,351 2012 32 5 $450,000 2013 52 6 $438,375

For FY09, the Research Affairs Council recommended that a number of minor changes

be applied to the annual Request for Proposals, most notably: 1) the total amount of the awards was increased to $100,000 rather than aligning with 25% of a faculty members salary; 2) allowing for funds to be used for faculty salaries, post-doctoral assistants, startup packages, graduate students, and equipment in support of the particular research project; and 3) emphasis given to awardees who do not have a record of success with external funding agencies or who are just getting started in their research career. In FY11 two other modifications were made to the RFP to eliminate the 1:1 match required by the institution and focus applicant eligibility toward those within the first four years of full-time tenure track employment. A complete list of funding awards can be found in Attachment I.

Competitive Research Proposal Update June 7, 2012 Page 3 of 4 Proposed RFP Modifications Six external reviewers are currently under contract to review research proposals. Once the final list of proposals is compiled, reviewers are asked to rate their preferences using five general classifications that include:

1. I would definitely prefer to review this proposal. 2. I am comfortable reviewing this proposal. 3. I would be able to review this proposal but would need to do some background

research of my own. 4. I do not feel qualified to review this proposal. 5. I have a potential conflict of interest in reviewing this proposal.

Due to the sizable number of proposals this past year, a number of reviewers were

required to review proposals that went beyond their contracted rate and assigned proposals they rated as a three when establishing their preferences. One reviewer in particular requested that researcher use of acronyms became difficult to manage while conducting the review (requiring the creation of an acronyms tracking sheet that was more than four pages in length) to better reference arbitrary terminology being employed by researchers. A request was forwarded that asked researchers to include a complete list of acronyms at the front of all future submissions. When anticipating ongoing funding for the Competitive Research Fund program in FY14, council members are asked to review the current RFP (see Attachment II) and be prepared to discuss any potential changes to the approach used to review and award research dollars to faculty within the system.

C

ompetitive R

esearch Proposal Update

June 7, 2012 Page 4 of 4

Table 3 Total Competitive Research Grant Allocations for Each Regental Institution

Fiscal Year BHSU DSU NSU SDSMT SDSU USD System 2006 $15,600 (1) ** ** $107,611 (5) $236,880 (9) $84,202 (4) $444,293 (19) 2007 $15,847 (1) $68,675 (3) $15,925 (1) $119,703 (5) $166,963 (8) $54,647 (2) $441,760 (20)

2008 ** $71,628 (3) ** $81,670 (3) $208,054 (8) $15,025 (1) $376,377 (15)

2009 ** ** ** $143,328 (2) $183,668 (2) $172,454 (2) $499,450 (6)

2010 ** ** $37,710 (1) $82,463 (1) $160,819 (2) $200,000 (2) $480,992 (6)

2011 $123,509 (2) ** ** $44,645 (1) $190,197 (2) $170,000 (2) $528,351 (7)

2012 ** ** ** ** $264,350 (3) $185,650 (2) $450,000 (5)

2013 ** ** ** $139,321 (2) $199,054 (3) $100,000 (1) $438,375 (6)

Total $154,956 (4) $140,303 (6) $53,635 (2) $718,741 (19) $1,609,985 (37) $981,978 (16) $3,659,598 (84)

Table 2 Total Competitive Research Grant Request by Each Regental Institution

Fiscal Year BHSU DSU NSU SDSMT SDSU USD System 2006 5 4 1 8 22 13 53 2007 1 5 2 5 12 10 35 2008 0 5 2 11 12 6 36 2009 1 2 1 10 9 8 31 2010 2 0 2 7 22 16 49 2011 3 3 0 7 10 12 35 2012 0 2 2 3 14 11 32 2013 2 0 2 12 19 17 52

Total 14 21 12 63 120 93 323

ATTACHMENT I 5

FY 2006 Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

Black Hills State University • Scott F. Stoltenberg, Psychology – “Gambling, Impulsivity & Neurotransmitter Genes” (Grant Award:

$15,600) South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

• Gregory A. Buck, Mechanical Engineering – “Ethanol Autothermal Reforming Reactor for On-Board Hydrogen Production for Fuel Cell Vehicles” (Grant Award: $24,588)

• Li Chen, Electrical and Computer Engineering – “Development of a Design Center for Radiation-Hard Microelectronics” (Grant Award: $22,349)

• Hao Fong, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering – “Electrospun Carbon/Graphite Nanofibers for Fuel Cell Related Applications Including Hydrogen Storage and Catalyst Supporting Material” (Grant Award: $17,173)

• James Stone, Civil and Environmental Engineering – “Furthering Uranium and Heavy Metal Remediation Capacities Through Applied Research” (Grant Award: $21,242)

• Nian Zhang, Electrical and Computer Engineering – “A Computerized Electrode Array for Electrocardiology Applications” (Grant Award: $22,259)

South Dakota State University

• Alfred S. Andrawis, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – “Fiber Optic Gas Leak Detector” (Grant Award: $29,553)

• Donald Auger, Biology-Microbiology – “Quantitative Trait Analysis of Seed Dormancy, Seed Shattering, and Indeterminate Flowering in Cuphea, a Potential Oilseed Plant” (Grant Award: $23,672)

• David Galipeau, Electrical Engineering – “Nanosensors – Center for Accelerated Applications at the Nanoscale” (Grant Award: $31,277)

• Xiangming Guan, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Inhibition of Glutathione Reductase as a Novel Approach to Reverse Ovarian Cancer Resistance to Chemotherapy” (Grant Award: $29,226)

• MaryLou Mylant, Nursing – “SDSU Student Nurse Family Partnership Program” (Grant Award: $26,180)

• Srinath Palakurthi, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “A Multi-step Approach for the Targeted Therapy of Ovarian Cancer Using the Novel Polyamine-conjugated Dendrimers as Drug Carriers” (Grant Award: $21,099)

• Joseph M. Santos, Economics – “An Economic History of Futures Trading in the United States” (Grant Award: $25,815)

• Daniel Schaal, Mathematics and Statistics – “Research in Combinatorics” (Grant Award: $26,016) • Songxin Tan, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – “Development of a Multi-wavelength

Polarimetric Lidar Remote Sensing Technique for Vegetation Applications” (Grant Award: $24,042) The University of South Dakota

• Ranjit T. Koodali, Chemistry – “Modified Titanium Dioxide Nanostructured Materials as Advanced Photocatalysts” (Grant Award: $18,056)

• Paula Mabee, Biology – “Bioinformatics: A Case Study Integrating Genomic and Evolutionary Databases” (Grant Award: $27,357)

• Grigoriy Sereda, Chemistry – “Design and Exploration of Photoactivated Catalysts Based on Modified Graphite” (Grant Award: $18,395)

• Susanne Skyrm, Music – “A Teaching/Performing Edition of 18th–Century Spanish Keyboard Music” (Grant Award: $20,394)

ATTACHMENT I 6

FY 2007 Awards Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

Black Hills State University • David Siemens, Science/Biology – “Gene discovery under drought and herbivory in plants:

Functional genomics in close wild relatives of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana” (Grant Award: $15,847)

Dakota State University

• Xinwen Fu, Business and Information Systems – “Effectively and Efficiently Tracking Malicious Use of Anonymous Communication” (Grant Award: $24,225)

• Kevin Streff, Business and Information Systems – “Information Assurance Awareness Measurement Research Project” (Grant Award: $29,139)

• Justin L. Blessinger, English – “Semi-Automatic Essay Grader and Rubric Tool” (Grant Award: $15,311)

Northern State University

• Richard L. Peterson, Chemistry – “Investigation into the Synthesis of Transition Metal Substituted Silicate Materials” (Grant Award: $15,925)

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

• Steve Smith, Nanoscience and Nanoengineering – “Nanoscale Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Nano-and Energy-Materials” (Grant Award: $29,620)

• Andrea E. Surovek, Civil and Environmental Engineering – “Response of Composite Partially-Restrained Connections Subjected to Blast Loads” (Grant Award: $21,679)

• Rajesh K. Sani, Chemical and Biological Engineering – “Generation of Energy from Renewable Biofuels Using Microorganisms from Deep Subsurface of Homestake Mine, Lead, South Dakota” (Grant Award: $18,597)

• Todd J. Menkhaus, Chemical and Biological Engineering – “Development of Separation Processes for the Recovery of High-Value Products from Forestry and Plant Agriculture Feedstocks” (Grant Award: $24,190)

• Thomas P. Montoya, Electrical and Computer Engineering – “Loaded Antenna Development Using Direct-Write Processes with Photo-Active Nano-Inks” (Grant Award: $25,617)

South Dakota State University

• Hesham Fahmy, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Development of potent skin cancer chemopreventive agents from marine sources” (Grant Award: $21,983)

• Omathanu P. Perumal, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Dendritic Nanopolymers as Novel Vehicles for Transdermal Drug Delivery” (Grant Award: $21,474)

• Gareth E. Davies, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Molecular Pathogenesis of HIV Associated Lipodystrophy” (Grant Award: $21,833)

• Shanzhong Duan, Mechanical Engineering – “Efficient Computer Simulation of Multibody Dynamic Systems” (Grant Award: $23,530)

• Elizabeth A. Droke, Nutrition, Food Science, and Hospitality – “The Protective Role of Soy Against Complications Associated with Obesity and Chronic Inflammation” (Grant Award: $19,286)

• Daniel Cervantes Laurean, Chemistry and Biochemistry – “High throughput screening assay for inhibitors of protein glycation” (Grant Award: $19,675)

• Tagir Gilmanov, Biology and Microbiology – “Developing new generation mathematical models for grassland ecosystems of South Dakota” (Grant Award: $19,025)

• Li Qian, Engineering Technology and Management – “Process modeling and optimization for high speed machining of hardened tool steels” (Grant Award: $20,157)

ATTACHMENT I 7

The University of South Dakota • Kai Wang, Computer Science – “Enhance the Performance of ACTS by Processor Virtualization”

(Grant Award: $27,083) • Yunkai Liu, Computer Science – “Haplotype Reconstruction and Decompositions in Diploid Species

with the Perfect Phylogeny Model” (Grant Award: $27,564) FY 2008 Awards Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

Dakota State University • Sreekanth Malladi, Business and Information Systems – “Researching cryptographic protocol security

under new and complex scenarios.” (Grant Award: $25,113) • Barbara Szczerbinska, Physics – “Theoretical study of neutrino-nucleus reactions relevant to solar,

atmospheric and long baseline neutrino experiments.” (Grant Award: $20,329) • Stephen Graham, Business and Information Systems – “Mapping among Disparate Ontologies for

Physics Education.” (Grant Award: $26,186)

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Lance Roberts, Civil and Environmental Engineering – “Reliability-Based Design Methodologies for

Foundation Systems in Transportation Infrastructure.” (Grant Award: $20,944) • David Dixon, Chemistry – “Cooperative Research Proposal for Development of Ultra Fine Powdered

Rubber (UFPR) Prototype Equipment and UFPR Rubber/Polymer Formulations for Commercial Markets.” Industry partner – Enviro Technologies. (Grant Award: $37,365)

• S. Phillip Ahrenkiel, Nanoscience and Nanoengineering – “Growth Kinetics during Recrystallization of Amorphous Silicon.” (Grant Award: $23,361)

South Dakota State University • Alan Young, Veterinary Science – “Circulating Nucleic Acids Derived from Follicular Dendritic Cells

as a Diagnostic Marker for Scrapie Pathogenesis.” Industry partner – Chronix. (Grant Award: $22,737)

• Philip Hardwidge, Veterinary Science – “Discovery and characterization of novel ETEC antigens for human vaccine development.” Industry partner – Rural Technologies, Inc. (Grant Award: $23,481)

• Youngjae You, Chemistry and Biochemistry – “Novel Third Generation Photosensitizers Specific for Apoptotic Cell Death by Targeting Mitochondria.” (Grant Award: $22,925)

• Ying Fang, Veterinary Science – “Antigenic characterization of bovine viral diarrhea virus: development of improved diagnostic tests for detection and differentiation type 1 and type 2 viruses.” Industry partner – Rural Technologies, Inc. (Grant Award: $22,076)

• Marek Malecki, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Cancer Suicide Gene Therapy.” (Grant Award: $25,913) • Ron Utecht, Chemistry and Biochemistry – “Reducing the Impact of Bovine Mastitis with a Novel

Chitosan Formulation Administered at Dry-Off.” Industry partner – SLI, Rural Technologies, Inc. (Grant Award: $29,316)

• Sunho Lim, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – “Development of a Reliable and Delay-Sensitive Medium Access Control Scheme for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks.” (Grant Award: $26,359)

• Din Chen, Mathematics and Statistics – “Developing a statistical mixed model and a full Bayesian integrated approach to identify the differentially expressed genes in non-replicated/small-sample microarray experiment.” (Grant Award: $35,247)

The University of South Dakota • Dongming Mei, Physics and Earth Science – “Laser Isotope Separation Facility at Homestake for

DUSEL Projects.” (Grant Award: $15,025)

ATTACHMENT I 8

FY 2009 Awards Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Dr. Lance A. Roberts – “Recycled Plastic Deep Foundation System for Lightly Loaded Structures in

Expansive Shale” (Grant Award: $58,536) • Dr. Linxia Gu – “Stent-induced Arterial Strain and Stress as a Determinant of Coronary Restenosis”

(Grant Award: $84,792) South Dakota State University

• Dr. Omathanu P. Perumal – “Zein Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications”, $99,427 • Dr. Youngjae You – “Novel Drug Delivery Strategy: Visible/Near IR-controlled Drug Release” (Grant

Award: $84,241) The University of South Dakota

• Dr. Dongming Mei – “Liquid Argon-based Direct Dark Matter Searches at Homestake”, $92,454 • Dr. Haoran Sun – “Fluorinated Materials for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells” (Grant Award: $80,000)

FY 2010 Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

Northern State University • Alyssa Kiesow, Biology – “Characterization & Isolation of Microsatellite Loci for Three Species,

Ring-necked Pheasants, Common Yellowthroats, & False Map Turtles, for the Purposes of Conducting Population Genetic Structure Analyses” (Grant Award: $37,710; University Match: $39,198)

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Rajesh Sani, Chemical & Biological Engineering – “Development of an Overexpressing Thermostable

Cellulase Strain Using a Bacterium Isolated from the Homestake Gold Mine, Lead, South Dakota” (Grant Award: $82,463; University Match: $82,463)

South Dakota State University • Omathanu Perumal, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Zein Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications”

(Grant Award: $93,161; University Match: $93,164) • Youngjae You, Chemistry & Biochemistry – “Novel Drug Delivery Strategy: Visible/Near IR-

controlled Drug Release” (Grant Award: $67,658; University Match: $67,807)

The University of South Dakota • Gina Forster, Basic Biomedical Sciences – “Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Stress

Sensitivity in an Animal Model” (Grant Award: $100,000; University Match: $100,000) • Hongmin Wang, Basic Biomedical Sciences – “Generation of Ubiquilin Mouse Models for Studying

Huntington's Disease” (Grant Award: $100,000; University Match: $100,000) FY 2011 Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

Black Hills State University • Dan Durben, Science – “The Efficacy of Hops (Humulus lupulus) to Control Saprolegnia Fungal

Infections on Salmonid Eggs” (Grant Award: $43,309; University Match: $64,984) • David J. Bergmann, Science – “Metagenomic Analysis of Drainage and Service Water in the Deep

Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the Homestake Mine” (Grant Award: $80,200; University Match: $80,200)

ATTACHMENT I 9

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Kenneth M. Benjamin, Chemical and Biological Engineering – “Molecular Investigation of

Adsorption During Nickel-Catalyzed Supercritical Water Gasification for Bioenergy and Biofuels” (Grant Award: $44,645; University Match: $44,645)

South Dakota State University

• Adam D. Hoppe, Chemistry and Biochemistry – “Development of High-Resolution Imaging of Receptor Signaling Complexes on the Surfaces of Living Cells” (Grant Award: $93,271; University Match: $93,379)

• Hemachand Tummala, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Characterization of a Novel Drug Target for Alzheimer’s Disease” (Grant Award: $96,926; University Match: $98,978)

The University of South Dakota

• Carlos M. Telleria, Basic Biomedical Sciences – “Enhancement of the Lethality of Platinum-Based Therapy by Antiprogestins in Ovarian Cancer: Preclinical Studies Using Animal Models Resembling Disease Initiation, Progression and Metastasis” (Grant Award: $85,000; University Match: $85,000)

• Ying Deng, Biomedical Engineering Program – “Development of Biomimetic Nanofibrous Scaffold for Annulus Fibrosus Engineering” (Grant Award: $85,000; University Match: $100,008)

FY 2012 Individual Seed Grant Program Awards South Dakota State University

• Quiquan Qiao, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – “Novel Polymers for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells” (Grant Award: $93,450)

• Katie Bertrand, Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences – “Will climate change exacerbate habitat fragmentation for Topeka shiners in Great Plains streams? Establishing a modular experimental stream system to increase competitiveness and research capacity at SDSU” (Grant Award: $92,200)

The University of South Dakota

• Gopinath Mani, Biomedical Engineering – “Polymer-Free Dual Drug-Eluting Coronary Stents” (Grant Award: $87,450)

• Vincente Guiseppe, Physics – “Development of a Radon Progeny Surface Contamination Study for Deep Underground Experiments” (Grant Award: $83,450)

• Hongmin Wang, Biomedical Sciences – “Role of Ubiguilin in Ischemic Stroke” (Grant Award: $93,450) FY 2013 Individual Seed Grant Program Awards

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Dr. Adam French, Atmospheric Sciences – “An investigation of a non-traditional severe storm

evolution: Isolated supercells evolving from squall lines” (Grant Amount: $54,011) • Dr. Randy Hoover, Electrical/Computer Engineering – “Increasing Autonomous Capability Through

Collaborative UAV/UGV Swarms” (Grant Amount: $85,310)

South Dakota State University • Dr. Katie Bertrand, Natural Resource Management – “Year 2 Continuation Proposal: Will climate

change influence population dynamics of native fish in Great Plains streams? Enhancing a modular experimental stream system to increase competitiveness and research capacity at SDSU” (Grant Amount: $49,629)

• Dr. Qiquan Qiao, Electrical Engineering – “Novel Polymers for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells (Year 2 Continuation Proposal?” (Grant Amount: $50,000)

ATTACHMENT I 10

• Dr. Cheng Zhang, Chemistry/Biochemistry – “Design and Synthesis of Electro-Optic Chromophores for Spatial Light Modulation” (Grant Amount: $99,425)

The University of South Dakota • Dr. Khosrow Rezvani, Basic Biomedical Sciences – “Regulation of p53 stability and function by the

UBXN2A, a new strategy for cancer therapy” (Grant Amount: $100,000)

ATTACHMENT II 11

TO: South Dakota Institutions of Higher Education FROM: Gary Johnson, System Vice President of Research SUBJECT: Competitive Research Grant Program FY13 DATE: February 1, 2012 The South Dakota Board of Regents is again sponsoring the Competitive Research Grant Program as one of several initiatives designed to strengthen South Dakota’s research competitiveness. The original Individual Seed Grant Program was established in 2005 in response to then Governor Rounds’ 2010 Initiative, specifically Goal Three, which challenged the state to “become a recognized leader in research and technology development by 2010.” In the past few years, recruiting researchers to staff the 2010 Research Centers and to work in new Ph.D. programs has given a tremendous boost to the effort, but we are mindful that increasing research expectations and opportunities for newer faculty are also very important. The intent of this program is to invest in the researcher to enhance the research capabilities and capacities of our universities and benefit the state’s economic development. Through this FY2013 Request for Proposals (RFP), the South Dakota Board of Regents solicits applications for research grants to faculty in the Regental System’s universities. The RFP will be available on-line February 1, 2012, at: http://www.sdbor.edu/services/research/index.htm. The amount of support available for this program is approximately $450,000 and is contingent upon the availability of funds. This will allow five or more awards to be made based upon the quality of the grant submissions and the value added to research at our universities. Tenure track faculty members and research faculty on continuing appointment from other than state funding sources who have new or ongoing research that they would like to pursue through this grant opportunity and who are in the first four years of their faculty appointment are encouraged to make application. Important Dates: Proposal Due Date: March 30, 2012 Anticipated Announcement of Awards: May, 2012 Grant Period: August 22, 2012 to August 21, 2013

All communications regarding this program should be sent to: Gary E. Johnson, Ph.D. System Vice President of Research South Dakota Board of Regents 306 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200 Pierre, SD 57501-2545 Tel: (605) 773-3455 Gary.Johnson@sdbor.edu

ATTACHMENT II 12

South Dakota Board of Regents Competitive Research Grant Program

Request for Proposals 2012 – 2013 (FY13)

1. Purpose of the Competitive Research Grant Program

In support of the Governor’s 2010 Research Initiative the Competitive Research Grant Program (CRGP) goal is to increase the level of university research in South Dakota’s technology based economic development; further expand academic research; build additional statewide research capacity: and exploit new commercial development opportunities arising from it. The South Dakota Board of Regents (BOR) has established a program for FY13 to provide an opportunity for beginning university researchers to develop research programs to become more competitive for external grants and contracts and to provide an opportunity to further develop their research ideas that may have commercial potential. The CRGP will support individual or collaborative research entrepreneurs in their work via a competitive research grant that will help grow research individually or collaboratively. It is anticipated that this grant program will increase research across the state and increase external grant and contract activity among those faculty who are beginning their research careers and who may need increased funding to drive their research efforts to a higher level of competitiveness. In striving to meet the Governor’s 2010 Initiative Goal 3, sub-goal of dramatically increasing our external funding to regional and nationally competitive levels, the CRGP can increase research capacity in the university system.

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the South Dakota Board of Regents solicits applications for grants to provide research funding for a period of one year. 2. Available Funds

The amount of funds available from the BOR for this program is approximately $450,000. Awards will not exceed $100,000 per year and could be renewed up to $100,000 for a second year by submitting a Year 2 Continuation Proposal (See Special Provisions in Appendix 4). The number of awards is dependent on the available budget. Funding in subsequent years is dependent on appropriations from the state legislature. 3. Project Duration

The duration of the grant is from August 22, 2012 to August 21, 2013. Research grants awarded for one year with BOR and university support may be approved for continuation for one additional year pending re-submission of a Year 2 Continuation Proposal demonstrating significant research progress and having met the initial evaluation criteria specified in the FY2013 RFP based on scientific merit, feasibility, and achievability. The Year 2 Continuation award will be dependent on Legislative appropriations to the BOR and competitive standing based upon a favorable proposal review by an external review panel.

ATTACHMENT II 13

4. Mechanism of Support This program will be partially funded by the South Dakota Board of Regents in the form of a grant to the principal investigator’s home institution. The grant may be used for faculty salaries, post-doctoral assistants, graduate students, startup packages, and equipment in support of the particular research project. Monitoring of grant progress and communication concerning the grant will be coordinated through the System Vice President of Research, SD Board of Regents.

5. Eligible Applicants Applicant’s eligible for this program are university employed tenure-track faculty members, and research faculty on continuing appointment from other than state funding sources, within their first four years of full time employment at one of the six Regental institutions. Ineligible for this program are adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, and those currently receiving more than 25% of their salary support from the Research Center Program or the Agricultural Experiment Station. Since the purpose of the program is to build capacity, priority will be given to individuals who are beginning their research career and who demonstrate a potential for significant growth in research with the receipt of this award. Likewise, faculty who have high teaching loads and who demonstrate high research potential should they be able to reduce those teaching loads via a research award are encouraged to apply. Researchers engaged in ongoing funded research may apply according to the stipulations outlined herein. Collaborations among researchers are encouraged. University research officers should be aware that this is intended to be a “value-added” program and that these funds should not be used to replace already existing funds for research release time. The submitting applicant should use the normal institutional process for submitting a grant proposal for external funding, including an institutional sign-off by the authorized institutional representative. Accounting of grant expenditures should be carried out through the institution’s normal grants-accounting procedures.

6. Research Focus Areas To accomplish the objectives of the program, the areas of research supported by this program should meet one or more of the following criteria. It is the responsibility of the proposal author to demonstrate that the criteria are met:

1. The proposed research should be a high priority for a federal, state or private sector

funding agency (or agencies) as indicated in agency strategic plans and/or recent funding patterns of the agency. This criterion is to ensure that the potential for long-term funding and building of a successful research program is available.

ATTACHMENT II 14

2. The research should build upon the expertise and experience of the faculty member who has an idea, concept or hypothesis they wish to research and exploit so that they can help expand the university system’s research capacity.

3. The research should have the potential for development of a commercial product,

entity or bringing of substantial new programmatic resources to the university.

4. All other evaluation factors being equal, preference will be given to faculty research proposals associated with research activity at the South Dakota Sanford Underground Research Facility at the Homestake Mine.

7. Expected Outcomes Grantees are expected to show results and progress by:

• Meeting the goals and objectives identified in the proposal; • Submitting individual or collaborative grants to external agencies for funding to

perpetuate and grow their research; • Submitting intellectual property disclosure agreements which may potentially lead to

licenses, patents or copyrights as appropriate; • Working closely with federal and state agencies and the private sector to develop

linkages required to ensure that research is driven by a government agency and/or commercial needs;

• Using the award to refine and further develop prototypes for potential commercial development;

• Networking with peers throughout the state, region, nation, and internationally to ensure the best scholarship and most focused research approaches can be accomplished.

The proposal should include a set of metrics based upon the above expected outcomes that will form the basis for a project review at the conclusion of the grant year. The metrics should include both traditional academic research reputational metrics (expenditures, publications, major presentations delivered, proposals submitted and grants obtained, etc.) as well as potential intellectual property metrics related to technology-transfer and commercialization (progress towards SBIR/STTR grants, invention disclosures, patent applications, copyrights, royalty income, licensing arrangements, etc.). Any intellectual property that is derived from research associated with this grant, that is determined to be worthy of commercialization, will be developed in accordance with Board of Regents Policy No. 4:34 (Intellectual Property). Joint ownership of intellectual property with another organization, such as a business, is permissible. It is recognized that many unique situations are likely to occur with respect to intellectual property and that negotiation will be required in most cases to arrive at an agreement that is acceptable to all parties.

ATTACHMENT II 15

8. Review Process These grants will be competitively awarded to ensure that the research focus is in areas that advance South Dakota’s research priorities. Proposals will be reviewed by an external review panel contracted by the Board of Regents. The panel selected will provide for a wide range of expertise. The panel will rank the proposals based on the review criteria (See Appendix 4 for a copy of the Review Form) and forward their evaluations via the System Vice President of Research to the Executive Director of the South Dakota Board of Regents who may consult with the South Dakota Research and Commercialization Council for their consideration and recommendations. The Executive Director or Council may wish to conduct interviews in conjunction with any award decisions. 9. Review Criteria

• Purpose and Outcomes (30 points) Reviewers will be asked to consider whether each proposal is likely to produce high quality research and lead to major external funding in the future. Reviewers will be asked to consider each proposal in light of the outcomes described above.

• Significance and Impact – Scientific Merit (30 points) Is the proposed area of investigation significant to the national research community and to funding agencies? Is the project designed in a manner likely to produce significant results? Is the work likely to produce significant new research capacity or commercialized entities?

• Capability – Feasibility (30 points) Reviewers will be asked to consider whether each proposal has a foundation in scientifically based research and an effective plan for meeting its objectives. Proposals should include a description of the faculty member’s qualifications and any project staff, description of facilities and equipment, and show any resources from other sources essential to completing the proposed research.

• Overall Proposal Quality (10 points) Is the proposal professionally prepared? Is the proposal convincing to the reviewer? Is this a proposal that could go forward to a potential funding source with only minor revision?

10. Reporting

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Interim Progress Reports are due as follows: A 1st Interim Progress Report is due December 17, 2012, a 2nd Interim Progress Report is due May 13, 2013, and a Final Report is due August 22, 2013. Reports are to be prepared by the Principal Investigator and will be sent to the Chief Research Officer of the host university who will forward it electronically to the System Vice President of Research at the Board of Regents. The reports will be used to make funding decisions for the second semester, summer stipend, and Year 2 Continuation funds as appropriate. Reporting templates will be provided shortly after an award is made.

11. Administrative and Financial Requirements

A. Award Level: Competitive Research Grant funds of up to $100,000 will pay

for one year of a faculty member’s research project. There will be no indirect costs awarded. Fringe benefits are allowable costs and should be included in the budget.

B. Proposals may be joint proposals from two or more faculty members within institutions or among institutions. Budgets should be constructed to show the proportionate share of the budget allocated to each researcher.

C. Commitment to Submit Project Reports: An application is a commitment on

the part of the principal investigator to submit all required project reports. A 1st Interim Progress Report is due December 17, 2012, a 2nd Interim Progress Report is due May 13, 2013, and a Final Project Report due August 22, 2013 must be filed with the University Chief Research Officer. These reports will be forwarded to the BOR System Vice President of Research.

D. Requests for Reimbursement: Upon request by the awardees institution, the

Board of Regents will provide phased funding by August 21, 2012, January 15, 2013 and June 30, 2013 in payment of the award during the year of work. The budget justification should reflect the need for specific portions of the award at these times.

E. Contributions: The budget should provide information on other support in

detail, for example, supplies, capital expenditures, travel, staff support and funds from other sources.

F. Compliance: The normal regulatory compliance requirements (human

subjects, biohazards, animal welfare, etc.) must be adhered to, and appropriate approvals granted before work on the project can commence. These approvals may be obtained during the review process.

G. Faculty members compensated with BOR Competitive Research Grant

resources who leave the university system prior to completion of the project will be required to reimburse the Board of Regents up to 100% of the state’s

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portion of the grant, or at minimum reimburse any compensation dollars awarded during the performance period.

12. Proposal Format and Components This section provides instructions on drafting and assembling the proposal. It does not modify or replace any earlier section of this RFP. Refer to Appendix 1 for a complete list of required items and the order of assembly.

A. Format and Length • Proposals should be single sided, double spaced, font size 12, font style Times New

Roman or Arial, all pages numbered.

• Proposals may use up to 6 pages of text on the proposed research. Appendices beyond those items required may be attached to each proposal. However, the total length of a proposal including appendices must not exceed 18 pages. Letters of support from potential commercial partners may be included. A single letter of support for the proposal signed by the researchers Department Chair/Head, Academic Dean, and Chief Research Officer is required to verify institutional approval of and commitment to the proposed work. (See Appendix 4).

B. Purpose, Proposed Activities and Outcomes:

Carefully respond to the purpose of the program as described previously, provide details of activities along with a scientifically based research foundation. Outcomes should be identified as reasonable and measurable and specific to the research and will provide the basis of consideration for approval of a Year 2 Continuation Proposal if requested. This section should be given primary attention in preparing the proposal and should be as specific and detailed as possible.

C. Bibliography of Pertinent Literature:

Include citations to major pertinent literature that support statements in the grant proposal (including the scientifically based foundation for the project).

D. Submission of Proposals:

Proposals will be submitted electronically to Kayla Bastian at kayla.bastian@sdbor.edu Proposals must be received in the Board of Regents Office by 5:00 PM (CST), March 30, 2012.

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Proposals that are late, incomplete, do not follow the guidelines, that are submitted by ineligible faculty, or that are not submitted through respective university channels will not be considered.

E. Program Calendar:

Request for proposals February 1, 2012 Deadline for receipt of proposals March 30, 2012 (5:00 PM) Anticipated announcement of awards May, 2012 Grant Period Aug. 22, 2012 to Aug. 21, 2013 Availability of funds August 21, 2012

January 15, 2013 June 30, 2013

Deadline 1st Interim Progress Report December 17, 2012 Deadline 2nd Interim Progress Report May 13, 2013 Deadline for Final Project Report August 22, 2013 Deadline to spend FY13 monies June 30, 2013

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APPENDIX 1

Competitive Research Grant Program Proposal Assembly & Submission

Order of Assembly

1. Cover Page (see RFP Appendix 2) 2. Table of Contents

3. Project Summary (see RFP Appendix 3)

4. Project Description – maximum number of pages: 6 double-spaced, typed on

only one side of each page, font size 12, font style Times New Roman or Arial.

A. Research Objectives B. Background and Significance C. Proposed Work (Methodology), including metrics to measure outcomes D. Description of Facilities and Resources E. Capacity Building or Commercialization Potential

5. Contributions of Organization and others

6. Budget

7. Budget Justification narrative

8. Bibliography of Pertinent Literature

9. Curriculum Vita and Current Support: Two page limit. Use a format similar to that

required by a federal agency (e.g. NSF) where this proposal might be submitted.

10. Attachments (limit to what is necessary to understand the proposal), include any letters of support from commercial entities and a required letter of support signed by the researchers Department Chair/Head, Academic Dean, and Chief Research Officer (see RFP Appendix 4, Special Provisions).

Submission of Proposals Proposals must be submitted electronically with required signatures by 5:00 PM CST on March 30, 2012 to: kayla.bastian@sdbor.edu

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APPENDIX 2

Competitive Research Grant Program Cover Page

Name of Submitting Organization to Which Award Should be Made (Include Branch/Campus/Other Components) Address of Organization (Include Zip Code) Title of Proposed Project PI Department _______________________ PI Organization ______________________ PI Name E-mail Address Principal Investigator Authorized Organizational Representative _________________________________ __________________________________ Name Name _________________________________ __________________________________ Signature Signature _________________________________ __________________________________ Title Title _________ _______________________ __________ _______________________ Date Telephone # Date Telephone #

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APPENDIX 3

Competitive Research Grant Program Project Summary

Name of Institution (include Branch/Campus and School or Division) Address (Include Department) Principal Investigator Title of Project Technical Abstract (Limited to 25 Lines, Font Size 12)

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APPENDIX 4

Competitive Research Grant Program

Special Provisions

Letters of Support Letters of support from potential partnering commercial entities are permitted. A single letter of support signed by the researchers Department Chair/Head, Academic Dean, and the institution’s Chief Research Officer is required. This is to insure that the institutions Department, College, and Research Office are all in concurrence with the proposed research effort. The contents of the letter should indicate concurrence with the research proposed, and make note that the research supports the research direction of the Department, College, and institution. Furthermore, the institutional support letter should indicate alignment of the proposed research with any institutional strategic research plans. These letters are included in the 18 page limit for the entire proposal. Year 2 Continuation Proposals Last year’s Competitive Research Grant Program (FY12) allowed for research grants awarded for one year with BOR and university support to potentially be approved for continuation for an additional year pending re-submission of a Year 2 Continuation Proposal. A Year 2 Continuation Proposal must show significant progress and demonstrate having met the initial evaluation criteria described in those proposals based on scientific merit, feasibility, and achievability. Year 3 Continuation Proposals will not be considered. Investigators who were successful in obtaining awards under the Competitive Research Grant Program last year must meet eligibility requirements as stated in this RFP, and must submit a full new proposal under the guidelines of this RFP. Continuation proposals will be subject to the same review criteria as other new proposals submitted under this RFP. Such proposals should be clearly identified as a “Year 2 Continuation Proposal”. Review Form A copy of the External Evaluation Team Review Form is attached for your information.

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GOVERNOR’S 2010

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM – FY10

Reviewer Form Principal Investigator: Proposal Title: Please comment briefly in each area and provide an overall ranking of the proposal. 1. Purpose and outcomes (30 points): Is the proposal likely to produce high quality

research and lead to external funding in the future? 2. Significance and Impact (30 points): Is the proposed area of investigation

significant to the national research community and to funding agencies? Is the project designed in a manner likely to produce significant results? Is the work likely to produce significant new research capacity or commercialized entities?

3. Capability (30 points): Does the proposal have a foundation in scientifically based

research and an effective plan for meeting its objectives? 4. Overall Proposal Quality (10 points): Is the proposal professionally prepared? Is

the proposal convincing to the reviewer? Is this a proposal that could go forward to an external potential funding source with only minor revision?

Category 1 Score _____points Category 2 Score _____points Category 3 Score _____points Category 4 Score _____points Overall Numerical Score: _____points