Cross-Unit Research Collaboration Incentive Program

Cross-Unit Research Collaboration Incentive Program

Goal

To create synergies and incentivize new collaborations across academic units that capitalize on strengths in different areas and expand the potential for externally funded research.

To be eligible for these mechanisms, a research collaboration needs to:

• Involve at least one tenure track faculty member from an HHD department with per capita research expenditures below the median (CSD, HPA, RPTM, SHM) as PI/PD or multi-PI/PD and one faculty member from another academic unit as multi-PI/PD or co-investigator
• Have a clear, feasible strategy for the pursuit of external funding

All submissions that meet the criteria state above will be considered; however, the program seeks to highlight, and thus priority will be given to:

• Collaborations with an early career faculty PI/PD
• Projects that include collaborations beyond two HHD academic units (i.e, involve additional HHD academic units, HHD research centers, academic or research units outside HHD)
• Projects that involve new collaboration partners and/or innovative approaches with the potential for research impact

Collaborations that receive support under Mechanism 1 are still eligible to apply for Mechanism 2 support.

Mechanism 1: Seed grant

• Supports feasibility and pilot data that enables the potential success of a future external proposal
• Can be completed in 2 years
  • A no-cost-extension will be available only under exceptional circumstances
• Requested budget can be up to $20,000 per year (for a total of $40,000)
• Seed grant funds are NOT intended to support:
  • Student (honors, masters, dissertation research) or post‐doctoral projects
  • Major equipment purchases
  • Faculty effort (e.g., summer salary, buyout, or salary release)
• Short application process with an annual deadline, including:
  
  1. Specific Aims (1 page)
  2. Research Plan (4 pages)
     1. Significance: explain the importance of the problem and state of the existing knowledge, with a rationale for the proposed research; if the project is in an area that is novel to the researcher, explain the rationale behind the new direction
     2. Innovation: describe any novel theoretical concepts, approaches, or applications, and how the collaboration will further science
     3. Approach: provide a description of the methods and analyses that will be used to accomplish the specific aims
     4. Timeline for Project
  3. Action Plan for grant proposals; describe if the project is intended to be in response to a specific RFA/RFP
  4. Budget and Budget Justification per year
  5. Biographical Sketches for each faculty member involved in the project
• Review is managed by the dean’s office; criteria for review includes:
  • A well‐articulated plan of activities, e.g., clear match between the specific aims and the research components; feasibility of completing the research within the time and budget requested
  • Evidence of scientific rigor and scholarly excellence; likelihood that the project will result in one or more high quality research publications
  • Likelihood that the preliminary data will lead to an externally funded grant proposal

Mechanism 2: Cost-share for applications to external funders

• Short applications submitted 30 days prior to grant submission deadline with budget and justification for cost-share funds requested
• Amount available is determined by the amount of budgeted direct costs to be expended at HHD
  • <$50,000 eligible budgeted direct costs – cost share will be up to 15% of eligible amount
  • $50,000 - $150,000 eligible budgeted direct costs – cost share will be up to 10% of eligible amount
  • >$150,000 eligible budgeted direct costs – cost share will be up to 5% of eligible amount
• Funds have to be spent during the approved project period
• Process – Faculty with funding applications that meet the above criteria seeking cost-share should:
  1. Contact their respective Department Head to discuss the upcoming application and potential cost sharing request
  2. Submit an intent of proposal via HHD-PreAward@psu.edu
  3. Work with the College research office develop a sponsor budget and an appropriate cost share budget

Submit a proposal

Submission deadline: Proposals will be accepted through September 15, 2024.

• Submit a Cross-Unit Research Collaboration Incentive Program Seed Grant Mechanism proposal