Commonwealth Campuses Research Collaboration Development Program Phase 1 Concept Paper

Purpose:

To encourage and support both independent and collaborative research projects between Penn State Commonwealth Campuses and core multi-user faculty and research facility staff at the Interdisciplinary Institutes at University Park and at the College of Medicine, the Office of the Vice President of Research (OVPR), in collaboration with the Provost’s Office, the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses (OVPCC), the College of Medicine, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Eberly College of Science, and the College of Health and Human Development is piloting the Commonwealth Campuses Research Collaboration Development Program. Through this program, Commonwealth Campus faculty are provided the opportunity to submit research proposals that will require access to Penn State’s shared facilities (equipment, instruments, capabilities, and/or expertise). In 2018, it is expected that 20 awards of up to $10,000 will be made through competitive selection process.

The goals of this program are:

• Build the foundation for collaborative research environment
• Build relationships between researchers at UP and CoM facilities/institutes and faculty and students at Commonwealth Campuses
• Accelerate research and strengthen opportunities for submission of high-quality publications and proposals
• Increase opportunities for engaging with funding agencies and industry

This program requires a two-phase process for submitting a proposal:

1. Phase 1 concept paper (application window 10/26/2018 - 3/1/2019)
2. Phase 2 Proposal (Different processes for Huck/IEE/Nanofab/MCL; SSRI; ICS; CoM) (application window 12/1/2018 - 5/1/2019)

Institutes/facilities participating in this pilot:

• Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (Huck)
• Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE)
  • The Energy and Environmental Sustainability Laboratories (EESL)
• Materials Research Institute
  • Materials Characterization Lab (MCL)
  • Nanofabrication Lab (Nanofab)
• Institute for CyberScience (ICS)
• Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)
• College of Medicine (CoM)

The phase 1 concept papers will be reviewed by institute/facility researchers based upon the following criteria:

• Scientific merit
• Availability of the required resources and/or other research supports
• Approach, including technical feasibility and research methods
• Qualifications of the applicant
• Likelihood of external funding

Phase 2 Proposal Review Criteria:

• Proposals will be evaluated by the Institute/Facility Leadership.
• The evaluation criteria specific to each institute/faculty are listed on the application sites.

Funding and Allowable Costs:

In 2018, it is expected that awards of up to $10,000 each will be made, with total number of awards not to exceed 20.

The program will consist of two types of support for the Commonwealth Campus Faculty:

• Equipment use time and facility staff time
• Travel expenses to and from campuses and Interdisciplinary Institutes

In addition, for SSRI applications, $500 will be provided for the UP mentor.

Eligibility:

All full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty* members at Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses are eligible to apply. [*Waivers for non-tenured faculty may be requested when petitioned by the faculty member’s Associate Dean of Research in advance of the Full Proposal.]

Project Duration:

All projects must be completed within one year of the start date. Any unspent funds remaining at the end of one year must be returned to the program / OVPR.

Reporting Requirements:

Within 3 months of the end date of the project, the Commonwealth Campus faculty member/facility staff will submit an initial report to the OVPR.

The Commonwealth Campus faculty member/facility staff should participate in the Commonwealth Campus Grant Writing Workshop in May.

Within 1 year, a follow-up report is required and should include quantitative outcome measures:

• # Publications
• # Grant proposals
• # Presentations (At UP, CoM, and Commonwealth Campuses)

Application and Review Process:

This program requires a two-phase application process, consisting of a pre-proposal concept paper and a proposal.

Phase 1 (For ALL applications)

Concept Paper: Submission window is from October 26^st to March 1^st and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

1. Faculty must submit a concept paper specifying the main scientific question(s) to be addressed (maximum of two paragraphs). If known, please identify the institute or core facility and any required capabilities/expertise.
2. For SSRI, faculty should suggest potential UP mentors.
3. Concept papers will be reviewed by facility/institute staff and matched with an internal Subject Matter Expert (SME). A response will be provided within 10 days of submission.
4. Preliminary Discussion: A conversation between the faculty and SME will occur to explore/develop the concept. If required, the program will provide “pre-proposal” funding to determine feasibility (e. g. cover up to ~ 1 day of staff time + instrument time for ~$1000). The decision to provide the pre-proposal funding will be made by the facility directors/faculty in conjunction with facility technical staff.
5. The outcome of the pre-proposal work will be reviewed by the faculty member, SME, and core facility/institute leadership. The faculty member will be encouraged to submit a proposal if the results are positive.

Phase 2 (Different processes for Huck/IEE/Nanofab/MCL; SSRI; ICS; CoM): Submission window is from December 1, 2018 to May 1, 2019 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.