Advanced Science Research Center Seed Program 2019
Submission Deadline: Sunday, October 6, 2019 12:00am
Before beginning, please read through these instructions and the online submission form on the next page.
Once you begin, you must finish by pressing the "Submit Form" button as the system does not allow users to save and finish it at a later date.
The Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) Seed Program provides funding to enhance scientific research opportunities that can be advanced by taking advantage of the analytical and human resources available through the ASRC. The program encourages an interdisciplinary approach that leverages the ASRC’s five Initiatives (Nanoscience, Photonics, Structural Biology, Neuroscience and Environmental Sciences) and 13 core facilities (https://asrc.gc.cuny.edu/facilities/). For the 2019 Seed Program, grants will fund collaborative research projects between tenured, tenure-track, and research-track faculty at CUNY colleges and faculty at the ASRC. We will award eight $15,000 grants in Research Foundation funds for a nine-month period (November 1, 2019 – July 31, 2020).
The primary goal is to seed research that will become the basis of new external funding. As such, submissions that have a clearly defined research question and a goal to collect critical preliminary data for a future grant proposal will be prioritized. In addition, awardees will participate in a symposium at the end of the funding period to present their findings to researchers from across CUNY, with the opportunity to discuss ways to secure additional funding. Peer-reviewed publications may also arise form this work, and we encourage all such efforts.
It is strongly encouraged that you discuss your proposal, prior to submission, with an ASRC Investigator or Core Facility Director to ensure feasibility. However, it is expected that the PI take full responsibility for writing the proposal. See Appendix A for a list of ASRC Faculty and Core Facility Directors, and visit our website for a description of the core facilities.
Eligibility and Expectations
- Only tenured, tenure-track, or research-track faculty at CUNY campuses are eligible to apply. Lecturers, adjunct faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and full-time Higher Education Officers are not eligible.
- Proposals require collaborative research with faculty (tenured/tenure-track/research) at the ASRC, with a preference for programs of study that integrate across multiple ASRC initiatives.
- Proposals must demonstrate a need for and efficient use of ASRC core facilities and faculty expertise.
- A faculty member may participate in and submit only one proposal for the present round of the competition.
- Proposals without a clearly defined research question or hypothesis and its affiliated research plan will not be considered.
- Previous awardees are eligible if prior awards led to an external proposal submission. Evidence of previous awards needs to be provided as part of the application process.
- The Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) must approve research involving human or animal subjects prior to the release of any funds. Without IRB/IACUC approval funding will not be allocated for any human or animal subjects research. For more information about IRB and human subjects research, visit:
http://www.cuny.edu/research/compliance/human-subjects-research-1.html
Awardee Reporting
- Awardees will be expected to present chief results from their seed-funded research at a public forum to take place at the ASRC around the end of the project period. At that event, they will also discuss opportunities and plans to apply for external funding to extend the research initiated using the seed grant.
- Additionally, awardees will be required to submit a three-page written report at the conclusion of the project period. A grant proposal or submitted manuscript resulting from the work funded by the seed grant will be accepted in lieu of a written report.
- ASRC core facilities should be properly acknowledged in any publications or presentations that emerge from their use.
- Future eligibility for this program is contingent on compliance with these requirements and use of funds in line with the program’s goals and guidelines.
- The ASRC will promote successful outcomes from seed grants through a variety of channels, including its website, newsletters, and twitter feed.
Proposal Evaluation
There will be an internal ASRC preliminary review to evaluate feasibility of each proposal. Proposals that move forward will be reviewed by a CUNY faculty committee that includes at least two faculty from outside the ASRC who have previously received seed funding. The review will be based on the following criteria:
- Clearly defined research question or hypothesis
- Compelling description of the rationale, innovation, and experimental plan
- Potential to yield meaningful, rather than incremental, scientific advancement
- Technical quality of the proposed research
- Defined plan to pursue future external funding to extend the research program, including an explanation of how the data generated and collaboration with the ASRC and/or use of ASRC resources will strengthen a future proposal
Reviewers will also look for a demonstrated record of scholarly achievement and promise. The potential for external co-funding (e.g., from industry partners) will be viewed favorably.
All award decisions are final, and appeals/reconsiderations are not allowed.
Funding and Budget Guidelines
Funds are available to provide up to 8 awards with budgets up to $15,000. Awards will provide Research Foundation funds for a nine-month period (November 1, 2019 – July 31, 2020).
Grant funds may be used for Personnel (e.g., Summer Salary, Research Staff; including fringe) and items other than personnel services (OTPS), including research supplies, time on shared equipment at the ASRC or ASRC core facility user fees. The minimum budget for use of ASRC resources/facilities should be $7,500 of the $15,000 total budget. Seed Funding will not support Academic Year Effort (Released Time).
In all instances, funding is subject to the availability of funds and budgetary approvals. Funds that are unspent at the end of the funding period will be returned to the ASRC.
Submission Guidelines
Complete proposals must be submitted via this online proposal submission form. The following two documents must be uploaded at the time of proposal submission:
Signature page: a scanned copy including PI and college Grants Officers endorsement signatures are required.
File name: ASRC19_LastNameOfLeadPI_signature.pdf
Full proposal: to be submitted on the proposal template available for download online. See full requirements below.
File name: ASRC19_LastNameOfLeadPI_proposal.pdf
All documents must be uploaded as PDFs and named in the format specified below. All documents must be submitted using the appropriate forms, which can be downloaded from:
http://www.asrc.cuny.edu/faculty-opportunities/seed-program/
Note: The Signature page and full proposal are available for download as Microsoft Word documents, but must be converted to PDF format after completion and before submission. Only PDF documents will be acceptable.
The full proposal document must include the following:
- Proposal Summary: 200 words maximum. Please include project title and the names/affiliations of the PI and all co-PIs (not included in the 200 word limit).
- Narrative description of the project: No more than three pages single-spaced, exclusive of references and citations, with one-inch borders and 11-point, Times New Roman or equivalent font. The role of each investigator must be clearly stated, as should the proposed interactions with ASRC faculty and/or use of ASRC facilities. Finally, explain how the proposed project may support future grant proposals.
- Biographical sketch: From each participating faculty member, preferably in NSF or NIH format.
- Proposed budget: For the nine-month funding period
- Budget justification: Clearly indicate any personnel who will be carrying out the proposed research and their effort, and the distribution of funds needed for other costs, including for use of specific ASRC facilities.
- List of current and pending funds, including no cost extensions and startup funds. This section must list the percent effort on existing/pending grants as well as for the current proposal.
Note: Incomplete proposals will not be accepted.
Submission Timetable
Complete submissions must be uploaded by 5:00 PM on Monday, September 30, 2019.
Please direct any questions to:
Nina Gray, PhD
Executive Director, Advanced Science Research Center
Associate Dean for the Sciences
The Graduate Center, CUNY
agray@gc.cuny.edu
Funding decisions will be made and announced in October 2019.