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> Research > Dean's Faculty Research Fund
Dean's Faculty Research Fund
Objective:
The Dean's Fund for Faculty Research was established for the purpose
of helping to enhance the research resources available to the Faculty
at NYUCD so as to improve the quality of research and increase their
potential to obtain outside funding. There have been some changes
in the guidelines for this fund this year so please take note. Although
similar categories for funding still exist, the emphasis is different.
A major change is that there is no deadline. The Office of Research
will accept grant applications throughout the year.
The following are priority categories in which the Research Policy
Committee encourages applications:
Advanced external review for new investigators or new areas of
investigation: The Office of Research is making available a process
for outside review of grant applications prior to submission to a
federal agency. This can be done at any time throughout the year.
If you turn in a completed NIH or NSF-style grant to the Office of
Research, it will be distributed to qualified external reviewers and
written reviews will be obtained as soon as possible. This will help
new investigators or those embarking upon a new area of research by
getting a high-quality review without prejudice. Based on this review
the faculty member will be eligible to apply to the Dean's Fund for
funding to improve the quality of the proposal (see below).
Bridge Funding or Seed Money:
There is need for a mechanism for both seed money and "bridge" funding.
Considering the fact that the College has limited resources, the first
priority is to help those individuals who have applied for federal
funding and have a good review, but need additional data in order
to improve the grant. Thus, individuals or groups that have submitted
a grant and received a summary statement that indicates that more
work needs to be done to improve the proposal may submit a request
to the Dean's Fund. This also includes those who have taken advantage
of the review process described above.
Submission requirements are:
- a copy of the previously submitted grant,
- the summary statement from the granting agency,
- a 3-5 page response to the criticisms of the reviews with the
proposed changes the PI plans to make,
- a budget necessary to accomplish the proposed experiments,
- an expected time line for completion of the proposed studies
and submission of the grant. The Research Policy Committee will
review the proposal and decide upon funding. If external expertise
is needed we will add members to the committee for the purpose
of review.
Pilot Studies:
Funding for small-scale feasibility studies is still available. Typically
awards will be in the range of $2,000 - $5,000 and should be for pilot
studies for new ideas with high impact potential and a good potential
for obtaining extramural funding. This is not designed to fund continuation
studies or to supplement ongoing projects.
The proposal should be limited to five (5) single spaced pages. The
following is a suggested format.
- Specific aims - ½ p.
- Background information - 1-1 ½ p.
- Methods - 2-2 ½ p.
- Significance of the research - ½ p.
- Other support:
List any other projects, either funded or pending, including the
title, budget, the funding agency and the project period. Briefly
indicate the nature of the project; and if there is any overlap
with the proposed research, clearly describe the overlapping areas
and estimate the percentage of budgetary overlap.
Matching funds for shared instrumentation: There is a need
for matching funds for shared instrumentation grants. Some agencies
like NSF want to see as much as a dollar for dollar match, while others
like NIH want to see long-term service contract or technical support
as a match. The Research Policy Committee will entertain requests
for matching support for shared instrumentation grants. The Committee
will also entertain requests for matching funds for shared instrumentation
where the investigators have raised money from other sources such
as department and / or division heads, foundations, companies or their
own grants.
Typical awards: The goal is to supply enough money to highly
meritorious proposals (those with a high likelihood of leading to
external funding) to make them competitive for funding. Thus no minimum
or maximum exists; however, reasonableness of the budget is a review
criterion (see below). Only under unusual circumstances will an award
be made in excess of $25,000. The typical duration of the award is
one year, with all unexpended funds reverting to back to the Dean's
Fund at the end of the award period.
Eligibility: Only a full-time faculty can be a Principal Investigator
(PI) on the proposal. The PI may collaborate with adjunct faculty.
Requirements: Recipients of an award will be required to submit
a progress report at the end of the study and are expected to apply
for outside funding (e.g., NIH, industry) within a year of completing
the research.
Format of Application:
- ALL TEXT SINGLE SPACED 12 PT. TYPE - 1" MARGINS.
- Cover page to state the following:
- Project Title
- Type of application
- Name of PI
- Name of Co-PI
- Date of Submission
- Amount Requested
- Period of Study
- Signatures of PI, Co-PI, and Division Head
- Budget: The budget is primarily for the purchase of supplies
and/or small equipment directly connected to the project. A detailed
budget and justification needs to accompany each project.
EXCLUDED ARE: PI salary, travel, publication costs,
consulting fees, routine clinical supplies; however, salary for
technical support is appropriate.
- If the study involves human subjects, approval must be obtained
from the Human Subjects Committee (IRB). Applications are available
on the Office
of Clinical Trials Development web page. One copy of the
Dean's Fund for Research Award Information and Guidelines and
the Human Subjects Application submitted to the IRB committee,
must accompany your Dean's Fund Research Application. Funding
will not be made until final approval is received.
- For animal studies, both the faculty and the protocol, must
be certified by the Office of Laboratory Animal Services (OLAS)
and the University Animal Welfare Committee (UAWC). A copy of
the Animal Approval Application submitted to the University
Animal Welfare Committee (UAWC) must accompany your Dean's
Fund for Faculty Research Application. Forms are available on
the NYU Office of Laboratory
Animal Services (OLAS) web page. Funding will not be made
until final approval is received.
Criteria for review:
Although not necessarily all-inclusive, the proposed research projects
are evaluated for:
- Scientific excellence, including innovation and novelty of
the idea and approach.
- Probability of leading to external support
- Reasonableness of the budget
- Has the PI tried or been successful in leveraging support from
other sources such as the department, division or a foundation?
- For shared instrument support, list proposed users, with a
brief description of how the instrument will contribute to the
user's research programs and the research mission of the College.
Final Report:
At the conclusion of the project the PI must submit a progress
report (usually not more than two pages) including a summary of results
(both positive and negative) and a list and copies of any papers,
abstracts and grants submitted. Future funding is contingent upon
receiving a progress report.
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