The Academic Research Enhancement Award
The Coleopterists Society Research Enhancement Award supports graduate students with funding for their research on beetles. Unlike R01s, these are not training grants.
The goal is to support meritorious research, strengthen the research environment at the applicant institution, and expose undergraduate students to research. A letter of support from your major professor, department/program unit and college is required.
Eligibility
The Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program stimulates research at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate training for a significant number of the Nation’s research scientists but have not been major recipients of NIH support. The program funds small-scale meritorious research projects, enhances the research environment at eligible institutions, and exposes students to research.
GW has been notified that it does not meet the eligibility requirements for either AREA or REAP due to its relatively low NIH funding level. As a result, the Office of Sponsored Programs will not submit an application to these programs.
Eligible applicants include public and state controlled institutions of higher education that award baccalaureate degrees, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-serving Institutions. Institutions must have a higher undergraduate student enrollment than graduate student enrollment.
Investigators must have a primary appointment at the applicant institution, and the application must describe appropriate plans for recruiting undergraduate students to participate in the research project. In addition, the principal investigator and collaborators must have a minimum 25% release time for mentoring undergraduate students.
Goals
This program supports research in educational institutions that primarily award baccalaureate degrees in the biomedical or behavioral sciences. This FOA is designed to stimulate research at these institutions by exposing undergraduate students to meritorious, cutting-edge research and strengthening the research environment of their institution.
Applicants should include a description of their past and/or current research experience in the personal statement. They should also describe plans to involve undergraduate students in their proposed research. In addition, PD(s)/PI(s) should include in the personal statement any peer-reviewed publications or other research products that involved the involvement of undergraduate and/or graduate students.
A significant portion of the PD(s)/PI(s) time should be dedicated to conducting the research, as stated in the proposal. PD(s)/PI(s) must have sufficient institutional support to allow them to conduct this work, including appropriate release time from teaching. This includes a letter of support from the Provost or similar official with broad institutional responsibility.
Criteria
The application must describe how the project will address the FOA’s three goals: support meritorious research, strengthen the research environment at non-research intensive institutions, and expose students to research. In addition, the application must describe how the project will provide opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in hands-on, rigorous research, and how the results of the project are expected to stimulate interest in biomedical research by undergraduates.
In addition to a description of the research, the application should also include a current NIH-style biosketch for each investigator (not to exceed four pages for each). A list of currently funded research projects and percent effort commitment for each investigator is required.
The application should also demonstrate the appropriateness of the proposed project for execution primarily by undergraduates and include a detailed plan to recruit well-qualified undergraduate students. It is strongly encouraged that applicants include letters from the Departments/Centers that will be involved in the research and/or matching funds.
Review process
PROSPER Fast Track awards support small amounts of funds quickly to allow faculty to gather critical data that will enhance a sponsored project application. Typically, these are applications for seed or pilot funding that will help attract future external support. These are considered “off cycle” applications and require justification to be approved by the Associate Dean for Research.
OVPR Sponsored Projects review:
The Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for overall management of the scientific, technical, financial, compliance, and administrative aspects of the sponsored project in accordance with sponsor regulations, university policy, and the Faculty Handbook and OVPR Sponsored Projects Handbook. The PI is also accountable for ensuring that the project is conducted in accordance with ethical standards as well as applicable state and federal laws. To ensure compliance, all PIs must submit a completed OVPR Sponsored Projects Form to OVPR prior to sponsor deadlines. This form is available from the OVPR Website and is also distributed in hard copy.