Funding Your Research: Strategies to Find & Secure Funding for Research & Education

1. Funding Your Research: Strategies to Find & Secure Funding for Research & Education Peter A. Larsen Sponsored Programs Enhancement 205 ATDC palarsen@mtu.edu or pete@mtu.edu 906.487.2906

2. Presentation Overview • Internal Funding Opportunities http://www.mtu.edu/research/references/awards-management/internal-awards/ • Finding Funding for Your Research • COS: Uncover Funding Opportunities http://www.mtu.edu/research/resources-for/researchers/funding-resources/cos/ • Other methods • External Funding Opportunities • Foundation & Corporate • Government (Federal & State) • Graduate Student Funding • Limited Submission Reminders • Proposal Development • Questions

3. Internal Funding Opportunities • Internal Awards: • Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2) • Research Excellence Fund (REF) • Infrastructure Enhancement (IE) • Research Seed (RS) • Mentoring Grants (MG) Announced via: Tech Today Research Newsblog Sent electronically to Deans & Department Chairs Available on the Research website

4. Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2) - Total Awards $15-20,000 Purpose: Provide equipment funds to assist the research efforts of faculty, staff and students. Primary factor is the broadness of the impact the equipment will have on the campus community. • All faculty and staff are eligible to apply. • October deadline (4:00 pm today, 10/22)

5. Research Excellence Fund (REF) Total Awards $400,000 Three types of REF Grants with a February Deadline: (There is a limit of one submission per Principal Investigator per category.) • Infrastructure Enhancement (IE) ($150,000 avail.) • Research Seed (RS) ($220,000 available) • Mentoring (MG) ($30,000 available)

6. Research Excellence Fund (con’t) • Each award has a selection committee that make the award determinations • Duration of project one year (July 1 – June 30) • Proposal format guidelines exist and must be followed • Reports are due at the end of each project

7. REF Infrastructure Enhancement (IE) Purpose: Provide resources to develop the infrastructure necessary to support sponsored research and graduate student education. • Chair, Dean, Center/Institute Directors must be PI, other faculty are eligible to be Co-PI. Each year $150,000 is awarded

8. REF Research Seed (RS) Provide untenured tenure-track faculty with resources to develop externally supported research. • All untenured tenure-track faculty in any academic unit are eligible. Tenured faculty, research faculty or research staff can be co-investigators. Each year $220,000 is awarded

9. REF Mentoring Grants (MG) Provide newly-hired untenured tenure-track faculty in their first two-year appointment with resources to collaborate with established nationally known researchers. • Mentor cannot be affiliated with Michigan Tech • Mentor should not be someone with whom a mentoring relationship already exists such as a previous advisor or senior research collaborator. Each year $30,000 is awarded

10. REF Hints • Reviewers will be your peers at Michigan Tech, but not necessarily experts in your field. • Interdepartmental collaboration is encouraged. • Impact on subsequent external funding is a key point of review. • Summer salary is allowed, but has historically been suggested for removal from the budget. • As with other programs, follow the guidelines exactly. • You still need a transmittal and an approved budget.

11. Finding Funding • Search techniques • COS is our primary University-sponsored search engine. It is detailed in upcoming slides. • Other techniques work best in specific situations and are described by type of funding throughout presentation. • When to look for funding • One year lag time in most cases • Note the cycle of federal programs

12. COS: What is it? • COS: a global resource for information critical to scientific research and projects across all disciplines • Find funding with COS Funding Opportunities: 22,000+ records, 400,000 opportunities • Identify collaborators with COS Expertise: search 500,000 profiles of researchers (1,600 institutions) • More information (including a tutorial) available at: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/vpr/cos/cos.html

13. COS: Sign up

14. COS: Searching

15. COS: Expertise

16. Foundation Funding • Yes! Some foundations do fund research. • Private foundations are generally driven by the interests of an individual or family. • Many private foundations do not have websites and can be difficult to find. • How Michigan Tech can help: • Foundation Center • FoundationSearch.com • Michigan Tech contact: • Priscilla Khoury, Director of Foundation Relations (487-1608, pjkhoury@mtu.edu) • When to contact Priscilla

17. Foundation Funding • Timeline: Many foundations meet quarterly for funding decisions (board meetings) • Preliminary contact with foundation staff is essential • Look at what the foundation funds, not what they say they fund • Consider your overall plan for funding your research

18. Foundation Funding • Many private & corporate foundations have a limited submission policy even though it may not be published. Assume all foundation proposals are limited submission, if not otherwise stated. • To be sure that your proposal does not conflict with another, use the Foundations Internal Notification Form: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/sprot/forms/foundations_proposal_internal_notification.html

19. Corporate Funding • Corporations do fund research • Again, assume a limited submission situation, if not otherwise stated. • Most corporate research is not funded through a formal “call for proposals.” • Coordinate with the corporate development staff of the office of Institutional Partnerships (through MTU fund)

20. Government Funding • Searching Tools • Grants.gov • MyNSF (daily email) • NSF search by division/directorate/program • COS • Google • Most agencies offer customized funding alerts • Program officers in charge of one interesting opportunity can direct you to other related programs • Talk to a program officer at NSF • Network at conferences—find out who is funding research in your area of interest

21. NSF Funding

22. Government Funding • In addition to funding within disciplines, look for programs specifically for certain situations • Examples: • NSF CAREER Awards, other early career faculty awards • Equipment programs • Course and curriculum programs • Fellowship programs • Education/outreach programs (REUs, RETs) • Research centers

23. Funding for Graduate Students • Write students into your proposal budgets! • Encourage students to seek independent funding—even if they are internally funded. • Nearly all Federal agencies that sponsor research also sponsor individual graduate fellowship competitions: • NSF, NIH, EPA, NASA, Homeland Security, etc. • Michigan Tech’s Resources • Grad School website/funding blog • http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/admissions/financial/ • Proposal Incentive Award Program • Also, consider funding undergraduates – Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs); supplements

24. Limited Submission The VPR Office posts limited submission opportunities on the following web site and tracks all submissions. This is a VERY IMPORTANT internal process for external support. http://www.mtu.edu/research/administration/sponsored-programs/proposal-preparation/identification-funding/limited-submission/

25. Limited Submission • Current opportunities are obtained from various sources and posted on the web site and notification is emailed to deans, chairs, and directors. • Internal deadlines are set and any proposals submitted after the deadline will not be eligible for submission. • Internal competition occurs when submission of more than the maximum number allowed has been reached for a particular sponsor

26. Limited Submission Last-minute opportunities: “new unlisted” Immediatelynotify the VPR office, Laurie Stark at ldstark@mtu.edu, with information to announce on the web site.

27. Limited Submission • Less than ten (10) business days prior to the deadline: all proposals received in the VPR office will be submitted on a "first come first serve" basis. • More than ten (10) business days prior to the deadline: an announcement will be emailed to the deans, chairs, directors and normal instructions will apply.

28. Proposal Development • How do you get started? • Ask questions of program officers, foundation staff, your colleagues • Initial writing • Develop a 2-3 page concept for a research project • Develop a strategic plan for your research • Develop a problem statement, overall goal, and objectives • Sketch out a three year timeline for research, package themes • Focus your efforts on areas of greatest opportunity

29. Proposal Development • How do you get started? • Prior Awardees/Examples of Successful Proposals • Templates for proposals, budget justifications, etc are available • Internal Resources (Pete & others) • Books/Online Help • NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide • http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg • The Science of Scientific Writing • http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/the-science-of-scientific-writing/1

30. Proposal Development Hints • Start early: you will use all the time no matter how much you have. • Especially true with subcontracts and support letters • Have several people review drafts (someone in your field, someone outside of your field, education person, final editor for grammar, spelling, etc.) • Don’t underestimate the amount of time to package and put together the “other stuff” • Make the proposal look nice and proofread • Be willing to accept feedback even if you don’t agree. REVISE, RESUBMIT. Address reviewer comments. Why?

31. Proposal Development Hints • Scope: be realistic • Amount of research detail (varies by sponsor) • Think like a reviewer (BE a reviewer, too!) • Follow all directions • Use suggested format and headings • State your project goal and objectives EARLY! • Use logical headings, use graphs, charts, figures, etc to your advantage • Write for the review sheet. Give your reviewer key phrases for the review sheet. (Example, NSF Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts)

32. How Can I Help? • Finding funding • Navigating the “internal” process • Collaborating on campus • Information about Michigan Tech • Management, outreach, evaluation plans • Proofreading, editing • Feedback from a first-time reader • Learning fastlane, grants.gov, etc.

33. Questions?