Research Innovation Program
letter of intent deadline: october 17, 2023 | required thru Infoed
full proposal deadline: january 18, 2024 | by invitation only
Faculty are invited to submit research proposals focus on high impact and innovation in any area of STEM or biomedical science that has the potential to change the direction of a particular area of study. Awards of up to $50,000 will be used to generate preliminary data sufficient for submission of a R01 type grant proposal to a federal granting agency. Funds can support graduate student stipends, nonprofessional personnel, equipment, materials, supplies and animal costs.
Funds may support summer salary and fringe benefits (maximum summer support is for six weeks’ salary and fringe benefits), other support personnel, travel, equipment, and materials and supplies as necessary to organize, prepare and submit a proposal to an external agency. Funding is available in May 2024, with all expenditures to be completed by December 31, 2025. Awardees will be expected to provide the Research Council with a presentation on the progress and results of their project.
Letters of intent that pass internal administrative and Research Council review will be sent to expert external reviewers for comment and evaluation. Proposals must make it clear that there are specific external sources of potential support for the activity.
ELIGIBILITY
Although any tenure-track faculty may apply, the focus of this program is directed to established researchers and senior faculty.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Letter of Intent (Required)
Applicants will create a proposal in InfoEd and upload a Letter of Intent (LOI) not
to exceed four double-spaced pages in the format described below. Questions about
eligibility may be answered in this FAQ. You must include abbreviated versions of:
- A statement of the significance of the problem and its impact on the field of study
- A statement describing the innovative aspects of the proposed studies
- A section outlining the specific goals of the project and how they will be accomplished
- A description of the studies to be completed, including preliminary results if any
- Expected outcomes
- Plans for seeking additional funding
Upload this LOI in the InfoEd proposal created and submit the completed proposal no later than 11:59 PM on the deadline date. The Research Council will review the LOIs received and some will result in invitations to submit full proposals.
FULL PROPOSALS (By Invitation Only)
Full proposals shall use one-inch margins and Arial or Palatino Linotype 11-point.
The proposal requirements include:
- Abstract (single-spaced, 250 words maximum) describing the work in language understood by a broad audience
- Project Description, maximum 15 pages double-spaced, including:
1) A statement of the significance of the problem and its impact on the field of study
2) A statement describing the innovative aspects of the proposed studies
3) A section outlining the specific goals of the project and how they will be accompanied
4) A description of the studies to be completed, including preliminary results if any
5) Expected outcomes
6) Plans for seeking additional funding
Required but not counted in the 15-page limit:
- A cited literature reference list with full citations (maximum two single-spaced pages)
- An NIH-style biosketch (maximum five pages per investigator)
- A budget and budget justification (within the InfoEd system). The budget justification should not exceed one page. An Excel budget tool (not required for submission) is available to help with calculations.
- Final reports for any URFO awards for the past five years
Submit your proposal as a single PDF file containing all required elements by 11:59 pm on the deadline date via e-mail to urfo@utoledo.edu.
Evaluation
LOIs will be reviewed by the Research Council, and applicants will be notified if invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals will sent to outside reviewers. Those invited to submit full proposals will be asked to provide names of potential external reviewers as well as names of those who should not be asked to review.
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Significance of proposed research and likelihood that the topic is of interest to an external agency
- Investigator(s)
- Innovation
- Approach and methodology
- Research Environment
- Clarity of writing and organization of proposal
Award Notification
See General Guidelines.
Reporting Requirements
Report Deadline: March 31, 2025 | Submission Document: Final Report Form
Within three months of the conclusion of the award period, submit to URFO@UToledo.edu a written summary of accomplishments, a list of manuscripts, a list of agencies where
grant applications have been sent and a list of scientific meetings or seminars where
work supported
by this mechanism has been presented.