Program Description
The Research Enhancement
Program (REP) provides support for faculty research projects or creative
activities. The primary purpose of the REP is to provide seed money so that
faculty members will be able to compete more successfully for larger grants from
external sources for continuation of their research projects or creative
activities.
Program Funding
The REP is supported by funds
received from University Research Enhancement Funds. Awards will be limited to
$6,000 and will be for the budget period January 1, 2008 to August 31, 2008.
Only one proposal may be submitted by a faculty member, either as a Principal
Investigator (PI) or as a Co-Investigator.
Applicants may request that
a portion of their salary come from their Research Enhancement Program (REP)
grant, according to one of the following scenarios.
1) If the request is for
faculty salary during spring 2008, the request may not exceed $3,000. This
salary support is not an additional paycheck. The Principal Investigator
may request funds to cover other project expenses, according to the other
guidelines in these instructions. In any case, the award will be limited to
$6,000. It is expected that a workload adjustment will be made so that the PI
will be able to devote time to the research project or creative activity.
or
2) If the request is for
faculty salary during summer 2008, the Principal Investigator may request up to
$3,000 for 1 term devoted to research or up to $6,000 for 2 terms. The award
plus the summer teaching salary will not exceed 100% of eligible summer salary.
If the request is for $3,000 the Principal Investigator may also ask for funds
to cover other project expenses. If the request is for $6,000 of salary
support, the proposal should explain how the other costs or expenses of the
project will be covered. In no case may a grant request exceed $6,000.
It is important that
requests for faculty salary (for spring, or summer) be approved by the unit
administrator and dean. If funded, a letter reflecting administrative support
for release time must be placed on file with the Office of Research & Sponsored
Programs prior to a budget being set up for the project. This letter should
state specifically what the PI’s workload would be for a particular semester or
summer term. This letter of support does not need to be submitted with
the application.
Eligibility
All full-time tenured or
tenure-track full-time faculty in their first, second, or third year of
appointment at Texas Woman's University are eligible to submit a proposal to the
New Faculty (fall cycle) Research Enhancement Program. A Co-PI must meet the
same eligibility requirements as the PI. The awards will be made with the
expectation that the faculty members will continue in service at the University
for at least one academic year following the award period. Persons known to be
in the terminal year of their employment at TWU are not eligible to apply.
Application and Submission Instructions
The application form, detailed
instructions and checklist may be obtained by clicking here. The original
proposal, showing approval by the unit administrator and dean, plus 18 copies
are due by 5:00 p.m. on the application deadline date in the Office of Research
& Sponsored Programs, Denton (ACT 2). Faculty submitting proposals from the
Dallas or Houston campuses, or those for whom photocopying may be a prohibitive
departmental expense, may ask for assistance. Applications which are received
after 5:00 pm on the deadline date, or which do not contain the required
signatures, cannot be considered for competition.
Review Process
The
Research Support Committee (RSC) will review and recommend applications for
funding. The RSC is composed of members who have been designated by the Faculty
Senate. Click here for a list of Research Support Committee
members.
The
Research Support Committee looks favorably on proposals that:
·
are meritorious
in the particular discipline;
·
will enhance
the applicant’s record of scholarship and research;
·
will furnish
preliminary data for a project with good prospects for continuation through
outside funding;
·
will provide
financial support and research experience for graduate students.
The Research Support
Committee will not look favorably on proposals that:
·
are essentially
for preparing textbooks, revising courses, preparing class notes, performing
editorial duties, or compiling non-scholarly bibliographies and catalogs;
·
have relevance
only to TWU;
·
are research
for the applicant’s dissertation;
·
provide travel
to conferences;
·
are essentially
equipment requests (unless the applicant is a relatively new faculty member
seeking to set up a laboratory).
Applicants should be aware that
most of the members of the RSC will not be familiar with the applicant's
discipline. Thus, the proposal should provide an explanation of the
significance of the project that can be understood by an educated layperson.
Proposals will be reviewed according to the guidelines published with the
application materials by the RSC as well as by two TWU faculty who are not
members of the committee but who have been contacted by the applicant and have
agreed to review the proposal if asked.
Expected Outcomes and Reporting Requirements
REP awards are intended
primarily as seed monies for research or creative projects that will yield pilot
data or preliminary studies. Faculty members who receive REP funding are
expected to seek further support for their research from funding sources outside
the university. Thus, within 18 months of the completion of this award, they
must have submitted a proposal, in line with their research, for external
funding.
In addition, a written report
will be requested from ORSP during the spring semester following the end of the
award period. This report will be approximately 2-3 pages and the format will
be specified by ORSP at the time of the request.
