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Office of Sponsored Research Services
GRANT WRITERS’ BOOT CAMP 2016
Research Seed Funding Program
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Purpose
This program supports the career development of
participants (PIs) in RIT’s 2016 Grant Writers’ Boot Camp
through funding start-up projects. Seed research projects
should support investigator initiated research, advance
the body of knowledge, and/or build RIT’s reputation in
scientific and technical communities. Research may be
basic or applied, but completing the project should help
the PI gain future funding for his or her research agenda
from external sources.
Eligibility
Registered participants whose appointment includes the
expectation of sponsored research and who attend the
2016 Grant Writers’ Boot Camp are eligible to apply.
Awards
The Vice President for Research will make a limited
number of awards in discretionary funding for PIs in the
Grant Writers’ Boot Camp. Part of the Boot Camp
program includes a peer review exercise in which
participants review the proposals of others and make
recommendations for funding.
Due Dates
Proposals are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, January 8, 2016.
Please submit your proposals by email, in WORD format
to Rebecca Sumner at rlssrs@rit.edu. All proposals must
be accompanied by a signed Proposal Routing Form
(PRF). PRFs should be signed by both your department
chair and your Dean.
Proposals will be reviewed during Grant Writers’ Boot
Camp and you will have the opportunity to revise your
proposals based on feedback you receive. Revised
proposals will be due on the second day of Boot Camp
January 20, 2016.
Notification of Award Awardees will be notified in mid-March, 2016.
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DESCRIPTION
The primary purpose of the Research Seed Funding Program is to help
participants establish their research agenda so that they can apply for external
funding. The program provides early stage or pilot funding for faculty research
initiatives. Proposals must define a scholarly project and research problem in any
academic discipline.
A secondary purpose of the grant program is to provide participants with a peer
review experience. Participants will spend time in panels reviewing proposals and
developing recommendations.
Two-Step Application Process:
Boot camp participants are asked to send a copy of their proposal in advance of the
boot camp session. The first day of boot camp will be spent discussing the basics of
effective writing in seminar sessions. Participants will then review their proposals
with others in small discussion groups and receive feedback and suggestions for
improving the proposal. Participants have the opportunity to revise their proposals
overnight and submit the final version for peer review at the start of day two.
On day two, proposals will be grouped and assigned to peer review committees. The
evaluation of each committee will be forwarded to the VP for Research, who will
choose the award winners.
Project Scope:
Proposals should describe a project of up to one year in duration. If you envision a
longer project, then develop a proposal for one stage of the project. You may briefly
sketch out the entire project, but clearly identify what portion of the proposed project
would be funded by the Seed Program and describe the smaller project in detail.
Proposals should not address work that has been previously funded nor should they
address course development. Proposals should represent the work of a single
investigator and should be hypothesis driven.
Examples of eligible projects that could lead to external funding include:
1. Investigator initiated original research;
2. Basic or applied research, R&D, including pilot studies, hypothesis design and
testing;
3. Research and discovery of new knowledge;
4. Other scientific, technical or creative efforts.
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APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The application consists of a cover sheet (containing identifying information), a
project narrative, brief budget of no more than $5,000, and a biographical sketch.
The cover page and narrative should be assembled as a single file and submitted.
Instructions for the biosketch are provided in a separate document. The biosketch
should be submitted separately. Note that the biosketch does not count toward the
page limit. Also note that boot camp reviewers will not have access to your biosketch
in order to help maintain confidentiality.
A. Cover Sheet:
 Applicant’s name
 Department and College
 Position Title (Assistant Prof/Associate Prof/Prof/Other)
 Email address
 Project Title
Please note: The cover sheet should be on a single sheet. At the boot camp, we will
distribute proposals for peer review sessions without identifying information. Please
refrain from including your name in the body of the proposal or in the margins of the
narrative.
B. Narrative
The narrative should be written with the audience in mind. We advise you to write
for reviewers who are not scholars in your field and not necessarily from your
discipline. A panel of general scholars from engineering, science and mathematics,
humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and the arts will review the proposals.
While many major sponsors (such as NSF, NIH or NEH) arrange for specialists to
review proposals, small programs (such as this) and many foundations tap a general
panel for review and selection of proposals. Please take this into account as you
describe the project.
Assume that the reviewers do not know about your field. You might want to state
what you feel is “obvious”. Write clearly and provide a high level summary in plain
language of what the project is about and why it is important. Define all terms and
avoid jargon. Try to strike a balance between technical details and explanation or
descriptive information.
Please do not include any confidential information in the proposal. Include the
project title in the header for the narrative.
Format: The project narrative should be a maximum of three pages in length,
including all tables and graphics. An additional two pages may be used for the budget
justification and references.
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Use a 12 point font or larger, and allow at least a one-inch margin on all sides. Do
not insert any text in the margins, other than a page number.
Contents: Organize the narrative in any way as long as all the information
requested is included. Items 1 to 6 contribute to the three page limit; items 7-9 may
require no more than two additional pages.
Contribute to the three page limit:
1. Goals and objectives of the proposed project. Clearly identify the term of the
project and its expected outcomes and products. Describe how the project will
help you develop your career and how it will lead to external funding.
2. Statement of the research problem to be explored.
3. Significance of the project in scholarly, social, and/or artistic terms. a) Explain
how the project is innovative. For example, does it apply a methodology to a
new set of questions? Is the problem framed in a novel way? Will it advance
the state of knowledge? b) Explain the benefits of carrying out this project. Be
sure to mention long-range benefits in terms of additional projects that will be
enabled through this initiative, as well as its impact on your scholarly agenda.
4. A brief statement of the relationship of the project to previous work in the
field. This may require a short literature review to be done in 1 -2 paragraphs.
5. Methodology. Where appropriate, include a statement of the hypothesis, the
assumptions underlying the project, and the limitations. Discuss the approach
that the project will take. Clearly identify what kinds of data will be collected.
6. Project Plan. Provide an outline and timeline for specific project activities.
Up to two pages additional for the following three items:
7. Budget. See instructions for budget preparation below.
8. Statement of previous funding received for the project (including source and
amount).
9. Relevant references.
Additional form to complete prior to January’s Boot Camp:
Proposal Routing Form (PRF), found on the Sponsored Research Services website
under Forms and Agreements. This must be completed and signed by the PI and the
department chair and Dean and submitted with your proposal.
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REVIEW CRITERIA
Proposals will be reviewed on day two of Boot Camp. Each review panel will review a
set of about six proposals. Individuals will not review their own proposals. Panels
will provide feedback on the proposal.
In general, the most comprehensive and compelling scholarship proposals will be
selected, based on panel feedback. Specific review criteria include:
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Feasibility. Are the goals reasonable? Can the project be completed
successfully within time and budget and will it likely lead to external funding?
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Clarity. Are the goals and outcomes clearly stated and substantiated by the
narrative?

Significance. Is the proposed project innovative? Who are the beneficiaries
and how important are the outcomes? How well will successful completion of
the project help the PI develop his or her career? What is the potential that the
project will lead to securing future external funding?

Methodology and plan of work. Does the proposal lay out the rationale and
methodology for the plan of work? Are specific project activities identified? Is
the methodology well explained?

Completeness: have all program elements been addressed adequately?
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Awardees are required to file mid-term and final reports. Final reports will be due no
later than May 30, 2017 to the Vice President for Research. Awardees will also be
asked to participate in a poster session in the fall of 2016.
The report should include:
1. Description of the project activities.
2. Goals: were the goals achieved, and if not, why?
3. Outcome of the project and lessons learned.
4. Financial report: accounting report showing expenses by category and brief
summary.
5. Next steps in the research agenda.
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Research Seed Funding Program
Budget Instructions
Please provide a brief statement of how you intend to spend the project budget (about
a half page). Funding may be applied to course buyouts, summer salary, student
stipend or wages, travel, equipment and supplies. All expenses must be directly
connected to the proposed project. Be advised that most funders prefer to see
student involvement in a project. Please present your budget in the following
categories:
A. Senior Personnel:
Course buyout. Because this program is funded internally, course buyouts are
calculated at the adjunct rate for the department. Please consult your
department chair for the rate, and add 8.6% for fringe benefits. Also, please
discuss buying out a course with your department chair prior to filing the
application and the PRF.
Example: course buyout: $3500 * 1.086(fringe factor) = $3798
A month of summer salary is calculated as 10.5% of your academic year base pay per
month. Add 8.5% for fringe benefits.
Example: One half month summer salary =
AY base salary * .105/2 * 1.086 (fringe factor)
B. Other Personnel (e.g., student assistants)
Enter number of hours and hourly rate for student assistants. Please check with your
department for the typical rates for undergraduates and/or graduate students.
C. Equipment and Supplies. Please identify what you will purchase, the purpose,
and the cost of each item. As a rule, seed funding monies should not be used to
purchase additional laptops for faculty.
Example: supplies for running laboratory tests ($500) and software for
performing statistical analysis ($200).
D. Travel. Identify destination, airfare/mileage costs, lodging, meals, and other
costs
Example: Travel to SAA conference in Phoenix to deliver paper.
Airfare ($500); 2 nights hotel ($300), 3 days food at $44 per day ($132);
registration fee ($125), for a total of $1,057.
E. Other Costs. Anything that does not fit in the above categories, such as subject
fees, services, and publication costs.
Note: Indirect Costs do not apply to internal programs.