A mandatory pre-proposal must be submitted via e-mail by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19, 2016 .
Full proposals are by invitation only and must be submitted via e-mail no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday,
April 25, 2016 .
The MIRG program is part of Texas State University’s strategy to strengthen and enhance research and scholarly activity in our quest to become a National Research University. Building a research portfolio that is responsive to the grand challenges of our society is a critical component of this strategy. Such challenges are complex and multifaceted. As such, their solutions require multiple perspectives.
In previous years, the MIRG program provided support for the establishment and growth of faculty research teams, with the expressed purpose of enabling teams to earn sustained extramural support. To effectively fulfill this purpose, the 2016 program will more narrowly focus on supporting research projects that are federal-ready or near federal-ready with the goal of enabling a greater success rate for research teams who seek federal awards. Thus, MIRG funds will help researchers to obtain the critical preliminary data and experience, and lay the necessary groundwork to obtain federal sponsorship.
MIRG funding priority will be given to proposed projects that are aimed at program areas of federal agencies such that they address priority area(s) for that agency. Projects that address the following topics are particularly encouraged to apply: food-water-energy, STEM education, big data analytics, cybersecurity, and health.
The intent of the 2016 MIRG program is to support research teams that are already formed and have clear plans to apply for federal funding within the next one to two years. To be competitive, proposals will need to address the priority area of at least one of federal agency such as the National Science Foundation
(NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of
Education (DOED), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), etc.
The proposed project must involve at least two faculty members representing an interdisciplinary effort, such that at least two different colleges, schools, departments, or disciplines are represented within a single project. Priority will be given to teams that include faculty from at least two different colleges/schools
.
Each investigator must contribute to the conception and be clearly committed to ongoing involvement in the project. Tenure-track faculty are particularly encouraged to consider participation.
All team members must have made timely submission of all reports and other required materials under all prior internal grant awards . A faculty member with a current Research Enhancement Program (REP) or
1

MIRG grant may apply as a member of a team, provided that team composition is different and the project goals and scope of work are significantly different from those of the current award.
The team will designate one member as Principal Investigator (PI). The PI will often be a team member who has taken a leadership role in conception of the project and is expected to have an ongoing leadership role and/or particular ongoing commitment to the program. The PI will receive all correspondence, manage the budget, and be responsible for reporting.
The 2016 competition will fund projects up to $25,000. The actual budget must be commensurate with the specific needs of the research project. Generally, it is expected that the awardees will be able to complete the project within 12 months from the start date. To allow time for recruiting of students and other preparatory work such as preparation and approval of protocols or other factors related to the nature of the work, the project start may be delayed for up to six months. See instructions below regarding the project timeline.
Awards may not be used to replace or to supplement current funding. An award may not be used to support work within the scope of a pending grant application or an active or recently completed research grant. Funds may not be used for remodeling or alteration of facilities, faculty salaries or tuition. Grant funds must be expended in furtherance of the goals of the project as described in the proposal.
Both Pre-Proposals and Full Proposals shall be submitted via e-mail to research@txstate.edu.
A. Pre-proposal (required): Submission of a pre-proposal is required to be eligible for invitation for a full proposal.
Pre-proposals must contain the items listed below and strictly adhere to the specified format and page limitations. No additional information may be provided as an appendix or by links to Web pages.
1.
Descriptive Title of Proposed Project
2.
PI/Co-PI Information: Provide the name, title, department/school, and college of all internal and/or external Co-PIs. For each PI and Co-PI, provide a publication record and list of all current and pending external support.
3.
Narrative (up to 2 pages single spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 pt. containing the below items in the order provided.) a.
1 page project description b.
½ page describing how this project will support the departmental, college, and/or university research strategic plan c.
½ page broader impact statement
B. Full Proposal (by invitation only)
Applications must be submitted to research@txstate.edu and include the following:
1. Abstract (250 words or less)
A 250-word abstract suitable for a sophisticated lay audience and publication on our web site is required. The abstract should describe the project’s broad significance, the proposed activities and the project’s intended results.
2

2. Narrative (MS Word or PDF Attachment, up to five pages single spaced, 1-inch margins,
12 pt. Times font) a.
Background, context, opportunity and long-term goals.


Describe the opportunity.
Describe the long-term goals and potential of the research program, beyond the
 initial period of MIRG support.
Describe how the program could overcome existing barriers, open up new possibilities, lead to innovation in practice, or otherwise merit attention and support.


Describe the project in the context of the backgrounds, capabilities and research interests of the faculty members involved.
Highlight any unique combination of background, prior experience and capabilities that are being brought to bear on the project. This section should enable the reader to fully appreciate how the team could distinguish itself. b.
Project plan
 Against the background provided in the previous section, describe the work you plan to undertake and its expected outcomes. Make it clear to reviewers that you have devised a well-crafted plan that makes good use of talent, experience and existing resources. After reading this section, reviewers should appreciate how expected outcomes would address the critical barriers that you identified in the previous section. c.
Plans for continuation
 Identify expected sources of future federal support. For each, include: i.
The federal agency and any recurring or special program to which you plan to apply, and any known submission deadlines. ii.
A description of how the project will be responsive to the funding source’s priorities and/or the requirements of the specific program. iii.
A description of how funding through this source would advance the project in accord with your long-term plans. Continuation plans may include intent to apply for one or more large multi-investigator grants, and/or a combination of single- or multi-investigator grants that, collectively, will enable the group to continue its work.
3. References Cited
Include appropriate citations from the primary literature in your field to support assertions that are made in the proposal. It is recommended to cite references by first author/year (e.g. Smith,
2014) rather than number (e.g. 10, 19, and 24).
4. Timeline
Provide a timeline for completion of the proposed work in simple, readable form such as a short paragraph or simple diagram. The earliest start date is June 1, 2016. The start date may be delayed for up to six months as necessary for reasons such as recruiting students, seasonal factors in conducting fieldwork, or preparation of regulatory protocols. Unless justified based on the nature of the work involved, the work should generally be completed within 12 months.
5. Budget and Justification
The proposed budget, not including cost sharing, may be up to $25,000 and must be appropriate for the proposed work. If matching funds will be used or in-kind resources dedicated to the project, specify these including amounts and sources. Funding of renovation, faculty salaries or tuition is not permitted.
3

6.
Short-form biographical sketches
Provide biographical sketches for each of the faculty members involved in the project. You may use the form prescribed by any federal agency or a listing of educational preparation research activity and relevant publications, presentations, etc.
7. Current and Pending
Provide a list of current and pending support for all PIs and Co-PIs involved in the project, a list of internal and external grants received or pending review including title, award amount, funding period and funding agency. For each, indicate either “no relationship,” or succinctly describe the relationship between the work supported by the grant and the proposed project.
The 2016 review will involve a two-part process. Submission of pre-proposal is required and full proposals will be accepted by invitation only. (See Section VI for Proposals Preparation Instructions)
Reviewers will be reading and evaluating proposals within and across subject areas. Preproposals and full proposals should therefore describe the project and its importance in a manner that can be readily appreciated by non-specialists. Details necessary for evaluation by specialists should be kept as concise as possible.
Final selections for funding will be made by the Director of Research Development in consultation with the Council of Research Associate Deans and approval of the Chief Research Officer.
Pre-proposals will be reviewed according to three criteria:
1.
Previous funding and publication track record of the research team
2.
Project alignment with college(s) and university strategic plans
3.
Project potential for broader impact
Reviewers will evaluate each proposal according to each of the following criteria. While reviewers may judge that some criteria are more critical than others for a given project, these criteria will form the entire basis for evaluation. The following will be provided, verbatim, in instructions to reviewers:
1.
Opportunity, originality and potential impact .
Do the applicants describe an opportunity to build a federally sustained multi-investigator research program with broad impact? Do they identify a field of study or application of rising importance in a federal agency? Do they identify distinguishing characteristics of their approach or their combination of talents, experience, capabilities and perspectives?
2.
Quality of the research plan.
Do the applicants present a well-conceived plan for use of MIRG funding that will advance the planning and research currently underway? Have they identified critical questions about the feasibility or promise of their approach, or about the long-term importance and viability of their program, and focused their plan on addressing those questions? Have the applicants proposed a
4

sound research plan that makes good use of their talents and existing physical and programmatic resources?
3.
Continuation plan.
Do the applicants describe a sound plan for pursuing federal funding for continuation of the program? Have the applicants identified specific potential federal funding sources and cited prerequisites to success with those sources? Does their vision for the project serve the missions and priorities of those agencies? If expected outcomes are achieved, are the applicants likely to be competitive in the next one to two years?
Required reports.
Awardees will be required to submit end-of-project reports to the Office of the Associate Vice President for Research.
Research integrity.
Conduct of research must adhere to university policies, including those pertaining to research involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, and hazardous materials.
Information on these is available at the Office of Research Compliance http://www.txstate.edu/research/orc.html
For additional information regarding the submission process, please contact Evy Gonzales at 5-2918 or
(eg13@txstate.edu).
5