Iowa State University – College of Human Sciences
Seed Grant Program
Research Enhancement Grants – Request for Proposals
Last updated 8/2015
The College of Human Sciences (CHS) is offering a grant to assist with research and funding
efforts of faculty members. The purpose of this award program is to provide initial support for
collaborative projects led by CHS faculty.
The Research Enhancement Grant may be funded for up to three years at a maximum of
$50,000 per year, for a total award amount of up to $150,000. One new Research Enhancement
Grant can be awarded each year.
Research Enhancement Grants are designed to foster collaborative research among faculty
in CHS and across ISU. The CHS encourages faculty and staff members to engage in highquality research efforts that have positive impacts on ISU, Iowa, the U.S., and the world.
Typically, this type of research is conducted by multi-disciplinary teams, and CHS supports
development of teams that can conduct creative, innovative, and scientifically important work. It
is anticipated that research projects will help research teams advance the CHS mission by
contributing to one or more of the following cross-cutting CHS themes:
Health and well-being
Education and human development
Science and technology in the human environment
Community enhancement and entrepreneurship
Timeline
Proposals are due at Noon on November 1. Funds will be available on January 15. Funds
must be spent and accounted for by the last day of the grant period.
Eligibility
The PI(s) must be full-time faculty or staff in CHS and eligible to serve on external funding
proposals. Projects must involve multidisciplinary teams. Collaborative groups should include at
least two additional co-PIs from ISU who represent multiple departments on campus. It is
anticipated that team members will be recruited to enhance the quality of the work and external
funding opportunities.
Collaborations that involve departments outside CHS are encouraged. However, direct funding
from this program can only go to eligible faculty and staff members from CHS. Proposals that
include faculty from other colleges must include matching funding from the participating
colleges or departments. In some instances, this support may come in the form of matching funds.
Faculty or staff members on visiting or temporary appointments are not eligible to receive
funding but may serve as co-principal investigators on projects, particularly if their participation
enhances the likelihood of securing future external funding. The roles of each investigator and
project participant must be stated clearly.
The Research Enhancement Grant is designed to encourage CHS faculty to develop and lead
interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects. The goal of this initiative is to enhance the
visibility, impact and funding levels of the College’s sponsored research expenditures. The
potential to compete successfully for external funding and to align with one or more of the CHS
themes will be a major criterion for evaluation. Innovative, forward-thinking research with a
significant risk but high funding potential, if successful, is especially encouraged.
CHS Seed Grant Program – Research Enhancement
Last updated 8/2015
Each proposal must detail how it relates to and enhances one or more CHS themes, in addition
to a description of and rationale for the research project and any research to be performed.
Each proposal will require an explicit action plan for securing future external research funding.
This action plan will require submission of research proposals for external funding that request
1) during the first year of funding, at least as much funding as the total funding provided by the
CHS grant received, and 2) during the lifetime of the CHS grant, at least five times the total
funding provided by the CHS grant received.
It is anticipated that a CHS project will run for up to 3 years, but funding will be approved and
provided for one year at a time. Funding in subsequent years will be dependent on research
progress and on submission of external research grant proposals identified in the proposed
action plan. Brief progress reports will be required each year to allow for evaluation for
continued funding. All available reviews of proposals submitted, as per the action plan, must be
shared with the CHS Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education (ADRGE) as part of
the annual progress reports.
Awarded CHS funds can be used for research and/or team building activities but must include,
at a minimum, active communication by the PI with each sponsor targeted in the funding action
plan (e.g., visit to the agency, regular telephone calls to share research plans) and (2) a teambuilding activity (e.g., workshop, retreat) to assure appropriate development and integration of
all team members.
Format
1) Cover page – Complete the cover page template found at the end of this RFP.
a) A CHS faculty member must be the PI.
b) Signatures must be obtained prior to submission of the proposal.
2) Abstract – 100 words or less describing the project in terms suitable for non-specialists.
3) Narrative – No more than six pages, single-spaced, no smaller than 12-point font,
organized by the topics below:
a) Project Description – Describe the project aims and objectives; project activities focused
on research, team-building, or a combination of both; and specific role(s) and expertise
of each investigator.
b) Project Rationale – Explain the need for a collaborative approach involving multiple
investigators and the means for achieving full integration of all investigators into a
functional team.
c) Funding Action Plan – Describe, in detail, plans to secure external funding that will be
enabled by this CHS funding. For each agency/potential award, include:
i. Funding agency
ii. Award or section name
iii. Maximum award dollars
iv. Actual or projected submission dates
v. PI and co-PI(s)
vi. Project title and RFP description (if available)
Note that the funding action plan must include at least one proposal during the first year
of CHS funding that requests at least as much funding as the total CHS award. During
CHS Seed Grant Program – Research Enhancement
Last updated 8/2015
the active period of the CHS award, external proposals requesting at least 5X the total
funding provided by the CHS award must be submitted. It is anticipated that different
team members may take the lead on and/or participate in specific projects as
appropriate for each individual’s expertise and experience.
4) Budget and budget justification – No more than four pages, single-spaced, no smaller
than 12-point font, organized in chart form by the topics below. Use Sarah Carlson
(scarlson@iastate.edu) to help you create your budget and justification and to verify figures
and format.
The budget must be planned as per fiscal year with timing of expenditures aligned with
proposed activities. Each expenditure is to be explained in the budget justification, noting
why each expense is necessary to allow you to accomplish project goals. All budget
planning must follow ISU fiscal year planning. Requests for funding must relate to future
expenditures; reimbursement of previous expenditures will not be considered.
Funds can be used for research and/or team-building activities but must include, at a
minimum, PI regular communication with each of the sponsors targeted in the funding action
plan (e.g., visits to agencies, regular telephone communication, meeting at a conference)
and a team-building workshop or retreat to assure full integration of all team members.
Support for non-CHS and/or non-ISU collaborators will be limited to travel support related
directly to the work of this team.
Cost-share funding amounting to 10% of the total CHS grant funding will be expected from
departments, programs, faculty, or other sources, distributed on a pro-rated basis for PIs
and co-PIs in different departments. This 10% cost share will be added to the total CHS
investment (i.e., a $50,000 per year CHS award will actually have $55,000 per year of
available funding). If and where departments provide additional funding, indicate the amount
committed from each department.
a) Salary – Salary of ISU employees must be reflected as a percentage of effort and can
include faculty, staff, or student research assistants. Students hired with these funds
must be CHS students. If support for summer salary is requested, the reason why a
summer appointment is appropriate must be stated clearly.
b) Benefits – Use the ISU benefit rates listed on the OSPA website. For summer salary,
CHS will allow a 17% benefit rate for B-base faculty, although full ISU benefit rates must
be used in proposals to external sponsors.
c) Equipment – Individual items costing $5000 or greater are placed here. Equipment
purchased through this program remains the property of the PI’s department unless
control by another department is otherwise approved.
d) Travel – Only travel directly related to the proposed research activities (e.g., travel for
data collection, participant recruitment, meetings with funding agents) will be allowed.
Travel to conferences for the purpose of disseminating findings will not be allowed. Use
ISU rates to calculate proposed expenditures.
e) Materials & Supplies – Materials and supplies purchased may be used by cross-college
collaborators and data can be shared. Materials and supplies purchased through this
program remain the property of the PI’s department unless control by another
department is otherwise approved.
f) Other – This could include participant honoraria; expenditures for consultants, advisors, or
analytic expertise external to the University, if such expertise is not available at ISU and
CHS Seed Grant Program – Research Enhancement
Last updated 8/2015
other expenses not in the above categories. As these are internal CHS funds, it is not
necessary to include tuition for graduate students in the proposal budget.
5) Letters of support – Department/unit heads are expected to review the investigator’s
scholarly goals when supporting an application for a Research Enhancement Grant. All
proposals must include a letter of support and justification from each department/unit head
associated with the request.
6) Curricula vitae – A brief curriculum vita (not to exceed two pages) for each investigator.
Review of Proposals
A sample of a rating form is included in this RFP.
Submission Requirements
Proposals must be submitted via e-mail in a single document (in PDF format) to the office of the
Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education (ADRGE) at chsgrant@iastate.edu with
Research Enhancement Grant Proposal in the subject line. You will receive an e-mail confirming
the submission was received. If you do not, please contact Nicci Port at nport@iastate.edu. Retain
the hard copy of the signed proposal for your records.
Reporting Requirements
Teams receiving a CHS Research Enhancement Award will be expected to provide annual
progress reports at least 30 days prior to the end of each year of funding, except in the final
year. This timing will allow the CHS to decide whether sufficient progress has been made to
warrant awarding of the next year’s funding. At the end of the final year of funding, a final,
comprehensive report should be submitted within 30 days following the end of funding.
The annual progress reports and the comprehensive, final report should each include:
 Participation in a CHS sponsored seminar to describe progress and results of this
project, as well as plans to secure external funding
 Progress toward research goals, including papers published and submitted manuscripts,
conference presentations, etc., in addition to a concise narrative explaining research
progress to date. The narrative should include information on how the project is
advancing one or more of the CHS themes and advancing the University Priorities.
 Description of travel and other communication efforts undertaken to interact personally
with the sponsors targeted in the funding action plan, and a description of any teambuilding activities that were undertaken.
 Progress on submission of all relevant extramural research proposals, whether included
in the funding action plan or not, as well as information on whether funded, not funded,
or still pending. Reviews for any proposals on which funding decisions have been made
should be included, whether positive or not.
 Submit each annual report electronically.
Papers and publications emanating from the project should acknowledge the support of the
College. Send electronic copies to chsgrant@iastate.edu. Indicate the PI and co-PIs, title of the
project, and date of the CHS seed grant that supported the subsequent work both in the work and
in the communication and submission to the ADRGE. The research results obtained through this
funding may be publicized by the College through its web page and other news releases.
SAMPLE RATING FORM
CHS Seed Grant Program – Research Enhancement
Evaluation Rating Items
Funding recommended
Yes
No
TOTAL POINTS AWARDED
Comments:
Scientific/scholarly quality of the proposed project
Award up to 20 points
The proposed project:
 has a strong rationale, conceptual foundation, or theoretical basis
 is grounded in existing literature that demonstrates the plausibility of its approach or plan
 will employ sound research methodology
 will undertake effective team-building goals
 has activities that are clear, well-conceived, meaningfully related to its purposes and likely to
accomplish its goal
 has a realistic timeline for accomplishing its objectives
Comments:
Potential to secure extramural funding
Award up to 50 points
The proposed project:
 involves issues, goals, and purposes that are significant and important for the CHS, Iowa, and the U.S.
 involves an issue that has sufficient longevity to support funding viability
 is innovative and creative
 identifies realistic plans for future external funding by
o identifying funding agencies/businesses
o identifying relevant competitions and/or funding priorities
o providing data that will be relevant to supporting a proposal
o establishing a proposal submission timeline to obtain external funding
Comments:
Strength of researcher/research team
Award up to 10 points
The proposed project personnel:
 have the necessary level of expertise to carry out the project
 have a record of research excellence
 have a history of funding and/or innovation relevant to the proposal
 have the necessary level of commitment to carry out the project
Comments:
Adequacy of budget
Award up to 10 points
The proposed project’s budget:
 is adequate and reasonable for proposed scope of work
 has justification that is clear and well articulated
 reflects support for interdisciplinary work
 includes match from units outside CHS as required and as appropriate
Comments:
Degree of interdisciplinary collaboration
Award up to 10 points
The proposed project:
 builds linkages across disciplinary and departmental boundaries
 fosters new collaborations and/or collaborative work in a new direction and builds on existing
collaborations among faculty members
 builds upon existing departmental and faculty member strengths
 was developed collaboratively among the partners
Comments:
Iowa State University – College of Human Sciences
Seed Grant Program
Research Enhancement – Cover Page
Last updated 8/2015
This cover page must accompany your application. Before submitting your proposal, complete
the form, check that the information provided here complies with requirements detailed in the
grant RFP, and obtain signatures from each party indicated below. This cover page is formatted
as a fillable form. If you have difficulty filling the fields, please contact Nicci Port for assistance
(nport@iastate.edu).
Project title
Principal Investigator (PI) information
Name
Department <<choose>>
Email
Phone
I certify that this proposal adheres to criteria detailed in the grant RFP.
PI signature
Co-PI(s) information
Name(s) / Department(s) / Email(s)
If different than PI, information for each co-PI’s department chair/unit head
Name(s) / Department(s) / Email(s)
Principal investigator’s department /School director approval
I have read the grant RFP and project proposal. I support the submission of this proposal and,
if funded, will work with the PI to make appropriate arrangements for project completion.
Department chair/School director signature