TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY
Office of Faculty Research
University Research Committee
The Committee
Tarleton State University is committed to faculty engagement in organized research, scholarly and
creative activities. Through the University Research Committee (URC), Tarleton makes funding
available to support faculty research and scholarly endeavor. The Executive Director of Faculty
Research serves as the URC Chairperson. The committee is comprised of 13 standing members plus
two ex-officio members. Membership traditionally represents the diversity of campus programs and
members may serve for multiple years.
Related Regulations
University research and scholarly activities are governed by Texas A&M University System Policies and
Regulations – Section 15 (www.tamus.edu/offices/policy/policies), Tarleton’s research procedures
(www.tarleton.edu/research/policies/index.html), and applicable state and federal law.
Purpose and Responsibility
The URC provides guidance for faculty seeking to develop active research or scholarly agendas that
enhance the visibility of the University and its faculty within the academic community. The University
Research Committee responsibilities are:
1. Adherence to university research and scholarly practices and policies.
2. Administration and allocation of designated, internal research funds under jurisdiction of the
URC.
3. Development of guidelines and procedures for funding requests and awards.
4. Review and evaluation of research grant proposals and determination of appropriate funding
levels.
5. Monitoring of annual reporting requirements and reviewing research or scholarly works
produced by faculty receiving awards.
6. Publicity relative to the award, progress, products, or completion of grant projects
7. Maintaining archival records of committee activities.
Organized Research Grants
Organized research grants (ORG) are awarded annually by the committee on a competitive basis and
from a Call for Proposals originating from the URC Chairperson. Organized research grant (ORG)
projects must focus on research, scholarship, or creative works. Due to the funding source supporting
organized research on campus, awards are limited to a period of one year, and are normally less than
$10,000. Award maximums may vary depending on funding availability, project complexity, number of
requests received, and requested amounts.
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ORG Eligibility
Eligibility for an Organized Research Grant is determined by the Committee according to the following
criteria:
1. Full-time faculty from any discipline are eligible to apply, including those who have accepted
employment for the effective year of the grant but have not yet arrived on campus.
2. To be eligible for consideration, all project proposals must first be approved by the applicant’s
Department Head and Dean.
ORG Funding Restrictions
Funding restrictions for an Organized Research Grant are determined by the Committee according to
the following criteria:
1. Grants will not be awarded for research to fulfill the requirements of an advanced degree.
2. Grants will not be awarded if the project’s primary intent is recognized as course, curriculum or
program development, institutional self-study, or personal/professional development.
3. Grant funding is restricted for use by University personnel and students only.
ORG Application Procedure
1. Faculty may request proposal submission guidelines and forms from the URC Chairperson.
Forms also are available through the Office of Faculty Research web page.
2. Proposal submission deadlines will be determined by the URC. For planning purposes, faculty
will be notified of the Call for Proposals for the coming academic year during the spring
semester.
3. Applicants must submit proposals using approved forms via the Maestro web portal
(maestro.tamus.edu) on or before the published due date.
4. Only one application, as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator (PI), may be submitted per call.
5. Faculty may request a status update regarding committee action after April 15 th.
CRITERIA FOR PROPOSAL EVALUATION
The URC will evaluate proposals according to the following criteria:
1. Design and feasibility of the study:
a. The proposal is written so that a person with no prior knowledge of the subject may make
an informed judgment as to the worthiness of the proposal as a research project.
b. The proposal clearly describes what is intended by the PI, how the PI intends to reach
objectives, and anticipated implications of the project’s findings.
c. The proposed research clearly exhibits application of sound investigative methodology.
d. When the research requires statistical analyses, procedures are specified AND
demonstrably linked to the research questions/hypotheses being investigated.
2. Significance of expected results and identification of expected products:
a. Whether for basic or applied research, the proposal demonstrates evident value. The
proposal has potential for producing a quality scholarly product or publication.
b. The proposal enhances the PI’s ability to obtain external funding.
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c. The proposal indicates the extent to which new ideas may be generated or established
concepts may be reexamined.
d. The proposal is supported by relevant scholarly literature.
3. Approval from the appropriate Review Board (IRB or IACUC), if applicable.
a. All applications that require the use of human subjects or experimental animals must have
appropriate Review Board approval and identify the approval number on the application.
b. Forms for IRB/IACUC review can be found at www.tarleton.edu/facultyresearch. Forms are
to be submitted for review and approval to the Office of Sponsored Projects.
c. Approved IRB/IACUC protocols also are posted at www.tarleton.edu/faculty research.
d. ORG funds will not be awarded until URC receives appropriate Review Board approval.
e. Proposals that require use of animals must clearly describe how animals will be handled
during and at the conclusion of the study. If animals are to be sold, sales proceeds will be
returned to the University Research Committee. For animals that are not sold, the department
responsible for the maintenance of the animals must be named.
4. Principal Investigator and other personnel
a. Specific attention will be given to the PI’s performance with respect to prior ORG awards, if
applicable, and to the quality of resulting reports and research products.
b. The research and publication record of the PI will be considered.
c. The PI is expected to submit results from one ORG project for publication before requesting
funds for a new project.
d. Special consideration will be given to new faculty who are engaged in their initial research
effort and to established faculty who wish to change their area of research or begin new
research efforts.
e. Active involvement of student assistants (undergraduate and/or graduate) in the research
project will be given favorable consideration.
5. External Support
a. After receiving support from the URC, PI’s are expected to apply for external funding to
support on-going research.
b. Proposals which have an enhanced probability of external funding will generally be favored.
FISCAL AND OTHER CONDITIONS
1. Principal and Co-Principal Investigators may request partial salary in a proposal with approval
of the Department Head. The sum of the investigator’s partial research salary and any
teaching salary cannot exceed 100% of the applicant’s institutional base salary on a monthly
basis.
2. Proposed salaries for other personnel should not exceed University-approved standards. If
grantees wish to pay students above approved rates, an appropriate justification must be
included with the application. Student salaries of $11.00/hr or greater must be approved by
the Provost’s Office.
3. Salary for other support personnel must meet the guidelines of the Tarleton Comprehensive
Pay Plan. For additional information, see the Employee Services website.
4. Requests for salary will be closely reviewed. The intent of this process is to promote and/or
enhance research and scholarly activities. Summer salary is normally limited to the equivalent
of 1.5 months.
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5. Budgets will be examined carefully relative to travel and equipment expenses. Travel funds
will only be granted for research data collection, not for attending scholarly meetings or
conferences.
6. The PI will attempt to provide for project equipment through the department rather than as a
part of the budget in the proposal.
7. Equipment purchased with ORG funds becomes the property of Tarleton State University and
will generally become part of the PI’s departmental inventory. Upon completion of a research
project in which equipment was purchased, the URC reserves the right to determine the
disposition of equipment.
GRANT RECIPIENTS
Notice of Award: Principal Investigators will be notified in writing of an ORG award on or before the
20th class day of a new academic year. Notification will include the award amount and funding account
number. The PI will be responsible for completing final account establishment processes with Business
Services. Copies of the award notice also will be sent to the PI’s department.
ORG Accounts: Individual project accounts for those receiving awards will be established by Business
Services. ALL FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR A RESEARCH PROJECT MUST BE USED BY THE END OF THE
FISCAL YEAR IN WHICH THE AWARD WAS MADE. Approximately three months prior to the end of the
funding period, the URC Chairperson will poll awardees regarding the disposition of unencumbered
funds. Principle Investigators are required to notify the URC Chairperson if and when it is determined
by the PI that all or part of the grant will not be used. Funds not spent or committed by July 1 of any
fiscal year are subject to recapture by the URC. Recaptured funding may either be reallocated to other
current awardees or utilized for other research infrastructure needs.
Salary: For those proposals that include PI salary, the salary will be paid following standard payroll
practices. The URC Chairperson, in consultation with the PI’s department and Business Services, will
arrange for payment of salaries allocated from ORG funds. Salaries paid under Title III will be dispersed
by the Associate Vice President for Research and Grants.
Travel: Where travel is involved, the PI must submit travel request forms through normal university
channels and such travel must be billed to the PI’s ORG account number.
Supplies and Equipment: For equipment and supplies that cannot be provided by the PI’s department,
proposals should include descriptions and appropriate amounts. The purchase of these items must
follow standard purchasing guidelines provided by Business Services.
Other Personnel: Student assistants and others authorized for employment by the URC must be hired
using the procedures as defined by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Employee Services. No one
will be paid from an ORG account until all required forms are completed and submitted by the
employing department.
Required Reports: Progress reports for work completed are due by December 15 th and May 15th. A
final project report is due on or before September 15th following the period of the grant award.
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Progress and Final Report forms can be found on the OFR webpage. If work on the project has not
been completed by the Final Report due date, PIs must submit a progress report at that time and one
every three months thereafter until a Final Report is submitted. Additionally, PIs must submit to the
URC Chairperson copies of resulting publications, presentations, or other scholarly works when they
become available. The URC reserves the right to disregard future grant applications until all required
reports are submitted.
Project Modifications: Deviations from the proposed project methodology or awarded budget
allocation must be approved by the URC Chairperson. Work on the project must be suspended until
the modification is approved. The URC Chairperson will notify Business Services of approved budget
modifications.
Acknowledgements: All publications and professional presentations resulting from research or
scholarly activity and supported by ORG funds must acknowledge that the project was supported by a
Tarleton State University Organized Research Grant.
Copyrights, Patents, and Intellectual Property: Research or other scholarly work potentially resulting
in commercialized products or for-profit intellectual property are governed by Texas A&M University
System Policy 17.01.
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