2016-2017 SSRI Faculty Fellows Program: Call for Proposals
The SSRI Faculty Fellows Program supports faculty members in the social and behavioral
sciences to develop new interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at building a novel line of
sustainable research through securing external funding. Priority will be given to proposals that
are congruent with the SSRI’s interdisciplinary mission and its strategic foci:
(1) The Human System: How environments, experiences, and genes affect stress, immune
functions, social, cognitive, and affective neural processes, and how these biopsychosocial
mechanisms both shape and are shaped by human behavior, health and development.
(2) Social Disparities: Discovery of causes and consequences and development of evidencebased policies and practices for remediating widening gaps in areas such as health and
education.
(3) Smart and Connected Health: Health and mental health promotion and disease prevention
and treatment using novel methodologies (electronic devices, social media, human-technology
hybrids), “big data” analytics, and other innovations for enhancing health and health behavior
and optimizing health care and health care delivery.
(4) Innovative Methods: Novel approaches in areas including research design, data collection,
security, archiving, and modeling and analysis.
(5) Dissemination and Implementation Science: Study of best methods for translating
knowledge into policies, programs, practices, and products that achieve broad and sustained
uptake and use toward enhancing human well-being.
Faculty Fellowship Opportunities
1. Mentored Fellowships provide funding for a faculty member for up to two course releases
during an academic year (up to $7,500 per course or the equivalent for those who do not have
resident instruction responsibilities) during an academic year for study and training in new
research areas with the guidance and support of a mentor or mentor team. The mentor/mentor
team will also receive up to $1,000 in summer supplement.
2. Collaborative Fellowships provide funding for a new team of faculty members for up to three
course releases (up to $7,500 per course, and no more than one release per faculty member on
the team) to develop a novel, interdisciplinary project.
Eligibility
Penn State faculty members and established research scientists in the social and behavioral
sciences at UP and the College of Medicine at all career levels are eligible. The alternate avenue
of support for Commonwealth Campus Faculty is the OVPR Research Collaboration Fellowship,
also supported by the SSRI.
Application Process
Applications should first be submitted for approval to the Department Heads of each faculty
member who is seeking a course release. Once the Heads’ approval is obtained, the application
should be forwarded to the PI’s College Dean. [Collaborative Fellows applications will require
that one of the collaborators serve as PI for this purpose.] Each Dean may submit up to two
Mentored and three Collaborative Fellows proposals to info@ssri.psu.edu.
Timeline
September 14, 2015: Proposals are submitted to the Department Head(s) for approval.
October 5: Once approval of the course release(s) is granted by the relevant Department
Head(s), the PI forwards the proposal to her/his College Dean.
 October 26: Deans forward up to two Mentored and up to three Collaborative Fellowship
proposals, along with their own and the Department Head(s) statements of support, to the
SSRI (info@ssri.psu.edu)
 The SSRI Steering Committee will review proposals at its November 2015 meeting
 December 15, 2015: Faculty members will be notified of funding for the 2016-2017 academic
year.
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Format
The application should be no more than three single-spaced pages, not including items 4 and 5
below. Items 1-5 should be saved in a single PDF document for forwarding to the College Dean.
1. Title of project and names and departments of each proposed Fellow. For Mentored
Fellowships, the mentor/mentorship team should also be listed.
2. Goals for the Faculty Fellowship
 Describe the research area and its significance.
 Explain how the Fellowship will play a significant role in advancing the Fellow(s)
research program
3. Activity Plan
 Describe the activities that will be undertaken during the Fellowship period, including
how these activities will advance the goals of the Fellowship and a timeline for their
accomplishment.
 Describe the role of each Fellow or of the Fellow and Mentor(s) and their qualifications
for their roles. For Mentored Fellowships, a training plan should be included.
 Explain how the Fellowship will lead to a proposal for external funding.
4. Attach statements of support from Department Head(s) and mentor(s)/Fellow Collaborator(s)
other than the PI.
5. Attach NSF or NIH biosketches of investigators and mentors. (If an NIH biosketch, please use
the new version.)
Review Criteria
Merits of the proposal, including its innovation, significance and relevance to the SSRI’s
interdisciplinary mission and strategic aims
 Qualifications, commitment, and clarity of roles for the investigator(s) and mentor(s).
 Clarity, rigor, and feasibility of the work plan.
 Likelihood of an external proposal resulting from Fellowship.
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Progress Reports
Awardees are required to provide a progress report at the end of the funding period,
highlighting progress made, tangible outcomes (e.g. papers, presentations), and the plan and
timeline for an external grant proposal. Follow-ups will be requested until targeted external
funding is secured or the project is closed.