CUNY Junior Faculty Research Award in Science and Engineering
Description of Program and Solicitation for Faculty Nominations
Deadline: Monday, December 21, 2015
Read Carefully for Eligibility
Purpose
The CUNY Junior Faculty Research Award in Science and Engineering Program aims to
cultivate the excellence and ensure the promise of research-intensive, early-career,
science and engineering faculty at CUNY. It is expected that this early career opportunity
will advance the research programs of the faculty recipients through boosting their
research productivity and accelerating their ability to attract significant external
funding.
Eligibility
All untenured tenure-track junior faculty who have a promising and innovative research
program in the life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics or engineering will be
eligible. Applicants must have completed a terminal degree (e.g. PhD, MD). All
untenured faculty in STEM disciplines are encouraged to apply. Applicants need to
demonstrate a commitment to teaching, research, and service, and show evidence of
this in the materials submitted.
Application Development and Structure
Applicants are required to provide evidence of their scholarly output and professional
impact; they should also emphasize potential future contributions. Application packages
must include a 500 word description of their research that incorporates a statement of
its significance to the individual’s professional development and to the University
research program. The description should address the innovativeness and potential
scholarly and societal impact of their research. The application package must also
include a curriculum vitae in NIH or NSF format (4-page limit), a brief description (in
paragraph form) of how the funds will be used, a nominating letter of support from the
applicant’s department chair or school dean, and two letters of recommendation, at
least one from a CUNY faculty member. To be eligible for consideration, the letters of
recommendation must be received by the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research by
the application deadline.
cuny.edu/research/faculty-resources/internal-funding-programs/CUNYJFRASE.html
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Proposal Evaluation
The awards from this program should be viewed as an early career opportunity for junior
faculty to advance their research programs. Thus, the application will be evaluated on the basis
of the likelihood that the research program will continue to evolve and flourish beyond the
funding period.
Initially, the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research will screen the proposals for eligibility and
completeness. An external selection committee composed of distinguished research faculty
and administrators will evaluate all eligible proposals. This panel will be representative of the
broad range of STEM disciplines, and each proposal will have two reviewers.
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: Innovativeness of the
research, the potential to receive external funding and a demonstrated record of scholarly
achievement and promise. The recommendations of the external selection committee are
final.
Funding
Each CUNY Junior Faculty Fellow will receive a one-year $50,000 award. It is anticipated that
four awards will be given in year 5 (2015).
Faculty recipients will be awarded RF funds for a period of one year, February 1 – January 31.
Extensions for any remaining RF funds beyond the 12-month funding period will only be
considered under special circumstances.
Funds can be used for any of the following categories:
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Other Than Personnel Services (OTPS) including: research supplies, equipment,
travel and field expenses
Personnel costs (Research Associates and Research Assistants)
Faculty release time at adjunct rates
One month of summer salary (Please note: The cumulative maximum that can
be budgeted for summer salary is $5,000)
Fringe benefits
CUNY Junior Faculty Research Award funds may not be used to purchase desktop or laptop
computers, personal storage devices such as iPods and iPads, or any other handheld electronic
device.
No line item budget will be required until the grants have been awarded in late January.
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Compliance issues:
All faculty and any student research assistants funded by CUNY Junior Faculty Research Awards
must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training in compliance with federal
requirements. For further information, see the CUNY Research Compliance webpage:
http://www.cuny.edu/research/compliance.html.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and
the Biohazards Committee must approve research involving human subjects, animals, or
biohazards prior to the release of any funds. If applicable, we recommend that you submit your
IRB or IACUC applications to the relevant authority simultaneously with your CUNY Junior
Faculty Research Award proposal, in order to allow sufficient time for these applications to be
approved. Without IRB/IACUC approval, CUNY Junior Faculty Research Award funding will not
be allocated for any human or animal subject research. For more information about IRB and
human subjects research, visit:
http://www.cuny.edu/research/compliance/human-subjects-research-1.html.
Terms and Conditions of Support
 Total funding allocated for the competition in 2015 is $200,000 for four awards.
 All awardees must submit a brief report highlighting their major accomplishments and
activities at the end of the award.
 Each awardee will be expected to present his/her research at the Junior Faculty Science
and Engineering Fellows Seminar Day.
 As awardees progress through their careers, they will be asked to serve as mentors for
the CUNY Summer Undergraduate Research Program (C-SURP). For more information
visit: <http://www.cuny.edu/research/sr/csurp.html>.
 For program evaluation purposes, all applicants, as well as recipients will be required to
provide the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research with updated CVs, upon request,
for the five-year follow-up assessment period.
Specific Submission Guidelines
Complete proposals must be submitted electronically via the J Frase website ONLY.) and can be
uploaded as a Word .doc or in .pdf format.
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Complete Application Package
Completed nomination form (online)
1) Signed letter from the nominator - scanned and uploaded
2) Signature Page – scanned and uploaded
3) Proposal Summary (500 word vision statement)- uploaded
4) Nominee’s curriculum vitae (4-page NIH/NSF format)- uploaded
5) List of scientific publications and patents (if not included in vitae)
6) A list of Currently Available and Pending Funds (do not include internal or startup
funds)
7) Brief Budget Narrative
8) Proposal Checklist
The original should be signed by the PI and College Grants Officer and be submitted
through the website. (This signed checklist serves as an acknowledgment by the PI and
Grants Officer that the submitted proposal package is complete.)
9) 2 letters of recommendation (at least one from a CUNY faculty member) may be
included in the web application package or emailed to researchprograms@mail.cuny.edu by the application deadline.
Approvals, Submission, and Timetable
The proposal must be approved and signed (on the checklist page) by an appropriate
administrative official at each campus, and should follow normal campus procedures for
proposal approval at those campuses.
The complete electronic copy of the proposal should be uploaded on the website for the Junior
Faculty Research Award in Science and Engineering Program.
Proposal must be time stamped no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, December 21, 2015.
If you have any difficulties in uploading your proposal, please contact
Regina Masterson
regina.masterson@mail.cuny.edu
(646) 664-8915
.
No original signed proposal checklist, signature page, and nominating letter need be faxed or
mailed. Signatures may be scanned and uploaded within the application. The reference letters
may be emailed separately or uploaded on the website.
We anticipate that funding decisions will be made by the middle of January.
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