Iowa State University – College of Human Sciences
Seed Grant Program
External Funding Accelerator – Request for Proposals
Last updated 8/2015
External Funding Accelerator Grants (Accelerator Grants) are designed to enhance the
competitiveness of CHS faculty members and/or teams to secure external funding, promote
scholarly endeavors, and foster team effectiveness. It is anticipated that funded activities will
enable a significant and meaningful boost in external funding and related scholarly productivity
and provide opportunities for expansion and impact of scholarly work.
Examples of activities that could be funded include visiting another investigator’s research
laboratory to learn a specific technique, spending time with a colleague at another university to
prepare a grant proposal, visiting a project officer, hiring a grant-writing consultant to facilitate
development of a proposal for $500K or higher, or attending a regional conference sponsored
by a federal funding agency. These examples are intended to spark creative thinking rather than
represent an all-inclusive list of possible activities.
Timeline
Accelerator Grants will be awarded on an ongoing basis as appropriate projects are proposed.
Applications will be reviewed on the first business day of each month and funding decisions
generally will be made within 10 business days. Funds will typically be designated for use
within one calendar year. All recipients will be required to complete a brief report (template
found at the end of this RFP) within 30 days after completion of the funded activity (attached).
Eligibility
The principal investigator (PI) for the project must be a faculty member in the College of Human
Sciences. Individual faculty members or teams of investigators may apply for Accelerator
Grants.
Restrictions
Faculty and staff salaries (including summer salary) may not be funded by these grants. The
funds are not to be used to enhance instructional or outreach activities directly. Instructional
activities may be considered only if they are (or will become) an integral part of an externally
funded project.
Format
1) Cover page – Complete the cover page template found at the end of this RFP.
2) Narrative – No more than 2 pages, single-spaced, no smaller than 12-point font, organized by
the topics below:
a) Project title
b) Relation to past scholarly work
c) Specific aims or objectives
d) Expected outcomes
e) Anticipated benefits for future work
CHS Seed Grant Program – External Funding Accelerator
f)
Last updated 8/2015
Timeline for project activities
g) Specific plans to apply for external funding (agency, title, anticipated submission date)
3) Budget and budget justification – Budget should include a detailed justification for each
item. Use of complementary funds (e.g., start- up funds, Big XII Fellowships, incentive
account funds, department/unit match) to assist with activity expenses is expected and
should be noted in the budget.
4) Letters of support – Department/unit heads are expected to review the investigator’s
scholarly goals when supporting an application for an Accelerator Grant. All proposals must
include a letter of support and justification from each department/unit head associated with the
request.
5) Curricula vitae – A brief curriculum vita (not to exceed two pages) for each investigator.
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
External Funding Accelerator Seed Grant Proposal in the subject line. You will receive an email 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.
Iowa State University – College of Human Sciences
Seed Grant Program
External Funding Accelerator – 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
seed 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 accelerator 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 chair/school director approval
I have read the seed 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
Iowa State University – College of Human Sciences
Seed Grant Program
External Funding Accelerator – Report
Last updated 8/2015
This report should be emailed to chsgrant@iastate.edu within 30 days after completion of the
funded project. This report 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>>
Co-PI(s) information
Name(s) / Department(s) / Email(s)
Department chair(s)/unit head(s) information
Name(s) / Department(s) / Email(s)
Project activities
External funding proposals submitted
Outcome/s and next steps
Associated scholarly activities
Expenditure of funds
Email
Phone