THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Research Collaboration Fellowship: Application Guidelines
Purpose:
The purpose of the Research Collaboration Fellowship1 is to initiate and foster research collaborations
between Penn State faculty at the University Park (UP) or the College of Medicine (CoM) and at
campuses across the Commonwealth. Through this program faculty members with mutual research
interests will be encouraged to form research partnerships and to jointly conduct research projects.
The objective is to cultivate long term research collaborations that will attract external research funds.
The fellowship provides seed money to support the development of collaborative research
relationships.
The UP or CoM collaborator should be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member and a member of one
of the five participating research institutes at University Park: The Materials Research Institute (MRI),
Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (PSIEE), Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
(HUCK), Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), or the College of Medicine (CoM) in Hershey, PA.2
The program is jointly sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) through the
four Institutes, Vice Dean for Research at the College of Medicine and the Office of the Vice President
for Commonwealth Campuses (OVPCC). The program will award up to $10,000 to each of the five
Fellows from the campuses:


$5,000 for a summer salary supplement (provided by the research institutes or CoM), and
Up to $5,000 for the other project-related expenses ($2,500 provided by the OVPCC 3 and
$2,500 by the campus of the Fellow).
Program Overview:
1. Tenure-track and tenured faculty members at the campuses outside UP or CoM must identify
UP or CoM collaborators and submit to the Chancellor of their respective campuses proposals
to conduct research projects with their collaborators. Tenure-track faculty are encouraged to
apply.
2. Each Chancellor may recommend up to five proposals (no more than one proposal for each of
the participating institutes or CoM).
3. Each of the institutes or CoM will select one faculty member for the Fellowship sponsored by
that institute or CoM.
4. The Fellows will work with their UP or CoM collaborators during the summer semester. All
Fellows are expected to make a full summer commitment to collaboration on the proposed
research projects. Payments to Fellows therefore will be provided in two installments: one at
the end of June and one at the end of July.
5. The Fellows will submit a mid-term report by July 15th and a final report by September 30th on
the progress of their research (maximum one page) to the sponsoring Institute or College of
Medicine and the Chancellors of their campuses. Electronic reporting is acceptable.
www.research.psu.edu/about/faculty-staff-resources/research-collaboration-fellowship
See Appendix I for the description of the four Institutes and College of Medicine.
3 For Great Valley, the $2,500 will be provided by the Vice President for Research and Dean of the
Graduate School.
1
2
Application Contents:
All applications should include the following components.
1. Completed cover page (use attached form).
2. Research proposal (maximum 2 pages, 12 point font) which includes a description of the
proposed research, expected outcome and a plan that outlines how this project would position
the team to be competitive as well as how and where the team may secure external funds. It is
essential for the applicant to discuss the proposed project with the collaborator prior to the
submission of the proposal. At least one face-to-face meeting with the collaborator, or a
telephone or Polycom discussion, is strongly encouraged.
3. Budget for project-related expenses (up to $5,000); see explanatory notes below.
4. Checklist from the research collaborator (use attached form).
5. Letter of support from the campus Chancellor.
6. Current CV.
Deadline for Submitting Approved Applications from the Campus Chancellor to the Institutes by
email is December 7, 2015 (send to: rim100@psu.edu ).
Proposal Review
Proposals will be evaluated by the Directors of the four Institutes or the Vice Dean of Research in the
College of Medicine. The Fellowship awards (one for each) will be announced no later than the first
week in February 2016.
Budget Explanatory Notes:
The $5,000 project-related expenses may be used for the following purposes:
1. Travel expenses to UP or Hershey to work with the collaborator.
2. Housing and food expenses while working as a Research Collaboration Fellow.
3. Purchase of equipment/software/materials that are directly related to the approved research
project.
4. Service expenses that are directly related to the approved research project (e.g.
facility/computing user fees, etc.)
These funds may NOT be used for the following purposes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Domestic and/or international travel to conferences or meetings.
Support for graduate students.
Publication page charges.
Any expenses that are not directly related to the approved research project.
Research Collaboration Fellowship Application
(Cover Page)
Title of the proposal:
Date:
Name of the applicant:
Rank:
Tenure Status:
Discipline:
Campus:
Campus Address:
Telephone:
Email Address:
Participating Institute:
 College of Medicine (CoM)
 Materials Research Institute (MRI)
 Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (PSIEE)
 Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (HUCK)
 Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)
Name of the Collaborator:
Department of Collaborator
Chancellor Signature
Date
Checklist for the Collaborators

Are you interested in the research idea(s) that the applicant is proposing?
______ Yes _____NO

Are you willing to collaborate with the applicant on the proposed project(s)?
______ Yes _____NO

Are you willing to provide space and equipment as needed for the applicant?
______ Yes _____NO

Have you discussed with the applicant the proposed project(s)?
______ Yes _____NO
Other Comments if Appropriate:
________________________________________________________________________
Signature
Date
________________________________________________________________________
Email address
Phone
Note: The checklist should be completed by the UP or CoM collaborator and be submitted along with the
proposal.
Appendix I
Materials Research Institute (MRI):
www.mri.psu.edu
Penn State’s Materials Research Institute was created to coordinate the highly diverse and growing
materials activities across Penn State’s University Park campus. With more than 200 faculty in 15
departments, four colleges, and two Department of Defense research laboratories, MRI was designed to
break down the academic walls that traditionally divide disciplines and thereby enable faculty to
collaborate across departmental and even college boundaries. MRI has become a model for this
interdisciplinary approach to research, both within and outside the university.
Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (PSIEE):
www.psiee.psu.edu
The mission of Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment is to expand Penn State's capacity
to pursue the newest frontiers in energy and environmental research by encouraging cooperation across
disciplines and the participation of local, state, federal, and international stakeholders. PSIEE is charged to
engage all of the major colleges involved in energy and environmental teaching and research; and to
promote and ensure interdisciplinary collaboration and coherent energy and environmental programs
across Penn State through new faculty hires, infrastructure development, and intellectual discourse.
Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (HUCK):
www.huck.psu.edu
The Huck Institutes is dedicated to strengthening research in the life sciences, preparing students for
successful careers, and encouraging new perspectives across disciplinary boundaries. The Institutes
establish and support cutting-edge, collaborative, interdisciplinary science through graduate programs, a
wide range of instrumentation and technical expertise, and shared technology facilities. Some facilities are
located on the University Park campus; others are based in the Hershey College of Medicine.
Social Science Research Institute (SSRI):
www.ssri.psu.edu
The Social Science Research Institute promotes interdisciplinary research that addresses complex
national and international social issues and critical social needs. SSRI fosters communication and
collaboration across the social sciences, enhances interdisciplinary networking and provides research
consultation, support & accessible research services.
SSRI encourages and supports research of individual investigators from diverse fields as well as research
collaboration across disciplinary lines, across colleges and research centers, and across universities. SSRI
also supports programs to provide for multidisciplinary graduate training in addition to multidisciplinary
centers of activity that focus on different areas of social concern.
College of Medicine (CoM):
www.hmc.psu.edu/college
Penn State College of Medicine is recognized as one of the nation’s premier academic health centers,
internationally known for accomplishments in research, education, and patient care. Basic and clinical
research to treat and find cures major diseases is conducted at the College and the Hershey Medical
Center, in addition to active research programs in anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology,
bioengineering, cell and molecular biology, genetics, homeland security, immunology and infectious
diseases, integrative biosciences, laboratory animal medicine, microbiology and immunology, molecular
medicine, molecular toxicology, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, and public health sciences.