Faculty Research

Faculty Research Grants

All full-time NSU faculty are encouraged to apply for one-year Faculty Research Committee (FRC) Grants.

Information concerning the application process follows.

Eligibility

Applicants must have full-time (non-temporary) faculty status and the rank of instructor or above. Faculty are eligible to reapply for funding every three years, if they submitted an acceptable final report by December 31 of the calendar year the funding ended. Those who have not previously received FRC funding receive priority. Additionally, researchers who have previously received a FRC grant who submit evidence of working with Research and Sponsored Programs (RASP) to seek extramural funding will receive priority.

Previous recipients of FRC grants are encouraged to contact the Chair of the FRC to assure themselves that a report is on file.

Proposal Review

Since the FRC has limited funds, the grant program is a competition. The FRC is composed of faculty from a wide range of disciplines, which means that an individual reviewer may not be an authority in the particular area of research proposed. Thus, the proposal should be written clearly enough that a "non-expert" can understand it and thoroughly enough that an "expert" can document the adequacy of the theory and methodology. The proposal should stand alone without the need for interpretation or clarification.

Submit a Proposal

Proposal Format

Interested applicants will submit two documents to Research and Sponsored Programs–the proposed project and the proposed budget with the directions below.

Part 1) Project Proposal

The faculty research template can be found here. All directions must be followed or the application may not be reviewed. The proposal should be written clearly enough that it stands alone without the need for interpretation or clarification. This can, in part, be accomplished by avoiding the use of jargon and communicating in a way that a non-expert can understand the proposal and an expert can document the adequacy of the theory and methodology.

Faculty Research Template (Google Doc) (Download or make a copy of the Google Doc to edit)

Part 2) Budget Proposal

Using the budget template as a guide, the budget and budget justification must be emailed as a single Excel document.

Requested categories should be fully itemized in the budget justification section with calculations.

For any questions, please review the RASP website or contact Research and Sponsored Programs.

NSU Faculty Research Budget Template (Google Sheet) (Download or make a copy of the Google Sheet to edit)

Submission

The email submission should include two uploads: a single PDF document and a single Excel budget document. Proposals that do not comply with format and content guidelines may be rejected without review.

Review Process

Projects will be confidentially reviewed by the Faculty Research Committee. The panel will make a recommendation to the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs, who will make the final decision.

Proposal Deadlines

Submit the proposal to Research and Sponsored Programs

Submit a complete proposal, including all proposal components, signatures, and required documentation to Research and Sponsored Programs at secratjr@nsuok.edu by 4:59 p.m. CST on February 16, 2024. 

RASP identifies ways that the University's funding can be supplemented through external sources and assists faculty and staff with the development and submission of grant applications. The Faculty Research grant process was developed to parallel that of applying for extramural funding to introduce new grant writers to the process.

Final Reporting Requirements

Submit a final report to the Faculty Research Chair at frc@nsuok.edu by December 31 the calendar year of the funded project. Use the outline below, limiting the entire report to five pages. Researchers must submit an acceptable final report by the deadline to be eligible for future FRC grants.

Financial report

Were all the awarded funds spent? If not, why not?

Information gathered

Were the data gathered as planned? What shortfalls were there and why did they occur? Does the researcher have feasible plans to gather missing information? What unanticipated, extra information was gathered?

Achievement of specific objectives

State in a clear manner what the researcher added to the present body of knowledge in the general area into which this project fits. What publications are in preparation, have been submitted, have been accepted for publication, or have been published? What papers have been (or will be) delivered at meetings (give time, place, and name of sponsoring organization)? What other tangible outcomes are available that verify the achievement of the research goal?

Student involvement

How many students were involved and how were they involved? In what way did they benefit from that involvement?

Anticipated follow-up work

What new projects or extensions of this project does the researcher anticipate doing, if any? What are the researcher's plans for seeking extramural funding?

Evaluation Criteria for Grant Proposals

FRC proposals containing evidence of plagiarism will not be considered. All incomplete or erroneously prepared proposals will be returned to the Principal Investigator. Returned proposals may be revised and resubmitted for the next funding period. Complete proposals must be received by the deadline for consideration. Previous grant recipients who did not turn in Final Reports by the deadline will not receive FRC funding for future projects. The grant program is a competition due to a limited amount of funds.

The Faculty Research Committee scores the Funding Priorities according to the following rubric.

FRC Grant Rubric

1. Clarity
   • Wrote clearly enough that the proposal stands alone without the need for interpretation or clarification.
2. Background and Significance
   • Provided a brief description of the proposed project.
   • Explained how the project is important to the author.
   • Explained how the project is important to their profession.
   • Explained how the project is important to the University.
3. Procedure and Timetable
   • Identified the approximate time frame during which each of the steps or stages of the project will be accomplished.
   • Presented a timetable that can realistically be completed by June 30 of the funding year.
4. Budget and Resources
   • Proposed a realistic budget that will fund the described project.
   • Sufficiently detailed the budget so that it justified the funding request.
   • This project will have a significant impact on the student population.
5. Dissemination
   • Indicated plans for distributing the results.
   • Identified specific ways to disseminate the results. Examples would be peer-reviewed publication, presentation venues, extramural funding, etc.
   • Made a case for the continuation or expansion of research endeavors.
6. Grant Experience
   • Awarded a grant while employed at NSU

Faculty Research Grant Policies

1. Faculty Research Committee (FRC) grant funding is based on a fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Funding allocation for a specific fiscal year must be expended within that year. Funding allocations for grants cannot cross the fiscal year boundary.
2. The Principal Investigator (PI) must have full-time (non-temporary) faculty status and the rank of instructor or above in order to be eligible for FRC grant funding.
3. The FRC will solicit grant proposals by email in the fall semester. The proposal must be returned by the specified deadline in order to receive consideration.
4. The FRC will evaluate proposals and notify recipients and their Deans in spring to allow the researcher time to make plans and begin spending funds after July 1. Funding is contingent upon funding availability.
5. The maximum grant shall be $8,000.
6. Faculty are eligible to reapply for funding every three years, if they submitted an acceptable final report by the specified deadline.
7. Summer salary may be budgeted at a maximum of $7,000, not to exceed 25% of annual salary. Current summer teaching loads must be factored into the 25% summer salary cap, per University policy. In the case of Optometry, salary support for the summer may be equal to the cost of hiring an adjunct faculty person to cover 20 hours of clinic teaching each week for 10 weeks.
8. The FRC grants may be used for various aspects of dissertation research such as data collection, experimental design, consultant fees, etc. However, FRC funding is not intended to provide funding for tuition or dissertation printing cost.
9. Funds for travel directly related to the conduct of the research (original data collection, use of archives or special library collections, collaboration and consultation, or use of lab facilities not available at NSU) may be requested. Funds for travel to professional meetings should not be requested.
10. Proposals for FRC grants may include requests for computer hardware or software, but must be directly related to the funded research, and must adhere to the existing NSU IT policy and standards regarding the purchase of software and hardware.

Faculty Research Committee

The Faculty Research Committee (FRC) seeks to encourage faculty research and/or scholarly activity, advocate for the faculty's research interest to the administration, and disseminate information on research conducted by NSU faculty. The work of the FRC aligns with the following aspect of the NSU Mission: We empower students, faculty, staff and the community to reach their full intellectual and human potential by creating and expanding a culture of learning, discovery, and diversity.

The basic philosophy of the FRC grant program is:

• to encourage the use of internal funds as seed money to fund new lines of research that can lead to the submission of extramural grant applications, and
• to support meritorious research and scholarly activities that contribute to the faculty member's discipline even when no extramural funding is available.

Function

This committee encourages and recommends funding for faculty research activity compatible with and supportive of quality teaching; encourages student involvement in research projects through collaboration with faculty; encourages faculty research or scholarly activity that contributes to or expands knowledge in the faculty member's discipline; acts as an advocate for faculty research; cooperates with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RASP) in promoting research interest and providing grantsmanship training; investigates mechanisms through which university research expertise could be utilized in assisting communities and organizations in Northeastern Oklahoma; and disseminates information on the research conducted by NSU faculty. This committee reports to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Membership

The FRC is composed of twelve members and the committee chair. Members are appointed for three-year terms with one third of the membership appointed each year. Each academic college is represented by at least one member. The remaining positions are filled with representatives from among the library or the colleges. Two additional members are selected by the Faculty Council each year. One person from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RASP) and the Dean of the Graduate Studies serve as ex officio.

Faculty Research Committee