by Randy Hollowell, IT Services

As the semester winds down and the days seem to melt together during our remote work and instruction, it is never too early to look ahead to the fall and the next round of the Student Technology Fee Competitive Proposal Process (Tech Fee). The complete schedule for FY21 is available at MiamiOH.edu/TechFee, but we wanted to highlight a few items early.

Since 2009, Miami faculty, staff and students have developed innovative and exciting projects with over $5.5 million of awarded funds. The projects help students in and out of the classroom through the use of technology.

This will be the second year of a fall proposal period. With that, the deadline to submit proposals for 2020-2021 awards is midnight on September 20, 2020.

Proposal Guidelines

Committee members are looking for innovative or significant ideas that clearly benefit students. The guidelines define significant in two ways: impacting a large number of students or having a deep impact on a smaller number.

Your project may directly relate to academics or may be part of the broader Miami experience, making students’ lives better or more productive. Both graduate- and undergraduate-focused proposals are encouraged.

Purchasing Guidelines

Please be aware that all purchases made with Tech Fee funding are subject to relevant University policies. Compliance reviews will include Procurement (per the Purchasing Handbook), an IT Services technical review and an accessibility review (in accordance with Miami’s Accessible Technology Policy).

The Office of Strategic Procurement has asked that individuals involved with preparing proposals, including all software/hardware purchases, consult with Procurement early in the process for contract and vendor management in order to ensure best pricing and terms.

Proposals may be submitted for Tech Fee review utilizing a single quote for cost estimation and budgeting. Purchase requests upon award will not be processed unless they comply with Section 2.01 or 2.03 of the Purchasing Handbook. Please contact the Office of Strategic Procurement if you have questions.

Proposal Applications

Proposals for the 2020-2021 academic year need to be submitted by midnight on Sunday, September 20. The link to the online application form will be available from the Tech Fee website on August 17. An open informational meeting and Q&A session will also be held the week of August 31. For more information visit MiamiOH.edu/techfee or send questions to TechFee@MiamiOH.edu.