Untenured faculty who are receiving summer funding as part of their employment contract are (1) eligible to apply for the University Summer Research Appointment and would also receive the additional financial support should an SRA be awarded, and (2) eligible to apply for an FSB Summer Research Grant, which would allow a deferral of up to one summer of agreed upon contractual summer funding.  However, deferred summer funding may not be used subsequent to promotion and tenure (co-authors could receive funding in the year that the grant is awarded). See Section IV for criteria. 

1. a.

   Description. Briefly describe the nature and goal of the proposed project in terms clear to those outside your immediate discipline.

2. b.

   Context. Explain the background and context of the project. Compare your proposal to existing work. If your proposal breaks new ground, explain how.

3. c.

   Project Aptness.

   1. i.

      Why is this particular project appropriate for you to undertake at this time? Describe any preparations or progress you have made or any special qualifications you have which are significant to the proposal.

   2. ii.

      For co-authored proposals, provide a justification for the additional cost of supporting two authors.

4. d.

   Method or Plan. Describe the specific methods, techniques, or procedures you will use to accomplish the project’s objectives. Give approximate times for completing each phase of the project.

5. e.

   Communication of completed activity. Explain how the results of your work will be made accessible to a wider audience.

6. f.

   Literature cited in proposal or selected bibliography. Please cite here materials relevant to your proposed project.

7. g.

   If, in your judgment, the methodology employed in your proposal requires additional elaboration, a technical appendix of up to three pages may be appended

C. A Current Curriculum Vitae.

IV. Criteria for Evaluation of the Proposals

The FSB Research Committee will evaluate the proposals and make a recommendation to the Dean’s Office, which will determine the number of proposals to be funded based on the (1) the quality of proposals recommended and (2) the funding available in the budget to award grants.  The amount of funding and maximum number of grants available should be determined by December 1, 2019, and communicated to the faculty at that time. For 2018, up to six $10,000 grants can be awarded provided there are a sufficient number of proposals that meet the criteria.

The work to be done during the summer may be part of a larger project that will take longer than one summer to complete. However, a time-line should indicate which parts are to be completed during the summer to be funded. The following criteria will be used by the FSB Research Committee in their review of the proposals: 

Funding decisions for research grants of similar merit in 2018-19 will be assigned according to faculty categories in the following priority order: (1) untenured assistant professors who no longer receive summer research support, (2) associate professors eligible for summer funding, (3) full professors eligible for summer funding, and (4) chaired full professors eligible for summer funding, and (5) untenured assistant professors who are seeking to defer one year of FSB summer funding). Should there not be a sufficient number of proposals deemed worthy of a FSB summer research grant, the remaining amounts will be held by the Division and added to the pool available for the 2019-20 academic year. The long-term goal of the FSB summer research grant program is to increase the funding pool as a result of the capital campaign and to offer a number of pools of funding for a wider array of research consistent with the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee.

The ordering of criteria generally reflects their relative importance for consideration.

1.   The likelihood of the project’s outcome to be eventually worthy of a publication considered by the faculty member’s department as a “top-tier” academic, peer-reviewed publication.

2.   The feasibility of the project and likelihood that the project will be completed and communicated in a timely fashion.

3.   Evidence of adequate familiarity with prior work in the area.

4.   The soundness of the methods proposed.

5.   Evidence that supports the likelihood of the project being successfully completed, such as the applicant’s recent track record with respect to scholarly activity or steps taken by the applicant to prepare to undertake the project.

6.   The understandability of the proposal by non-specialists in the proposed area of research.

7.   The potential impact of the project on academic literature, business practices, or teaching.

8.   For those who received a FSB Summer Research Grant or a Supplement to a University Summer Research Appointment in the past 5 years, evidence of completion and a description of the outcome.

V. Conditions for Receipt of Funding

Anyone who receives a FSB grant must agree to the following conditions:

A. The recipient must remain on the Miami University faculty in the academic year following the summer of the award. Recipients must agree to devote a minimum of 6 weeks of full-time effort, or 12 weeks of half-time effort to the project, during the 12-week summer period starting Tuesday, May 21, 2019 and ending Saturday, August 10, 2019. At the time the summer contract is written, recipients must specify the exact dates for the project. Summer compensation must adhere to University guidelines which specify that total summer compensation may not exceed one third of an individual’s nine-month contract. Moreover, weekly compensation should not exceed 33/13 or approximately 2.54% of an individual’s nine-month contract. Those teaching in the summer or receiving similar funding from FSB for service or teaching-related activities are not eligible for FSB summer research grants.

B. Grant recipients will file a report with the Senior Associate Dean by the end of the Fall Semester in the year that funding is received. The report will be posted on the FSB Website for other faculty to view.

C. Grant recipients must acknowledge financial support from the FSB for any publications resulting from the grant.

D. The proposals of successful applicants will be made available for review by potential applicants in subsequent years through the office of the Senior Associate Dean.

E. Failure to adhere to the above conditions will make the recipient ineligible for future FSB funding until all conditions have been met.