GROWING SPONSORED RESEARCH AT UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Strategic Recommendations by the VPR Research Fo

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GROWING SPONSORED RESEARCHAT UTAH STATE
UNIVERSITY Strategic Recommendationsby the
VPRResearch Focus Group
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Total Research Funding at USU
NSF Ranking 90th in 1997 94th in 2004 102nd
in 2005
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RFG Mission

• Identify opportunities and best practices to
  increase research of all kinds, but especially
  sponsored research and research where USU can
  capture recovered overhead dollars, by at least
  25 over the next three years
• What it would mean

Includes figures for USURF Financial Aid
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Summary of Committees Work

• Investigated best practices to grow RD at
  several US universities
• Reviewed USU strengths and funding opportunities
• Established strategic priorities, goals, and
  metrics
• Formulated investment strategies and
  recommendations
• Identified potential challenges

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Common Strategies for RD Growth at 6 Leading US
Institutions

• Linked RD growth to interdisciplinary or
  multidisciplinary research initiatives
• Considered human resource management vital
  hiring the right people and hiring in the right
  areas
• Streamlined proposal process from beginning to
  end
• Built or planned to build new research facilities
  to accommodate growth in strategic areas
• Carefully managed nurtured industry partnerships

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USU Strengths Opportunities

• Strengths
• Talented and productive faculty
• Numerous interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
  research scholarly centers
• Prominent research facilities
• Strong international legacy
• USTAR
• Opportunities
• Outlook on Federal funding mixed USU should be
  in a good position to compete for increased
  dollars in some agencies (e.g., DOD, NASA, and
  NSF)
• State agencies will continue to be an important
  source of funds, but significant gains seem
  unlikely
• Clear opportunity to grow industry-sponsored
  research

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Key Recommendations

• Restructure existing seed grant programs toward
  more targeted programs with specific missions,
  goals and expected outcomes
• Build grant-writers network and implement
  Grant-Writing Institute to facilitate proposal
  development and enhance proposal success rates.
• Implement a formal process for strategic research
  hires.
• Enhance and coordinate campus-wide efforts to
  raise awareness among campus researchers of
  opportunities to grow research and research
  infrastructure through externally funded
  projects.
• Implement practices that ensure a more complete
  recovery of total FA costs and raise the
  effective FA rate

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VPR Seed Funding Programs

• Past Programs
• New Faculty Research Grant (NFRG)
• Community-University Research Initiative (CURI)
• New Seed Fund Programs
• Grant-Writing Experience Through Mentorship (GEM)
  
• Research Catalyst (RC)
• Seed Program To Advance Research Collaboration
  (SPARC)
• Each has defined goal all include clear
  expectation for external grant submission

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Grant-Writing Experience Through Mentorship (GEM)

• Goal Enhance the professional development of
  junior faculty via research and grant-writing
  mentorship
• Eligibility Tenure-eligible asst. profs,
  research asst. profs., or research professionals
  with lt4 yrs in rank
• Funding 1-yr, 5,000 max (semiannual)
• Notes Requires active collaboration between the
  junior faculty member and a more senior
  successful researcher
• Outcome Develop and submit an external grant
  proposal within 3 mo of GEM award end date serve
  on review panel for 2 yrs

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Research Catalyst (RC)

• Goal Develop new initiatives or directions that
  will lead to new externally funded grants
• Eligibility All tenured or tenure-eligible
  faculty, research faculty, or other USU research
  professionals
• Funding 1-yr, 20,000 max (semiannual)
• Notes Funds can be used for 1 mo faculty salary
  support, student RA, travel required to do
  research, supplies and equipment needed to
  complete the project.
• Outcome Develop and submit an external grant
  proposal within 3 mo of RC award end date

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Seed Program To Advance Research Collaboration
(SPARC)

• Goal Catalyze development of large
  interdisciplinary research projects
• Eligibility Same as RC, but must also engage
  faculty from more than 1 dept, research center,
  college or institution
• Funding 1-yr, 35,000 max (semiannual)
• Notes To obtain full award level, PIs must
  utilize a professional proposal development
  service
• Outcome Develop and submit an interdisciplinary
  external grant proposal seeking gt1M within 3 mo
  of SPARC award end date

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Grant-Writers Institute

• Modeled after University of Missouri at Columbia
• Build grant-writers network
• Hire 1 central grant writer (VPR)
• 50 salary match for 1 yr, 5 thereafter for
  hires in academic or research units
• Offer intensive training in grant-writing once
  each summer (Grant-Writers Institute)
• 5,000 time and effort buyout for participants
  plus 1,000 for proposal development
• Full-time, 4 wk commitment (6 full-day sessions)
• Partner with SDL grant writers to offer first
  Institute in June 09

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Proposed Timeline for Implementation
July 1, 2008
July 1, 2010
July 1, 2011
July 1 2009
NFRG
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Proposed Budget