The Internal Research Grants programme advances staff scholarship by providing an additional source of funding for individual research, as well as for research conferences designed to stimulate dialogues with scholars at other institutions.
COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAMME
Purpose
Competitive Research Grants provide up to N200, 000.00 to defray expenses associated with research projects or creative endeavors likely to result in some form of scholarly publication or artistic presentation, lead to external funding, or directly foster further inquiry. The programme exists to encourage staff members to engage in scholarly and creative activities that enhance their professional growth in their fields. Compensation for full-time staff or their replacements is an ineligible category. GO University supports this research programme in the belief that the vitality of the academic staff is essential to its success in serving students and the community.
Funding the preparation and formatting of a completed manuscript according to a publisher’s requirements is an eligible project. The application should explain the scholarly value of the book and include some evidence of a publisher’s intent to produce the book. The applicant should describe the press and the publisher’s review process. Only scholarly reviews by experts in the relevant field will be considered. These reviews should be included whenever relevant. Eligible costs include: color illustrations, photography, special typesetting for math, science and foreign languages, geographical maps, indexing, permissions, and manuscript pages that exceed the publishers set book length. In all instances, the applicant should work with the publisher to specify and document the costs of the requested items. The Committee will not support work that is primarily commercial. Staff may request support for copy editing costs involved in preparing a manuscript for publication after it has been accepted by a publisher. Ineligible costs include editorial assistance intended to prepare a manuscript for submission to a publisher or to substantially re-write (as opposed to copy edit) an accepted manuscript.
Deadlines
Programme deadlines are September 15 and February 15. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on the due date. If a due date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following Monday at 9 a.m. Late applications cannot be accepted. Funding is for 18 months after the Committee approves the grant.
Review process
Applications are reviewed without reference to any applicant’s identity. It is the applicant’s responsibility to remove identifying information from any accompanying material.
Competitiveness
In reviewing applications, the Committee will be supportive of applicants’ efforts to advance their scholarly or creative work. The University’s programme is intentionally competitive, both to insure the best use of available funds and to encourage development of proposal-writing skills. As the number of applications increases, the competitiveness of the awards will increase as well. Applicants should take care in assembling a University proposal as they would an external funding application. Proposals may be revised and resubmitted for a later round of funding.
Funding Plan
Competitive Research Grants should be a part of long-term planning for professional development. This programme is intended to supplement, not replace, other sources of support available through departmental budgets, faculty-controlled funds, and external grants. Staff members are encouraged to explore all sources of assistance.
Outline of Proposal
All proposals must be in an editable text format. Only the CV may be submitted in PDF format. Researchers, who propose projects involving non-English-speaking populations, should indicate their proficiency in the target language and how they will address any required translation services.
1. Budget page
2. Recent scholarly activities and/or publications;
3. List of all previous support or funding directly or indirectly related to this project. Include all external grants applied for related to this project. Indicate source, time period, amount and title. Include a summary of the outcomes from previous support (publications, course revisions, papers, or other creative activities).
4. An abstract, not more than 10 lines long. This should be a summary of, rather than an introduction to, your project. Failure to include will delay consideration of the proposal.
5. A full proposal should be included. Do not include your name in any part of the statement of the proposal. It is your responsibility to remove all personal references. Projects that request continued funding of a project must have a clearly marked section after the initial statement of the project indicating the outcomes that have been achieved as a result of the previous funding. The second proposal must incorporate those outcomes into the proposed project. In 5 double-spaced pages (no less than 11 point font), include the following.
State the Theoretical problem or guiding idea. Explain the significance of your project to researchers who are not experts in the field. Place your project in a disciplinary context, i.e., link theoretically to related research. Define key conceptual terms so that the basis of your project is clear.
Explain your Method such as your choice of subjects, instruments, and procedures. Indicate the information to be analyzed: observations, interviews or text. The systematic nature of your study should be evident.
Describe your Outcomes in terms of its contribution to your field of study.
Indicate the relation of the work to your teaching or research objectives.
Include a short bibliography or reference list. (1 page)
Work plan: If you are requesting funds for travel, please provide a detailed justification of your time. If requesting funds to work with collaborators, please provide a specific plan for meeting with them and specify the research product. The grant does not fund work that is embryonic; the work must be in a more mature stage.
Final Report
A final report must be submitted within 30 days of the expiration of the grant. The report should describe the activities conducted during the grant and address the achievement of the project outcomes. Failure to do so will result in the staff member being ineligible for future funding from the Committee.
University policies
Any published work resulting from a University Research Grant must include a credit to GO University for support. Please consult the handbook for University policies regarding a wide array of issues related to research, scholarly, and creative work.
Projects involving human or animal research subjects must receive institutional review and approval before funding can be awarded. A description of the proposed research and the consent forms must be submitted to the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB).
RESEARCH CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Purpose
Through the Research Conference Programme, the Research Committee helps to support research-related conferences hosted by GO University. Events may center on any academic discipline, professional field, or research topic of interest to GO University staff. Multidisciplinary conferences sponsored by a number of units, especially units in different faculties are welcome. Also acceptable are proposals for scholarly events that directly explore facets of the University’s mission.
Requests must demonstrate a link between the programmes or priorities of the University and the proposed conference; the Committee does not fund events for which GO University’s main function is merely to provide a site or logistical support. It is desirable but not required that funded events offer learning opportunities for students. Funded events must be of a nature and quality that will bring academic credit to the University.
The Committee will consider requests for subsidies of up to N200, 000.00 per event. This programme is intended to supplement, not replace, other sources of support, such as registration fees, departmental funds, association subventions, and external grants. This grant programme should not be the sole funding source for the proposed event.
This programme is intentionally competitive. The Committee will review funding requests first on the basis of comparative academic merit and then, if warranted, on the basis of budgetary considerations. The Committee may elect to fund all, none, or part of any proposal. Because the programme is competitive, GO University groups sponsoring annual conferences should assume funding will not be available from the Committee for their conference each year.
Deadlines
The programme deadlines are 5 pm, September 15 and February 15 for events scheduled to occur within twelve months of the application date. Applications should be submitted at least six months before the proposed event is scheduled to take place. Conference grants will be closed 4 months after the date of the scheduled conference. The conference date must be specified in the proposal work plan.
Eligibility
All full-time staff of the University are eligible to apply. No more than one Research Conference proposal per person may be submitted at any one time, including joint proposals. Grant recipients, who have overspent their grants, will not be eligible until the overage is resolved. A department, faculty, center or institute, or other internal groups of academic staff are eligible. Events must take place on GO University’s campus and must be open (subject to customary registration) to interested members of the University community, as well as to scholars and practitioners from outside GO University.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ALL GRANT TYPES
This section provides an overview of the general guidelines for preparing proposals for research.
The programme of the Senate Research Committee is designed to promote a vital and productive Academic staff. The research awards are intentionally competitive in nature to ensure the best use of available funds and to encourage the development of proposal-writing skills. Applications may exceed available funding, and applicants are encouraged to submit well-crafted projects that advance their scholarly objectives.
The committee guidelines are divided into two parts. This section includes general guidelines for research proposal:
the proposal preparation process;
criteria for review;
eligible and ineligible expenses;
award conditions and procedures.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION PROCESS
1. Members of the Committee, the Chair of the Committee (Sr. Prof. Mary Gloria C. Njoku, 08068028644) and the Secretary to the Committee are available to answer questions about submitting an application. Draft proposals may be presented for review to the Committee at least five days prior to the due date.
2. Application due dates are firm (see deadlines). All proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on the due date. If a due date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following Monday at 9 a.m. No late applications will be accepted.
3. No more than one proposal per deadline may be submitted by any person.
4. The length of the proposals should be not more than 5 double-spaced pages in no less than an twelve point font. If the proposal contains technical errors (length, signatures, missing parts), it will be returned to the applicant for correction before being reviewed by the Committee.
5. Submit one copy of the proposal. All proposals must be in an editable text format. Only the CV may be submitted in PDF format. Electronic submission is required. All parts of the proposal (abstract, proposal narrative, budget and budget narrative, required attachments, and CV) should be submitted electronically. The budget form can be downloaded from the university website or picked up from the Secretary to the Committee. If you wish to submit visual media, please consult with us.
6. Remove ALL identifying information from the material to be distributed to the Committee. Applicants’ resumes are not distributed to the Committee members but are available for reference by the chairperson.
7. If the proposed project involves released time paid by another source, special facilities, or cost-sharing by a department or faculty, the project director(s) must submit written endorsement from the appropriate heads of department, deans, or directors. Funding may be requested contingent upon obtaining those endorsements, but no funds will be released on a successful application until the Committee receives the endorsements.
8. Proposals are considered at the next Committee meeting after the due date, usually within five weeks of the deadline. Applicants may call the Chairperson to receive informal notice of the Committee’s decision on their applications. Written notice will be sent to all applicants within four weeks of the Committee’s meeting. The members of the Committee and the Chairperson are available to discuss the Committee’s evaluation of your proposal, whether or not it was funded.
CRITERIA FOR REVIEW
The Committee review proposals according to the general criteria listed below and any specific criteria described in the programme guidelines. In awarding grants, the Committee takes into account three priorities: demands on promotion, applicant’s record of completing projects, and how projects sustain university values. The Committee expects projects to be completed in a timely manner and will not fund projects beyond three years.
Abstract
· Does the abstract describe the project clearly and completely in non-technical terms? Is the intended use of the funds stated? Abstracts of funded proposals will be widely distributed, so please write them carefully.
Goals, Objectives, Need for the Project
Does the statement of the project explain its significance persuasively to an audience of academic readers, most of whom are not expert in the field of the proposal? The use of technical and/or disciplinary jargon is discouraged. Proposals that are not readily understood by a majority of the Committee will be returned to the applicant for revision and consideration at a later date.
Does the description of the project offer a clear statement of goals and objectives and a compelling argument for the project that demonstrates the clarity of conceptualization?
Does the statement of the project explain the place of this project in the applicant’s personal teaching, research, and/or service interests?
Is the literature or bibliographic review appropriate to the project and the field? Has the proposed work been situated in its field of scholarship?
Does the review of related theory persuade the readers that this project would be a contribution?
Plan of Work, Review Questions
Does the plan of work address the objectives? Is the plan feasible?
Are all aspects of the plan of work explained? Is every choice explained (e.g., number of samples or tests, place, time, product, method)?
Have you included a realistic timeline?
Did you describe specific outcomes (papers, articles, revised syllabus, integration of new pedagogies) for your project?
Budget and Budget Narrative
Is the budget clear, complete, well explained, and well documented? Does the budget narrative explain the rationale for each figure? Is each item of expense mentioned in the narrative accounted for in the budget and each budget item discussed in the narrative?
Are the sources of estimated costs provided?
Are the duties of any requested personnel clearly defined, and the wage base provided? Are fringe benefits budgeted for all requested personnel?
Are the justifications for travel clear and the plans well developed? Include specific dates and accommodation arrangements. Cost of travel must be documented utilizing current prices and citing the sources of the pricing.
The Committee has limited funds for food on travel budgets and the current practice is to not fund this item.
Other Funding
If you have received GO University funding in the past, how has your work advanced beyond that previously supported? Projects that request continued funding of a project must have a clearly marked section after the initial statement of the project indicating the outcomes that have been achieved as a result of the previous funding. The second proposal must incorporate those outcomes into the proposed project. Resubmission of the original proposal for a second funding will not be accepted.
If you have received external support for your work, how does it relate to the project submitted to the Committee? Internal grants may not be used to supplement external grants except by permission of the Committee. The project proposal must clearly explain why an internal grant is needed in addition to external funds. Applicants should take particular care with providing a detailed budget and budget narrative. External grant budgets must be included with the applicant’s proposal and the budget to the Committee should specifically indicate how internal funds will be used to complement the external grant.
What is your plan for supporting and continuing your work after this proposal?
Attachments
Are the bibliographic references current and relevant?
Are the necessary endorsements from your head of department or dean regarding released time, special services or facilities, or cost-sharing appended?
If the proposal will result in a new course, has a letter of support from the appropriate head of department or dean been attached?
Regarding all requests for support services, has there been appropriate consultation with University offices to assure that the needs cannot be covered with existing services? Are appropriate supporting documents from University offices appended?
Curriculum Vitae
Is your vita complete and current, listing all publications and presentations? (It is not necessary to list with a full citation each presentation of the same material.)
ELIGIBLE AND INELIGIBLE EXPENSES
Eligible expenses
1. Expendable materials not ordinarily provided by a department, faculty, or administrative office.
2. Temporary staff or contracted services necessary for research or creative work (consultants, translators, laboratory assistants, clerical assistants, typists, computer programmers, data analysts, editorial consultants, studio technicians, fabricators, etc.). For GO University part-time employees, include benefits in your budget.
3. Travel expenses (lodging, travel, meals) that are essential to a project. Note that the current practice is not to fund meals. Travel to conferences for staff development is eligible. All such travel must be carefully justified utilizing current prices and citing the sources of the pricing.
4. Extraordinary telephone, word processing, printing, or postage expenses; extraordinary requests for library or archival materials, including computer searches of bibliographic databases.
5. Expenses associated with the production of a completed manuscript as required by a publisher with whom the applicant has a contract, and other expenses related to production under contract. Indexing for books and texts published by not-for-profit publishers.
6. Equipment rentals of durable equipment essential for a project and access fees to externally located equipment that would be impractical for GO University to acquire. Requests of over N50, 000.00 for equipment require thorough justification as well as cost-sharing from the department or faculty. The Department head or dean should provide a statement of the department’s level of support and a justification for the equipment purchase.
7. External computing expenses when needs cannot be met through University computing resources. In these cases, a letter from Information Technology should be appended to your proposal, justifying the request to the Committee.
8. Extraordinary library materials that cannot be purchased within current budgets and cannot be obtained through usual channels. In these cases, append correspondence from the Librarian justifying support from the Committee.
9. Other expenses approved by the Committees in accordance with University policies.
Ineligible expenses
1. Services or expendable materials ordinarily provided by a department, faculty, or administrative office.
2. Compensation to participating faculty or full-time staff, or their replacements.
3. Travel to conferences or for purposes not directly connected with the project.
4. Acquisition of hardware for routine computing activities.
5. Expenses related to self-publishing.
6. Computer support provided by information technology.
7. Library support provided by the University Libraries.
8. Support for any other materials or services available through the University.
9. Charges expended or encumbered before the announcement of a grant from the Committee. Awards are usually announced approximately one month after the submission date.
10. Tuition waivers or expenses associated with obtaining a degree or with acquiring basic knowledge in a field directly related to the field of the applicant.
11. Membership dues.
12. Expenses associated with the routine completion of an externally funded project.
13. Other expenses prohibited by University regulations or the Committees.
AWARD CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES
1. All grants will be administered by the project directors in accordance with the financial policies and accounting procedures of the University. Completion of the internal grants budget managers training workshop is mandatory for internal grant recipients. No grant funds will be released until the recipient has completed budget manager training.
2. The Committees may recommend funding only a portion of the amount requested.
3. Awarded funds may be expended only for purposes stated in the proposal. Budget reallocations must be approved by the Chairperson. Any substantial modification of the project itself must be approved by the Committee as a whole.
4. Principal investigators are responsible for any expenses that exceed the amount of an approved grant. Grant recipients who have overspent their grants will not be eligible until the overage is resolved. Please note that cash advances are not permitted on Committee grants.
5. All funds are disbursed and accounted for according to the University’s standard procedures, as supplemented by Committee policy. Expenditure guidelines are provided to awardees. Projects that require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval will not be funded until approval is received.
6. Grant funds must be expended within the specified grant period (see individual programme descriptions for length of grant period). After this time, or in the event that a funded project reaches completion before all authorized funds are expended, unused funds are retained by the Committee for redistribution. If grant completion is delayed due to circumstances beyond the principal investigator’s control, any request for an extension must be submitted in writing at least 30 days prior to the closing of the grant.
7. If a project funded by the Committees receives duplicate funding from an outside source prior to completion of the project, the duplicated GO University funds will be retained by the Committee. Internal grants may not be used to supplement external grants except by permission of the Committee.
8. Durable items purchased with Committee funds become property of GO University, but ordinarily may be retained for further on-campus use by the principal investigator(s).
9. Within one month after completing the funded portion of a project, the principal investigator(s) are required to submit to the Committee Chairperson a brief final report (1 to 2 pages). The report should describe the activities conducted during the grant period and address the achievement of the outcomes outlined in the proposal (papers, articles, new syllabi, new pedagogies, service projects).
10. Each award must yield returns on the investment. The returns could be quantitative (i.e., financial) or qualitative (i.e., image making, publicity) returns.
11. When the award is for hosting a conference, the net income shall be shared according to the ratio of contributions between the faculty/department and the university.
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