Category-B Research Awards (Non-S&T and Less Expensive S&T Research Projects)

• Awards of up to $13,000.
• Selection of awards will be made based on how well the proposals address the review criteria and on their quality.
• Generally, no more than three proposals will be funded from the same department.

 

Eligibility

• Applicants must be full-time tenure and tenure-track faculty.
• Special consideration will be given to tenure track Assistant Professors.
• Temporary, Visiting, and Adjunct Faculty are not eligible, but they can be an unsupported co-investigator (Co-I) with a tenured or tenure-track principal investigator (PI) if they can contribute substantively to the project.
• Faculty may serve as PI on only one proposal under this solicitation.
• Faculty can serve as a Co-I on any number of proposals.
• Eligibility requirements must be met at the time of application.

Criteria

• The problem or area to be researched is clearly articulated.
• The project objectives are relevant to the university research interests.
• The methodology to be used is clearly identified and is appropriate.
• The likelihood that most of the proposed objectives will be fulfilled.
• For those areas of research for which the availability of extramural funding is a reasonable expectation, the likelihood that the proposed research will lead to the development of a proposal seeking extramural federal funding or to an industry research contract.
• The overall scholarly merit is of high quality or excellence. The intellectual merit of the project has been made clear and it is expected that this project will lead to academic journal articles or other high-quality research projects.
• Demonstrated outcome(s) of current and previous FIRST funding received by the applicant(s).

 

Program Questions

• Questions related to the FIRST program can be directed to the Associate Provost for Research, Remzi Seker (sekerr@erau.edu).

 

ALLOWABLE EXPENSES:

Allowable costs of up to $26,000 for Category-A ‘high-impact’ projects or up to $13,000 for Category-B non-S&T projects must be clearly explained in the Budget Justification section of the Budget form. Fringe benefits are charged in addition to faculty stipends and student wages, but indirect costs are not applicable.

 

Allowable Costs

• Faculty stipends (maximum $4,000 per proposal for Category-A; maximum $2,000 per proposal for Category-B proposals).
• Student/technical assistants (must be able to perform the research during the term of the award).
• Supplies and equipment.
• Duplication and communication expenses.
• Travel to professional conferences for research collaboration or for data collection is allowed, but the associated costs should not exceed 20 percent of the total request. Special requests with appropriate justification will be considered on a case by case basis for research that requires travel costs that exceed this limit. International travel is not usually allowed.

Unallowable costs

• Faculty salary beyond the stipend limits stated in the “Allowable Costs” section.
• Materials readily available from the department.
• Course development.
• Text book writing or typing, and page, review, and reprint charges.
• International travel is discouraged.
• Although equipment deemed critical to the proposed research is allowed, projects that are determined to be primarily for equipment (as evidenced by the proposed budget) will not be accepted.
• Capital assets.¹

o When the property is purchased with University funds and the purchase price is $5,000 or more per item or $30,000 or more for an aggregate purchase of similar items, the property is considered a capital asset. Software with a purchase price of $10,000 or greater is considered capital.

Awarded project expenditures in a given category (object code) may not deviate by more than 10 percent from the proposed budget. The Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost must be notified immediately if it is expected that deviations in any category will exceed 10 percent.

 

PhD Student Stipend Support

Because the involvement of PhD students in research is usually considered positively by external funding agencies, for Category-A proposals it is acceptable to include a PhD student in the research plan and budget. PhD student stipends of up to $20,000 for 12 months may be included.

 

Inclusion of a PhD student in the proposed research requires a short paragraph of justification. PhD students are required to perform their own dissertation research, and hence it is advised that significant synergy should exist between the student’s own research plans and the proposed FIRST research project. It is also expected that the PI will have sufficient time to supervise the student in the FIRST research. This means that the FIRST proposal PI must also be the PhD student dissertation advisor.

 

Note that PhD tuition needs to be cost-shared by departments. Agreement to cost-sharing of PhD tuition must be outlined in the letter of endorsement written by the applicant’s immediate supervisor in support of the proposal.

 

HUMAN SUBJECTS:

If the project includes research that involves human participants, it must be reviewed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the use of Human Subjects in Research prior to participant recruitment and data collection. This must be indicated in the project narrative. Contact Teri Gabriel for an application at teri.gabriel@erau.edu or 386-226-7179.

 

REPORTING:

• A comprehensive Final Report is due on September 8, 2023. Specific format guidelines for the Final Report will be sent to awardees in May 2023.
• A presentation describing the research project, outcomes, and notable achievements will be required for all awardees. The specific details of the required presentations and the dates and times will be discussed with PIs at a later date.

¹ Please see APPM 2.2 for further information on capital assets at https://myerauedu.sharepoint.com/teams/APPM/section-2/Pages/2-2-procedure.aspx

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All publications resulting from this internal funding should acknowledge the university support in the following way:

 

This research was partially supported through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Faculty Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST) Program.

 

DEADLINES and SCHEDULE:

Date	Task	Person Responsible
January 7, 2022 (5:00 p.m. EDT)	Pre-Proposal Form Completed & Fully Approved	PI
January 28, 2022 (12:00 p.m. EDT)	Budget Finalized and Approved by OSRA Administrator for Streamlyne Routing	PI & OSRA Administrator
February 3, 2022 (12:00 p.m. EDT)	Final Proposal Application Package due to the Office of Sponsored Research Administration	PI
February 4, 2022 (5:00 p.m. EDT)	Proposal Application Packages reviewed and submitted to the Sr. VP for Academic Affairs and Provost Office	No late applications will be accepted
April 26, 2022	Notification of awards	Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Office
July 1, 2022	Start date of award
May 31, 2023	Guidelines for final report distributed	OSRA Administrator
June 30, 2023	End date of award	Unspent funds returned to Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Office
September 8, 2023	Final reports due	OSRA Administrator

 

PROPOSAL PREPARATION and SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Proposal Cover Page/Review and Approval Form – Two page maximum

One additional page may be added to include Co-Investigators.

Project’s title should be prefixed with “Category-A Proposal:” or “Category-B Proposal:” An example title is seen below:

Category-A Proposal: Modeling the Impact of Solar Storms on Aviation Operation Safety Margins.

Project Description – Six page maximum, single-spaced with a font size no smaller than 10 point

The text needs to include enough detail about the project so that reviewers can assess the quality, feasibility and significance of the project. The project description must be written in plain language and include the following parts:

 

• Abstract. On a SEPARATE PAGE, one page maximum. The abstract should be a brief narrative in non-technical language describing the project, its overall goals and specific objectives, and the approach/methodology to be employed.

• Background. Present the project to be addressed and the importance of the proposed research.
• Methodology/approach. Provide both a description of and a justification for the project. For research projects, this might include design, sample size, measurement techniques, instrumentation and data analysis. Include a timetable for accomplishing specific tasks. If student assistance is required, clearly delineate the activities of the Principal Investigator and student.
• Significance. For research projects, describe the expected outcomes and their impact on current understanding, knowledge, or practice. For creative projects (undefined), describe the significance of the project both to a particular field and to the arts and humanities in general; include relevant information on galleries, events, judges, juries, etc. For either type of project, describe how the project contributes to the applicant's professional development as a scholar and to the building of a successful research program, where applicable.
• Adequacy of resources. Describe relevant experience, and what space, facilities and equipment are available. Provide evidence for access to facilities elsewhere if necessary to carry out the proposed research project.
• Planned External Proposal Development. A key issue to address in the Project Description, particularly for the large S&T awards category. Indicate funding agencies identified for proposal submission upon completion of this project including a time schedule for submission. If potential funding agencies cannot be identified indicate how the scholarly activity and expected outcomes would strengthen the ability of the PI to obtain funding at a later date.

References Cited – No page limit

List the references cited to back up the significance, methodology and approach of the research.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) – Two page maximum

Include date and institution of terminal degree and 10 most relevant publications (in print or accepted). The CV must delineate the applicant’s role in multi-authored citations (e.g. primary author, principal investigator, co-principal investigator, data collection, data analysis, etc.).

• Budget– Two page maximum (must be completed by the Office of Sponsored Research Administration)

Please contact The Office of Sponsored Research Administration for assistance in preparing the budget. Submit a detailed budget with an explanation justifying the amount requested for each category (see ALLOWABLE COSTS section).

Endorsement Letter from Immediate Supervisor

A letter from the applicant’s immediate supervisor detailing the departmental/unit support that will be provided to the applicant in case the proposal is funded. The letter should include cost-sharing for Ph.D. student tuition when applicable and any reduction in teaching and service loads in order to support the applicant’s research project.

Supporting Documents – Five page maximum

Include the following supporting documents, as appropriate:

• Any instruments or surveys which will be used in the project.
• Letters from collaborators who will be making substantial commitments of time and/or facilities to the project.
• Letters of support, which can include those from deans.
• Quotes for equipment purchases.