Faculty Research Fund
Proposal deadlines: Fall FRF Cycle is December 1, 2024, at midnight - Spring FRF Cycle is May 1, 2024, at midnight
Proposals will now be submitted via Qualtrics:
http://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3mA93Z04OZQqFqm
Information & Proposal Guidelines for FRF Applicants
Read below to learn the purpose of the Faculty Research Fund (FRF), the kinds of activities that are and are not supported, and the principal criteria and priorities used in making funding decisions. This program is different from the PROF fund in that it targets smaller projects with grants of up to $3000 for actual costs incurred. Funding decisions will be made by the Academic Planning Committee of the Faculty Senate (APC) in collaboration with the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education.
Purpose
FRF grants aim to stimulate research, scholarship, and creative activity by DU faculty.
Eligibility
All appointed faculty are eligible for FRF grants (adjunct faculty are not eligible for this grant). All eligible faculty are encouraged to apply; however, in allocating funding, higher priority will be given to:
- Assistant Professors
- Applicants from the Teaching and Professional Faculty and Library series
- Applicants who have not received a grant from this fund within the past three years
- Applicants who have not received other internal funding within the past two years
- Applicants who have not received external funding for the proposed project
- Development of scholarly and creative products (e.g., research or fabrication) versus only dissemination (e.g., publication or exhibition)
*Please note that there is a limit of one application—with a funding request for only one project—per faculty member per funding cycle.
Use of the Funds
FRF funds are intended to cover faculty expenses beyond normal departmental support. They are not intended to relieve departmental budgets. Most expenses for research and creative activity are eligible. For example, funds can be used to cover materials, specialized equipment, research assistants, copying from archives and special collections, transcribing interviews, coding data, duplicating and mailing questionnaires, and publication page charges. Funds can also be used to cover necessary travel (e.g., transportation, housing, and meals).
A small number of expenses, however, are explicitly excluded from FRF support. No funds will be provided for:
- Faculty salary
- Course release
- Student research (i.e., for the student's own project)
- Conference attendance
- Curriculum development
- Routine office expenses
Ordinarily, grants are made only for expenses that have not yet been incurred. However, if a time-sensitive opportunity presents itself in the period between FRF application deadlines—for example, an interview subject becomes unexpectedly available, or while working in an archive in city A, one becomes aware of material in city B—a request for retroactive funding may be submitted at the next application deadline. Explain the timing and nature of the opportunity that required the expense before the FRF proposal cycle. Such requests will be evaluated solely based on the established criteria, without consideration of the timing of the expense.
Funds ordinarily must be spent within 24 months of the grant award date. However, if you know of a research opportunity a year in advance, you need not wait until the closest deadline to request FRF support.
If in doubt about whether your activity meets the guidelines for funding, please contact the Vice Provost for Research (corinne.lengfeld@sanmingzhi.net) or the Chair of the Faculty Senate Academic Planning Committee (jennifer.campbell@sanmingzhi.net).
Selection Criteria
Evaluation of proposals will be based on the following:
- Clear conceptual development of the research issue
- Clear rationale for the project and a discussion of why it is important
- Appropriateness of budget—each funded expense must be eligible for support and explicitly justified
- Importance of the proposed work to the faculty member's professional development
- Potential for enhancing the reputation of the faculty member, the academic unit, and the University of Denver as seen in the likelihood of eventual publication, exhibit, or performance
- Likelihood of successful completion of the project within the timeline and budget
- Eligibility criteria
Instruction for Formatting & Submitting Your Proposal
Please email your proposal as a single PDF file and your completed Excel budget template to FRFSubmissions@sanmingzhi.net. (Include your last name and "F23 FRF” in the file title for each).
For your proposal, please use single-spacing, 12-point font, and 1-inch page margins, and please include the following five sections (numbered 1-5):
- 1. Contact Info
- 2. Title & Abstract
- 3. Current Funding Profile
- 4. Narrative
- 5. Budget & Budget Justification
Final Report
A brief (one page) written report must be submitted electronically to the Office of the Senior Provost for Research (corinne.lengsfeld@sanmingzhi.net) as soon as possible after the close of the project period, and no later than six months after the funds from the grant have been spent. The report should compare the project's outcome or progress against what was laid out in the proposal, and it is required before the applicant is eligible for future funding from the DU Faculty Research Fund.