The Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships (OVPRP) is accepting applications for an unprecedented Rapid Response Research Seed Grant call for proposals to address the issue of inequities in the academic research and creative activity enterprise.
The OVPRP is offering fast-tracked seed grants for short-term projects with the goal of positioning OU Norman campus faculty and their collaborators to effectively compete for significant external funding opportunities related to the topic of inequalities in the academic research and creative activity enterprise and the impact of such inequalities on knowledge creation and dissemination.
Principal Investigators (PIs) must be OU Norman campus faculty (all categories and including Norman campus programs faculty in Tulsa). Collaborations and teaming with colleagues outside the OU community (universities, nonprofit organizations, community partners, companies, national labs, etc.) are also encouraged, but OVPRP resources cannot be used to support the work of collaborators external to OU.
We seek teams with PIs and co-PIs to provide compelling ideas, approaches, and solutions to address contemporary issues related to inequities in the academic research and creative activity enterprise, such as discrimination and implicit bias related to race, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, and disabilities, particularly in disciplines and fields where minoritized groups are underrepresented. Each proposal should be designed such that results can be produced within four to six months, which will position the research group to compete effectively for external funding. Engaging students (both undergraduate and graduate) is highly encouraged. The main objective is to position OU researchers to generate new proposals for significant external funding.
We anticipate being able to fund proposals for $5K-$20K each for a six-month period with the goal of positioning OU research teams to be more competitive for near-term external funding opportunities. The total number of awards will be subject to available funding; the current estimate is six to ten awards.
Due to this critical need, the application (specific instructions below), review, and award processes for these seed grants will be expedited, with applications due by Friday, June 26th. Awardees will be notified no later than July 10th and projects are expected to begin by July 13, 2020. Highly impactful, multidisciplinary, collaborative short-term research projects that can be completed within six months and position OU researchers for submission of new external* grant applications will take precedence. If you have any additional questions about this opportunity, email awest@ou.edu or cfe@ou.edu.
Application Instructions:
1. Cover page with project title, Lead PI, co-PI(s) or other collaborators listed with institutional affiliations and contact information
2. Research plan (1-1.5 pages concept paper total with the following elements)
a. Problem: Clearly describe the problem or research need.
b. Significance: What is the gap between what's been done to address this problem and what research you are proposing to improve the situation?
c. Approach: What will this research work do to help alleviate or address the problem you have described? Will this work involve human subjects and require IRB approval (or any other research compliance certifications such as IACUC or IBC)?
d. Expected outcomes:
i. What impacts will your project have? How will your results help improve the research enterprise?
ii. Describe your detailed plan for securing external research funding to support this work. How will your work on this internal seed grant position you and your team to succeed at obtaining external funding to continue this work?
3. References and literature citations, if applicable. Half a page limit
4. Proposed targeted external funding opportunities. Half a page limit
a. (The Center for Faculty Excellence* and our colleagues at Lewis-Burke Associates in Washington, D.C. will work with you to help identify federal and other targets of opportunity)
5. Biosketches for PI and co-PIs only (two-page vita or any federal/state funding agency
Process: rapid submission, rapid internal review
Submission date: 5:00 pm CDT, Friday, June 26, 2020
Award notifications: no later than July 10, 2020
Submit application as a single PDF to Dr. Ann West, Associate VPRP (awest@ou.edu).
If seed funds are awarded, all institutional compliance protocols (IRB, IACUC, IBC) must be approved prior to the start of the project.
*This rapid response seed grant opportunity is a joint partnership between the OVPRP and Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). The CFE assists interested applicants to help identify relevant federal funding opportunities. Contact Dr. Clara Smith, Associate Director, CFE (clara.smith@ou.edu) for more information.
