FACULTY RESEARCH FUND PROGRAM
FY2008 DEADLINE DATES AND INFORMATION
Regular Faculty Research competition November 9, 2007
Scholarly Materials and Equipment competition November 9, 2007
Summer Faculty Research competition January 4, 2008
Presidential Research and Creative Achievement
Award Nominations March 17, 2008
Please Note: The Regular Faculty Research and the Scholarly Materials and Equipment competitions have the same deadline (November 9), but have separate application guidelines. If eligible, individuals may apply for both awards. Remember, funds requested must not depend on funding from other FRF competitions.
The Regular Faculty Research competition supports work that can be completed in one year and provides research support other than faculty salaries. The Scholarly Materials and Equipment competition is for the acquisition of equipment or library collections. The Summer Faculty Research competition provides $7,500 awards for faculty summer salaries for a minimum of 1.5 months research effort.
Program Information:
1. Approximately $58,000 is budgeted for the Regular Faculty Research competition and the Scholarly Materials and Equipment competition combined (6-10 awards are expected to be made); and approximately $82,000 is budgeted for the Summer Faculty Research competition (11 awards are expected to be made).
2. Faculty members receiving substantial start-up funds are ineligible to receive awards from the FRF Program for a period of two years. If you have received a substantial start-up package within the past two years and have questions about your eligibility for this Program, contact Gayle Anderson, 1-1498.
3. The University currently has a substantial amount of money to invest in research and development (R&D) areas: advanced material and composites, biotechnology, precision manufacturing, aquaculture and marine sciences, information technologies, environmental technologies, and forestry and agriculture.
It is therefore intended that priority be given to faculty outside those areas when allocating FRF funds. As a part of each application, faculty must list and describe the financial resources available for use under his/her direction during the current academic year, including gifts, grants and contracts, and ALL internal funds (start-up funds, cost-sharing, R&D funds, etc.).
4. When the Faculty Research Funds Committee weighs funding decisions for comparable proposals, it gives priority to newer members of the UM faculty and to faculty members who propose to redirect their research programs.
The purpose of the FRF Program is to assist faculty in establishing or maintaining high quality research programs. Funding is made available from the Vice President for Research (in part by the Coe, Somers, and Weppler Funds). Eligibility is limited to full-time faculty. This includes tenured, tenure-eligible, and soft-money faculty for whom research is an expected component of their appointment. Faculty are eligible to receive the same award every three years. Proposals will not be considered from individuals with delinquent reports from any previous FRF awards.
The Faculty Research Funds Committee represents a broad range of disciplines from the entire University of Maine faculty. Consequently, proposals should be written for a general audience (except the Methods and Materials section, where discipline-specific details are necessary). Applicants may contact Gayle Anderson, 1-1498, if they would like to review successful applications kept on file.
The Committee is also announcing a deadline of March 17, 2008 for receipt of nominations for the Presidential Research & Creative Achievement Award. This award is made to a faculty member who has attained distinction in research or creative achievement.
Application packages are available on the website for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs http://www.orsp.umesp.maine.edu/FacultyResearch.htm. The FY2007 Annual Report of the Faculty Research Funds Committee is also available at that site.