Internal Research Grants September 16, 2010

Office of Research Services The Office of Research Services supports the growth and expansion of research and scholarly activity at Laurier. Our goal is to assist researchers in obtaining the resources necessary for pursuing their scholarly activities. The office provides assistance to faculty about all stages of applying for and administering research funding.

Internal Grants - Purpose Establish/enhance credibility of researchers:  Provides seed funding to generate initial data for analysis  Encourages dissemination through conferences, workshops, scholarly/creative publications Provide base for external grant applications  External grants usually are for higher amounts and have more flexibility.

Internal Grants - Purpose To support research that might not be funded otherwise:  Research topics that “fall between the cracks”  Innovative, cutting-edge research that might be considered too risky To support research that just needs a small amount of funding:  To wrap up an expired grant  To extend a current project in an area not covered by existing funds

Internal Grants - Eligibility All tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for any internal grant. Limited-term faculty are eligible if:  They have completed all the requirements for the PhD  They are not within their final term of employment at Laurier  For equipment grants, limited-term faculty may only apply with the support of their dean.

Internal Grants - Eligibility Double-dipping of funds is not allowed!  Internal applications for essentially the same project submitted to an external agency will be tabled until the results of the external competition are known.  If your projects are different, the onus is on you to explain what the differences are.  Be careful you don’t leave yourself open to the possibility that everyone assumes “the other agency” will fund your project.

Internal Grant – Decision Criteria When there are too few funds, on what basis does the committee allocate internal grants?  The excellence of the proposal comes first. Where proposals are relatively equal:  Junior faculty (within 5 years of PhD) are given preference.  Faculty who have received fewer recent internal grants are given preference.

Internal Grants – Research Grants Proposal Development Grants - $5,000 to $15,000. Open deadline.  These grants are available to provide seed money to assist in the development of a large-scale external grant. They are generally used for network support in team grants.  They are not available for developing SSHRC Standard Research Grants, NSERC Discovery Grants, or CIHR Operating Grants.

Internal Grants – Research Grants Short Term Grants - $3,000. October 15, March 1  These grants are available to complete small projects or to provide seed money to assist in the development of a study which might lead to a larger project, to a proposal to an external agency, or to a paper for publication. Initiatory Grants - $500. Open deadline.  The purpose of this program is to support scholarly research in its initial stages. This grant is normally awarded to help faculty determine the feasibility of a project and to develop a research plan.

Internal Grants – Resource Grants Research Equipment Grants. $6,000, October 15  This program supports the purchase of non- disposable equipment which is to be used primarily for research, and for which alternate sources of funding are not available (e.g., NSERC Research Tools and Instruments grants).

Internal Grants – Dissemination Grants Travel Grant - $1,500. October 15, March 1.  This program provides travel assistance to faculty presenting papers or posters at scholarly international congresses or workshops or at conferences of international learned societies.  Details on conference eligibility can be found on the application form.  The conference must take place AFTER the grants committee meets. Apply early, even if you haven’t been accepted yet. The grant can be awarded conditionally.

Internal Grants Book/CD Preparation Grants. $2,000. October 15, March 1.  These grants support costs associated with publishing a scholarly or creative work.  Book grants cover costs such as editing, indexing, permissions for quotes and photographs.  CD grants cover the costs associated with recording, editing, and pressing.  Text books are not eligible.  We do not cover publisher’s subvention fees.

Internal Grants - Dissemination Conference Grants. $5,000. October 15, March 1.  The purpose of this grant is to support short-term working groups or conferences held at WLU (or in Kitchener- Waterloo). It is expected that some scholars from outside WLU will be invited to campus to participate in the conference or workshop. Travel and living expenses for invited participants or key speakers are eligible expenses.

Tips from the Grants Committee Eligibility  Is your project eligible?  Are you eligible to apply for the grant? Look at details under both “Eligibility” and “General Regulations” on the web site before you apply.

Tips from the Grants Committee Completeness  Complete all sections of the form with enough detail for the committee to understand your project and be convinced of its importance and impact.  Attach all requested documentation.  Fit the required information into the form rather than adding attachments.

Tips from the Grants Committee Writing Style  Use plain language for the abstract, and try to keep technical or disciplinary jargon to a minimum. The grants committee is multi- disciplinary – don’t assume they’ll understand your terms.  Make sure the application is free of grammatical errors. Consider asking a colleague to review the proposal for you.

Tips from the Grants Committee Publication record  Provide page references and years for publications.  Where possible, indicate who the senior author is on a paper.  If you have a limited publication record, consider providing details of any circumstances that delayed your productivity (e.g. parental leave, illness).

Tips from the Grants Committee Funding History  For each grant, state the amount of the grant, the kind of grant, and the years it covers.  Explain how this grant application relates to existing funds or outstanding applications. Committees will not approve projects where the funding overlaps.

Tips from the Grants Committee Budgets  Make sure your budget is connected to your methodology.  Make sure it is added correctly.  Use recommended rates for student help and travel.  Provide details in the justification section.

Tips from the Grants Committee Don’t discount the importance of the application just because it’s an internal grant. Sparse, sloppy applications make reviewers feel like you don’t value their time and effort. If something is important, put it in the application. Don’t leave the committee guessing – they’ll always guess wrong!