“SPARC” Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration Funding your dissertation research “SPARC” Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration Webinar October 5, 2017 noon- 1 PM Presented by: Dr. Margaret McLaughlin, Associate Dean

Goals of SPARC? Primary goal is to assist students with the costs associated with completing their dissertation research. Also, intended to give students experience in preparing a grant proposal and learning about the process of grant review and funding.

Who is eligible to receive a graduate SPARC award? Doctoral student in good standing Advanced to candidacy Conducting research directly related to the dissertation

Preparing a SPARC application Graduate Student Research Award Application A dissertation is an independent project in collaboration with the advisor Download ALL forms first and create a plan for the proposal and contact your advisor Submit as complete a proposal as feasible Read the fine print! 3-5 page description Research topic, questions, hypotheses Design, methods, activities Contributions and career goals

SPARC Application Submission Required application materials Application Biosketch Template Budget Narrative Template Budget Template

Biosketch NIH format (shortened CV) Geared for a faculty member; fill out what is relevant for you Honors, awards; pack it in Positions: Graduate student research assistantships, research positions Publications: papers under review; in press Conference papers Proofread!

Budget narrative List your reasonable expenditures and costs Consider everything; talk to other students and your advisor Unanticipated costs arise so think it through Travel to schools Reimbursement to schools Software licenses Audio recorders or video equipment Illustrator costs for stimuli Workshop participation

Scoring Sheet – What counts! Clearly stated problem Methodology is robust and feasible Research is related to dissertation project Budget is reasonable and well justified Connection to career goals in higher education and research

SPARC Grant Review Process All applications are screened prior to review to ensure each application is complete and all requirements have been met. Three faculty members, representing each of the departments, independently review and evaluate all applications using a review form.   those not meeting pre-review requirements may be disqualified from cycle.

SPARC Grant Review Process (Cont’d) Review committee meets and discusses each proposal and makes a final decision. Ratings: Problematic Or Missing, Good but needs work, Great/ Well-done 1) Application clearly states the problem to be addressed 2) The research questions: a) clearly stated, b) reasonable given the project’s timeframe 3) The expected outcomes: a) clearly stated, b) reasonable given project’s time frame 4) The research methodology is clear. 5) The proposed research is related to: a) Dissertation/theses, b) Career goals 6) The Budget: a) Is clear and, b) reasonable Justifies each cost item Proposal should be funded: Funded at the requested level Funded, but for a lesser amount Revised and Resubmit Do not fund

SPARC Grant Review Process (cont’d) Committee decision and feedback is provided to Dr. Margaret McLaughlin, who prepares the award letters If revisions are required, students may resubmit and the resubmission is reviewed by Dr. McLaughlin and/or selected members of the review committee Awardee process –grant award letter, funds will be distributed directly into student account

How to respond to feedback Feedback is wonderful! Take a deep breath and exhale You learn from it and your research is enhanced by it Work on the revisions in consultation with your advisor You are launching your academic career Good luck!

Questions? Good luck and happy writing! SPARC website https://education.it-prod-lamp.aws.umd.edu/sparc-support-program-advancing-research-and-collaboration Questions? Good luck and happy writing! SPARC website https://education.it-prod- lamp.aws.umd.edu/sparc-support-program- advancing-research-and-collaboration Contact Judy Foster jfoster@umd.edu with any questions