MSU Center for Water Sciences
CWS and ESPP Innovation Grant Program
This program has closed and we are no longer accepting proposals.
The Center for Water Sciences and Environmental Science and Policy Program announce a new joint funding program for enhancing collaborations on campus that focus on water.
Click here to download a pdf file of the RFP.
Goals
The Innovation Grant Program will focus on stimulating advances in existing research nodes by providing funding to enable collaborative teams to advance sustainability science and become more competitive for external funding. We will fund proposals in four areas of water research:
- Global Change Ecology
- Water and Human Health
- Social Sciences and Policy
- Clean Technologies
This program will engage creative minds across disciplines in long term projects, perhaps partners who have not traditionally taken part in water research, to work on solutions that could lead to breakthrough advances in coupled human and aquatic systems research. Our goal for the Innovation Grants Program is to help faculty explore critical topics in water science, to foster collaborative teams that link multiple disciplines, and to position teams to be successful in pursuing external funding opportunities.
Expected Outputs and Outcomes
We expect grant recipients to generate a peer-reviewed publication and/or to submit at least one proposal to an external funding agency.
Eligibility
The program is open to all CWS and ESPP faculty members. If CWS members have received prior funding from the Center, all final reports must be submitted to receive additional funding.
Use and Availability of Funds
Funds may be used for:
• Visiting scientists
• Workshops, symposia, and meetings
• Invited speakers
• Facilitation of team meetings
• Buy-out of faculty teaching time
• Summer salary
• Travel
• Other activities in support of creating and enhancing collaborations
We expect to award up four Category 1 grants and up to two Category 2 grants.
Types of Awards
Category 1: Team Building
Category 1 awards are incubation grants for building a collaborative team. Category 1 awards will focus on forming new collaborative teams, particularly teams that include or are led by junior faculty. Category 1 grants will provide up to $20,000 in funding for one year. We expect Category 1 grant recipients to submit at least one grant proposal to an external funding agency.
Category 2: Team Enhancing
Category 2 grants will focus on positioning teams to be successful in garnering external funding. Category 2 grants will provide up to $50,000 in funding for two years. We expect Category 2 teams to publish white papers, publish peer-reviewed literature, and/or to submit proposals to external funding agencies.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should be written for a general scientific audience. Proposals should include:
- Cover Page. Include title of project, complete contact information for the PI, list of team members, and accounting contact for PI’s department. Indicate Category 1 or 2 grant.
- Project Summary. 250 words.
- Project Description. Not to exceed 7 pages.
- Goals: Describe the specific aims of the project.
- Introduction: Include a brief background describing the current status of knowledge in the relevant field(s) and the research questions your team will address.
- Collaboration: describe the collaborative nature of the project. Why is this particular collaboration needed? How will this collaboration advance research at MSU? How will the team maintain regular interaction so that goals are achieved? Is your team open to new members or closed? Why?
- Methods: Describe the specific techniques used to foster collaboration among team members and the process for developing your proposed product.
- Outcomes: Describe the concrete outcomes that would result from an expanded effort made possible by your proposed collaboration (e.g., potential for extramural funding, publications). What will your team produce in one year? Who are the main audiences for your products? Where will your publications be submitted?
- Timeline and project milestones: Provide a timeline with milestones for the project.
- Budget. All proposals must include an itemized budget.
- Budget justification.
- Goals: Describe the specific aims of the project.
- Curriculum vitae. Attach a current 2 page CV for the PI and all collaborators. Follow the NSF guidelines for preparing CVs.
Deadlines
Proposals must be submitted as a single pdf file no later than 5pm March 31, 2011. Submit applications to Dr. Erin Dreelin at dreelin@msu.edu.
Review Criteria
Successful proposals are expected to broadly integrate across the biosciences, geosciences, social sciences, and engineering enabling a new interdisciplinary paradigm in water research using a systems science approach. In evaluating proposals, we will use the following review criteria:
- Quality of the research proposed;
- Multi-disciplinary nature of the team;
- Relation to the five CWS areas of excellence;
- Opportunity and commitment to pursue specific external funding opportunities;
- Fostering new collaborations; and
- Support of junior faculty.
Awards
Award decisions will be made by May 1, 2011. The lead PI will be awarded the funds and be responsible for account management.
CWS and ESPP will assist teams that receive funding by:
- Holding and facilitating meetings with all grant recipients (all-team meetings), including an annual meeting for teams to present their results
- Mentoring teams
- Providing logistic support for team meetings and proposal development
Agreement for Funding
Faculty receiving funding will be expected to:
- Submit project information, such as publications and presentations, upon request by CWS and ESPP for inclusion in annual reports to the university.
- Acknowledge CWS and ESPP in all publications that result from work supported or partially supported with CWS resources such as: “This material is based upon work supported in part by the Center for Water Sciences and Environmental Science and Policy Program at Michigan State University.”
- Submit a brief interim report at 6 months into the project describing accomplishments, timeline and milestones, and any changes to the project.
- Provide a final report to CWS and ESPP to be posted on web. Final reports will be due one month after the end of the project. Reports should include any/all publications, including abstracts presented at national and local meetings that are derived from the project.
- Financial management for the project is the responsibility of the PI and must follow MSU policies and guidelines.
Program Contact
Erin A. Dreelin, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Center for Water Sciences
Michigan State University
301 Manly Miles Building
1405 S. Harrison Rd.
East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: 517-353-7746
Fax: 517-353-9807
Email: dreelin@msu.edu
Web: cws.msu.edu
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