Workshop on Internal Grants Program February, 2007.

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Workshop on

Internal Grants Program

February, 2007


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LAURIERSpring Competition – due date March 1, 2007

• Book/CD Preparation Grant

• Editorial Journal Support Grant

• Research Fellowship I

• Short-Term Research Grants

• Travel Grants

• Undergraduate Research Assistantship


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LAURIERGeneral Regulations• Applicants must meet all eligibility rules (see

especially Research Fellowship 1). Faculty on a limited-term appointment are not eligible in the last 6 months of their appointment.

• No individual can hold more than one grant of the same type at the same time except as co-applicant. Report from previous grant of same type must be submitted before a new request will be considered.


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LAURIERGeneral Regulations (cont’d)• Expenses incurred prior to the award date are

ineligible. For example, you cannot ask for funding for a conference you attended last term, or for work done on a book index already.

• Applications for travel grants can be submitted prior to paper acceptance. If successful, funds will not be released until RO notified the paper has been accepted.


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LAURIERGeneral Regulations (cont’d)• Books, monographs, other library materials, or

software purchased through a WLU grant remain the property of the University.

• Fax, photocopying, courier, postage, and telephone are not eligible expense items in any internal grant application unless fully justified in the research methodology as a necessary expense. For example, copying and mailing expenses of paper surveys are eligible.


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LAURIERGeneral Regulations (cont’d)

• Travel expenses in research grants must be used for completing research. Travel to attend conferences or to consult are ineligible expenses.

• Travel Grants are designed to provide funding to present a paper at an international conference (must be held outside Canada and Continental USA).


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LAURIERGeneral regulations (cont’d)

• Any deficit in a grant account must be reimbursed to the university.

• Faculty who have been notified by ORS that a grant account is in a deficit position will not be permitted to apply for an internal grant until the deficit has been removed.


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LAURIERBook/CD Preparation Grants (max. $2,000)

• Applicant must have a signed contract from an established publisher/producer.

• Eligible costs include expenses directly related to the preparation of the final manuscript.

• Subvention costs are not eligible.


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LAURIEREditorial Journal Support Grant (max. $6,000)• Funded by the Academic Development

Fund.• Financial support to faculty who perform

major editorial functions to scholarly journals.

• One-term undergraduate course remission may be requested in budget.


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LAURIERResearch Fellowship I (max. $5,000)

• Applicants must have completed requirements for PhD, or equivalent, within the last five years.– L/T contract for following year– Year 1 of Provisional Appointment– Accepted Candidacy Appointment for

following year if in Year 2 of Provisional


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LAURIERResearch Fellowship I (cont’d)

• Purpose:– Assist recent graduates to prepare articles for

publication from their dissertation or to initiate new research projects.

– Assist recent graduates to apply for grants in upcoming external competitions.

• Award to be held during non-teaching term.


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LAURIERShort-term Research Grant (max. $3,000)• Used to complete small projects or provide “seed”

money.• Results should lead to larger project, proposal to

external agency, and/or paper for publication.• Purchase of non-disposable equipment or

conference travel not eligible expenses. (Supplies such as tapes for recording are eligible).


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LAURIERTravel Grant (max. $1,500)

• Assists with travel costs for faculty presenting papers or posters at scholarly international conferences or workshops.

• Paper must be submitted for publication in the Proceedings or in an appropriate scholarly journal, monograph or book.


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LAURIERTravel Grant (cont’d)• Conference must be outside Canada and

continental USA.• Must be academic/professional conference

attended by peers of academic institution.• Conference must be sponsored by

academic/professional institution or association with international reputation.


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LAURIERTravel Grant (cont’d)

• Program must include significant number of international participants.

• Applicant must be listed in conference program. (If paper has not yet been accepted, this should be noted in the application.)


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• A complete application includes– Call for Papers– Preliminary Brochure– Poster or Program*– Information regarding refereeing process– Estimate of the number of persons attending


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– Copy of letter confirming paper has been accepted*

– Copy of abstract

*These items can be submitted to the AVP: Research when received if unavailable at time of application.


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LAURIERUndergraduate Research Assistantship

(max. $1,500)

• Eligible to faculty in academic departments which do not have a full-time graduate program.

• Designed to provide student with research experience.


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LAURIERURA (cont’d)• A complete application includes academic

transcript and resume of proposed research assistant.

• Proposed RA must be a WLU student in Year 2-4 of Honour’s program in applicant’s home department. Exceptions can be considered but a strong case must be made.


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LAURIERA good application is . . .CompleteProvides justifications and is convincingExplains relationship to other funding heldIncludes a good abstractIs free of grammer and spelling misteaksSubmitted by due date


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LAURIERCompleteness

• Complete all sections of the application form. Provide enough detail for the Committee to evaluate your application.

• Attach all requested documentation. – If document not available, explain why and

when it will be available.

• Submit the correct number of copies.


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LAURIERJustification• Make sure there is a clear connection between the

funding you are requesting and your methodology. For example, if you are asking for funds for an RA, your application should state what the RA will do.

• Is the project do-able in the 2 years allotted to an internal grant? Many people over-estimate how much time they can spend on research.

• DON’T LEAVE THE COMMITTEE GUESSING – they don’t usually guess in your favour.


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LAURIERExplain Relationship to Other Funding• If you currently have other sources of research

funding, explain why additional funding is required for your research and how it will be used.

• What are you using existing funds for? Since most granting agencies allow flexibility in how funds are spent, you need to convince the Committee that you need more money.

• When listing current funding, give title of grant, amount and duration.

• Do you have time for this project in addition to the others?


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LAURIERRelationship to other research

• If this is a new area of research for you, explain how it relates to previous research.

• If no relation, it would be helpful to explain why you are changing fields.

• Be careful not to get involved in too many separate projects that appear unfocused.


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LAURIERAbstract/Layperson’s summary• The Committee is representative of many

different faculties and disciplines. Reviewers need this summary to put the rest of your proposal in context.

• Refrain from using too much technical or specialized language.

• Write this section as if you were explaining your project to your grandmother.


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LAURIERAccuracy

• Check your application for spelling and grammar mistakes. (Ask someone else to proofread your application.)

• Ensure your budget is mathematically correct.

• Use current rates for student help and travel.


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LAURIERWhat are my chances?

• Funding in all categories is limited, but the success rate for the Fall competition was over 50%. Success depends partly on the quality of your application and partly on the number and quality of other applications in the same competition.


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Due Date: March 1, 2007Notification Date: April 18, 2007

Forward any questions regarding the Internal Grants Program to [email protected] or call Rosemary Springett at extension 3131.

mailto:[email protected]


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LAURIERTips from the Internal Grants Committee are available on-line at:

http://cubic.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=1435&p=5501

Note that these tips are also helpful when preparing external grant applications.








Workshop on Internal Grants Program February, 2007.

Documents

Transcript of Workshop on Internal Grants Program February, 2007.