Important Dates
Pre-proposals submission deadline - May 1, 2009
Full proposals invited - May 15, 2009
Full proposal submission deadline - August 1, 2009
Award announced - September 1, 2009
OVERVIEW
The Coordinated Research Hiring Initiative is designed to enhance research and extramural funding at Kent State University through the investment of $300,000-$750,000 for multiple hires – between 4 and 6 - in a specific theme or academic area. The thematic vision will come from the faculty and be selected by a competitive process. Themes that are interdisciplinary and transcend programs, departments, and colleges are especially encouraged. There is no "one size fits all" template as to how these clusters should be formulated, and there are no preconceptions about what the successful theme will be. While the focus of this initiative is on new faculty positions, the investment is not limited to tenure track faculty.
The successful plan (or plans) will be identified through a two-phase process: a pre-proposal, followed by an invited full proposal.
- Pre-proposal phase - groups of faculty with shared interests and a plan to advance KSU's presence in research and scholarship are encouraged to develop brief pre-proposals that outline their vision. Pre-proposals will be evaluated by a panel that includes peers.
- Invitation for full proposal phase - groups that have developed the most highly ranked pre-proposals will be invited to submit full proposals. An announcement of the winning proposal will be made in time for the first faculty searches to begin in Fall 2009.
Initiatives must serve the KSU agenda for excellence, especially the goals to strengthen the academic core and to increase extramural funding. Plans that are competitive will be aspirational and visionary, and are likely to be those that effectively leverage existing expertise and infrastructure, and involve community, commercial, industrial, or academic partners. Competitive plans also will strengthen the KSU community of scholars and open new venues for student training, internships and opportunities for employment.
PRE-PROPOSALS
Pre-proposals should consist of a cover page, a brief (3-5 page) narrative that describes the initiative, and a final budget page. The narrative should specifically address the following considerations, which will be key factors in the evaluation process:
- Where do we want to go, and how (vision)?
- The significance and academic impact of the proposed area or theme.
- Opportunities for extramural funding.
- The expected social and economic benefits.
- The extent to which people, infrastructure, and resources will be leveraged.
- Accountability measures: definition of success and metrics
Other considerations that will factor into the evaluation of pre-proposals include:
- The importance of new hires (i.e., what cannot be done without them?).
- The search vision for new hires and the recruitment plan.
- The scope of additional resources (infrastructure) that will be needed.
The cover page should include the:
- Title of the initiative.
- Name(s) of the core faculty member(s) that have developed the proposal.
- Name and contact information for a proposal spokesperson (i.e., a point of contact).
- Names of a lead and alternate member of the team to serve on the review panel. (Pre-proposals will be reviewed by a body that includes representatives from the proposing teams.)
Pre-proposals should also include a draft budget and a timetable for implementation. Pre-proposals must be signed off by the department chair(s). It is the responsibility of the proposing team to ensure that all pre-proposals are developed with the knowledge and support of the programs, departments, and colleges that will be involved.
Please submit your pre-proposal to Peggy Kramer via email. (Please enter PRE-PROPOSAL SUBMISSION in the subject line).
To encourage and support a collaborative effort, we will post title and initiative ideas along with contact information to this site. Return to this site often to see if you can participate, or contribute to an initiative!
