Important Dates – Proposal Applications:

• January 15th
• April 15th
• September 1st

Complete the Online Application Form and attach the following documents:

• 2-page Research Project Description
• Proposed Budget
• Proposed Timeline
• Bio-sketch of all researchers
• Letter of Approval from Advisor (Master’s Students only)

The Research Project Description should address the following:

• Research Need: Articulate the importance of the particular research activity within the landscape of ongoing efforts. What is the scholarly field or area of the effort? What is known or has been done in this space already? What is the researchable problem, roadblock, unknown, or complication hindering progress? How would this proposal contribute to advancing research progress and/or enhance existing efforts? How is it different from and complementary to them?
• Research Activities to Be Undertaken: Include a description of what will be done, including the participants (if any); how participants will be recruited and selected, number of participants; detailed participant cost and justification of the proposed budget; materials to be used; activities or procedures (experiments, interviews, surveys, observations, etc.); and how the requested funds would be employed to support these activities. Submission to IRB should be acknowledged (if engaged in human participant research).
• Outcomes and Impact: Articulate the impact on the INFO College of sponsoring this activity. Identify the scholarly field and what kind of impact the proposed activities would have on it. What would be the research outcome or product (thesis completed, grant proposals written, white paper posted, etc.)? How would it be disseminated? If there will be follow-on activities (scholarly activities at major conferences, etc.), what would they be, when would they happen, and who would do them? What would be the impact on society of the proposed activities?

Proposed Budget

• The Proposed Budget should link to the proposed activities and be reasonable in scope. It should be clear how the funds would be used and why the expenses are necessary for the project to complete successfully. It should include concrete deliverables.

Proposed Timeline

• The proposed timeline should be detailed and realistic for the completion of all activities.

Bio-sketch 

• The bio-sketch of all researchers should clearly indicate that the team has the necessary expertise to complete the proposed work. Bio-sketches should include the following:
  • Researcher names
  • Researcher’s current position/title
  • Degrees or certifications earned
  • Products
    • Research related to the propped project (publications, programs written, datasets, software, patents)
  • Synergistic Activities
    • Up to 5 related activities or experiences

Letter of Approval

• Master’s student applicants must provide a statement from their advisor confirming approval of the application and affirming that the research has scholarly value and is important for the student’s academic progress.

Grant Winners

• Please note that as an Improvement Grant awardee, you commit to:
  • Spend all funds and complete your research project within two years of award notification.
  • Use all funds and complete your research project before leaving the University.
  • Submit a final report upon project completion. This report will be published in the INFO Research Library.