One KU Research Pivot Awards

• Project duration: 12 months from the date of the award. 
• Budget requests: Expectation that most budgets will be $25,000 to $50,000. Budgets up to $100,000 will be considered, but they will require strong justification. 
• Incomplete or late applications: Will not be reviewed. 
• Who submits: Applications must be submitted by the PI through KU's InfoReady portal.

• Any tenured or non-tenured faculty member of the KU research community may apply.
• Faculty may serve as PI or co-PI on only one proposal.

Formatting

All proposals must be completed in 11- or 12-point font with single spacing and 1-inch margins.

Required documents

1. Cover page (1 page)
   Must include the following information:
   • Proposal title
   • PI's name and detailed contact information (title, mailing address, email address, phone number)
   • Funding amount requested
   • Brief summary of proposed project
   • Name, affiliation and brief expertise of team members as it related to proposed research
      
2. Project narrative (4 pages)
   • Need for Pivot: Provide a brief description of:
     • External funding that has become unavailable.
     • How the Pivot Grant will be instrumental in building capacity to apply for new external funding opportunities.
   • Introduction and problem statement: Provide relevant background information, including the significance of the problem, as well as gaps in knowledge or capacity to be addressed. Explain how the proposed project will address these gaps and/or lay groundwork toward a potential solution.
   • Innovation: Explain the innovative approach to address the relevant research questions and establish the project's merit and feasibility. Describe the team's qualifications to carry out the proposed plan and why seed funding from this program is needed.
   • Objectives: Describe the aims/tasks planned for the proposed project and how these aims/tasks will help address the proposed research problems/questions.
   • Approach: Provide details about how the proposed research will be done, describing the approach to address the research questions using multidisciplinary methods and the procedures/methods with sufficient detail to enable reviewers to assess the project’s merit, feasibility of achieving the proposed work and likelihood of success. Include relevant techniques, resources, data-collection instruments and facilities available to conduct the work, and provide a project timetable for the 12 months of support.
   • Expected outcomes: Describe the project's expected outcomes, including how the work will contribute to the field, advance knowledge and provide a foundation for the proposed research program.
   • Leveraging/sustainability plan: Describe how the work will contribute to the field and advance knowledge, and provide an explicit plan for how this seed funding will lead to external funding. Provide the external funding opportunity that will be sought in conjunction with this proposal, and provide the approximate amount of external funds to be requested.
      
3. References cited (no page limit)
    
4. Biosketch for each team member 
   The biosketch documents should provide the individual’s qualifications and experiences for a specific role in the proposed project. It should also demonstrate current research strength and capacity relevant to the proposed area. It must include professional preparation; current and past positions/appointments; a list of up to 5 most recent publications and/or other outcomes closely related to the proposed area; if applicable, a list of applications to externally funded sponsored awards in the last 5 years, including those that are currently awarded or pending (with information about sponsor, duration, budget amount and role of individual); collaborative and/or community-engaged research activities, and other relevant research achievements.
    

5. Budget (on the provided template) 

   • One KU Research Pivot Award budget template (.xlsx)

   Budgets may include funds to cover the following allowable expenses: 

   • Personnel support
     • Research staff salary and benefits
     • Graduate students, postdocs and other trainee assistantships
   • Materials and supplies
   • Well-justified travel (for example, external collaborations to strengthen the external proposal submission — conference travel is not supported)
   • Fringe benefits for research staff
   • Other costs (such as consumables and core lab-related expenses as needed to complete proposed work)
      
   1. Budgets should not include the following unallowable expenses: 
      • Subrecipient agreements
      • Faculty salary/summer salary
      • Tuition
      • Indirect costs
      • Equipment (items with a unit cost of $5,000 or above)
      • Cost share. Contributions from other sources are permissible and can be discussed in the project narrative. They should not be included in the budget template.
         
6. Budget Narrative (2 pages max)
   Describe and justify the overall budget plan, planned allowable expenditures and timing of expenditures.

• PI submits complete application through KU’s InfoReady portal. 
• Review Committee reviews applications and sends recommendations to the Vice Chancellor for Research, who makes funding decisions. 
• If awarded, the Office of Research will work with the relevant unit's business office on funding details. 
• All KU Office of Research policies and procedures, including those related to research compliance, must be followed. 
• No extensions of project end dates will be approved. Unused funds will be retained by the Office of Research.

Year 1 Tab, Rows 4-7

1. At the top of the Year 1 budget tab in Rows 4-7, enter:
   1. C4: PI name
   2. C5: Proposal title
   3. Project start date is July 1, 2026
   4. Project end date is June 30, 2027
2. Your departmental HR or AMS contact can assist you with providing biweekly salary rates as needed.

Salaries and wages

• Other personnel
  • Postdoctoral associate: If requesting salary for a postdoc, enter the name of the postdoc or TBD if it is to be determined.
    • D12: Enter the number of biweeks.
    • E12: Enter the FTE (percent effort) requested.
    • F12: Enter the biweekly rate for that individual.
    • G12: The total salary amount will be auto-calculated and displayed.
       
  • Research staff: If requesting salary for research staff, enter the name of the research staff or TBD if it is to be determined.
    • D13: Enter the number of biweeks.
    • E13: Enter the FTE (percent effort) requested.
    • F13: Enter the biweekly rate for that individual.
    • G13: The total salary amount will be auto-calculated and displayed.
       
  • Graduate research student (GRA): Graduate students who are doing work that is related to their degree program should be categorized as GRAs. If requesting salary for a GRA, enter the name of the student if known, or TBD if it is to be determined. 
    • D14: Enter the number of biweeks
    • E14: Enter the FTE for the GRA (50% is typical)
    • F14: The minimum GRA salary is displayed. You can increase this rate to follow your department’s guidelines, but you may not reduce this rate. 
    • G14: The total salary will be auto-calculated and displayed.
       
  • Graduate assistant (GA): Graduate students who are doing work that is not related to their degree program may be categorized as GAs. 
    • C17: Enter the number of persons.
    • D17: Enter the number of total hours for the year. 
    • F17: The minimum recommended GA hourly rate is displayed. You can adjust this rate to follow your department’s guidelines. 
    • G17: The total salary will be auto-calculated and displayed.
       
  • Undergraduate student (UG): Enter the number of UGs and the number of total hours/UG for the year. 
    • C18: Enter the number of persons.
    • D18: Enter the number of total hours for the year.
    • F18: The minimum UG hourly rate is displayed. You can increase this rate to follow your department’s guidelines, but you may not reduce this rate. 
    • G18: The total salary will be auto-calculated and displayed.
       
• Fringe benefits
  Fringe benefits will be calculated based on standard rates for each type of appointment and will display in the appropriate line. Do not enter anything in this section.

Travel

Travel costs for KU personnel should be budgeted using the Travel Worksheet tab at the bottom of the budget spreadsheet. Do not enter data directly into the Travel section of the budget spreadsheet.

Click on the Travel Worksheet tab (gold color).

For trips requiring airfare, use travel table (a). For regional travel using a personal car, use travel table (b). For foreign travel, use travel table (c).

• Travel table (a) – Domestic travel with airfare: Enter the number of persons traveling, the number of trips, and the number of travel days/trip. Review the rates displayed for airfare, meal per diem, lodging, and ground transportation and adjust as needed depending on your destination. You can access allowable per diem and lodging rates for your destination city using the widget at the U.S. General Services Administration website. Travelers requesting a lower per diem rate than the approved rate for their location must complete a per diem exception form before travel. The total travel amount will auto-calculate and be displayed in P27 and will populate on the Year 1 budget tab in G28.
   
• Travel table (b) – Domestic travel in personal vehicle: Enter the number of persons traveling, the number of trips, the number of miles per trip, and the number of travel days per trip. If returning home on the same day, do not enter anything into the Days field. Review the rates for meal per diem and lodging, and adjust as needed depending on your destination. You can access allowable per diem and lodging rates for your destination city using the widget at the U.S. General Services Administration website. Travelers requesting a lower per diem rate than the approved rate for their location must complete a per diem exception form before travel. The total travel amount will auto-calculate and be displayed in P36 and will populate on the Year 1 budget tab in G29.
   
• Travel table (c) – Foreign travel with airfare: Enter the number of persons traveling, the number of trips, and the number of travel days/trip. Review the rates displayed for airfare, meal per diem, lodging, and ground transportation and adjust as needed depending on your destination. You can access allowable per diem and lodging rates for your destination city using the widget at the U.S Department of State website. Travelers requesting a lower per diem rate than the approved rate for their location must complete a per diem exception form before travel. The total travel amount will auto-calculate and be displayed in P47 and will populate on the Year 1 budget tab in G30.

When you click back to the Year 1 tab, the total travel request will be displayed in Section C, G31.

Research materials & supplies

Enter the description and cost of materials and supplies needed for the project in these lines of the budget. The total amount will be calculated and displayed in G38.

Other costs

Enter the description and cost of other project expenses in these lines. The total amount will be calculated and displayed in G48.

Year 1 total proposed costs will be calculated and displayed in G50.

Total tab

Do not enter any information in the Total tab. It is for display purposes only.