KU Research GO

2018-2019 Deadlines:  November 1, 2018 and April 1, 2019

Introduction and Program Goals

The KU Research Grant Opportunity program (KU Research GO) is a KU Office of Research-funded program dedicated to providing strategic research investment at the University of Kansas. KU investigators bring the university’s research mission to life through cutting-edge research activities, experiential opportunities for students, cross-disciplinary collaborations, dynamic entrepreneurial activities, and contribute to the health and economic vitality of the state of Kansas and the region. KU Research GO aims to expand the university’s research enterprise by supporting proposal preparation for external funding opportunities with application deadlines in the near future. The 2018-2019 KU Research GO funding cycle will be conducted in two rounds, with deadlines of midnight November 1, 2018 and midnight April 1, 2019. The Office of Research has set aside $250,000 for this strategic reinvestment.

Eligibility and Requirements

  • Any member of the KU-Lawrence research community (research faculty and staff) may submit a proposal.
  • Proposal must be related to a planned submission to an externally sponsored funding opportunity within 3 to 12 months after the April 1, 2019 deadline.
  • The externally sponsored opportunity should be clearly identified and the external funds that will be sought should substantially exceed the amount of the internal budget request.
  • Proposed project duration must be 12 months or less.
  • Budget requests of $5,000-15,000 will be considered.
  • Incomplete or late applications may not receive full review and consideration.
  • Resubmissions will not receive high priority in the review process

Submission

To expedite the review process the following submission requirements will be strictly enforced.

  • Proposals must be submitted as a SINGLE PDF (including the Budget template provided below) via email to researchgo@ku.edu by cycle deadline. 
  • All proposals must be completed in font size 12, with single spacing, and 1 inch margins for each page.
  • The proposal must include the following in one single PDF:
    • Cover page: (1 page) - Must include the following information:
      • Title of the proposal
      • Name and detailed contact information for the lead applicant (title, mailing address, email address, phone number)
      • Department/Center who will administer award
      • Funding amount requested
      • External funding opportunity that this proposal will be sought in conjunction with this proposal
    • Narrative: (2-3 pages including references) - Provide an overview of the scope of work, including answers to the questions:
      • How does the proposed work strengthen KU’s mission in terms of research, service, instruction, and/or economic development?
      • How does this proposal serve to enable growth in external sponsored program activities in this area?
      • What is KU’s existing research strength in this area?
      • What are the metrics for measuring the success of the project?
      • How does this proposal support the application to an externally-funded sponsored research proposal?
    • PI Biosketch (2 pages per PI, if Co PIs submit for each) - ​Similar to the ones for major federal funding agencies, the biosketch should demonstrate current research strength and capacity in the proposed area. It must include professional preparation, appointments, a list of up to 5 most recent publications closely related to the proposed area, 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 research activities, and other relevant research achievements.
    • Budget (on the provided template)   KU Research GO Budget Template Excel Template
      • Budgets may include funds to cover:
        • Investigator(s) salaries and fringes (not to exceed two weeks of salary per investigator)
        • Staff salary and fringe
        • Summer salary and fringe for students, plus minimal tuition costs
        • Hourly payments for students which do not incur tuition costs
        • Non-conference travel (conference travel is not allowed)
        • Research supplies
        • Small equipment (not to exceed a cost of $5,000)
        • Collaborative activity on the KU campus
        • Clearly justified participant incentives for the purpose of gathering preliminary data to build a stronger external proposal submission
      • Budgets should not include:
        • Subrecipient agreements
        • Spring/Fall Tuition
        • Indirect costs
        • Cost share. Contributions from other units are, of course, welcome. Although not required, other contributions should be mentioned in the narrative.
        • Equipment over $5,000
    • Budget Narrative (one page):  Describe and justify overall budget plan, planned expenditures and timing of expenditures.

Please note that the purpose of Research GO is not to pay salary for proposal writing, but to assist in situating you to be more successful in your external funding application. If you need assistance covering you salary, you may be interested in the Proposal Preparation Fund.

Review Process

All proposals will be reviewed following the Nov. 1 and April 1 deadlines by the Associate Vice Chancellors for Research. Funding recommendations will be provided to the Vice Chancellor for Research for review and final approval within 30 days of the application deadline. Review criteria include:

  • merit of proposed work
  • external funding opportunity that will be pursued and how the internal funding will help pursuing it
  • feasibility of a successful submission for funding within the time frame of the proposal
  • PI(s)’ research record.

The review committee reserves the right to ask proposers to revise their proposals, and funding may be awarded for lesser amounts than requested. Notification will be made within four weeks after the submission deadline.

Post Award Requirements and Reporting:

  • PIs must submit a final report within 90 days of end date, to researchgo@ku.edu. The report must:
    • summarize the extent to which original proposal goals and objectives have been achieved, highlighting the metrics for measuring the success of the project as included in the proposal
    • detail application/submission timeline for the external opportunity/opportunities
  • All KU Office of Research policies and procedures, including research compliances, must be followed.
  • No extensions of end dates will be approved and unused funds will be forfeited.
  • Rebudgets over 10% to total award amount must be approved by an Associate Vice Chancellor of Research. Any rebudgeting must still adhere to the budget requirements above.