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SciRIS (Stages 1-3)

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SciRIS (Stages 1-3)

How does the program work?

The College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS) Program funds projects based on individual & collaborative research involving the College community and beyond. The college's research priorities are outlined in our strategic plan, Extending the Reach and Impact of Science, and Oregon State University's strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan. The funds for the SciRIS program come from Education & General Funds and Foundation funds such as the Robert W. Lundeen Science Faculty Development Award Fund, Ben & Elaine Whiteley Materials Research Fund, Venture Fund and the Disease Mechanism and Prevention Fund.

Stage 1 provides up to $10K for team formation, research planning, and initial experiments.

Examples of Costs Supported in Stage 1

  • Planning sessions
  • Workshops, training in innovation & commercialization
  • Speaker series
  • Student and postdoc salary/fringe
  • Materials, supplies, and services

Stage 2 provides up to $75K to support research toward a proof of concept.

Examples of Costs Supported in Stage 2

  • Team expansion
  • Workshops, training in innovation & commercialization
  • Student and postdoc salary/ fringe
  • Materials, services, and supplies
  • Informal Science Education training
  • Broadening participation training

Stage 3 provides up to $125K to accelerate work toward or commensurate with an external funding opportunity.

Examples of Costs Supported in Stage 3

  • Team expansion
  • Workshops, training in innovation & commercialization
  • Student and postdoc salary / fringe
  • Materials, services and supplies
  • Informal Science Education training
  • Broadening participation training
  • Proposal writing support
  • Leveraged funding opportunities, cost share

External Collaborations

The SciRIS program welcomes proposals involving collaborations with faculty external to the College of Science. For SciRIS proposals, the requested funding should primarily benefit faculty, student and staff in our college.

Due Dates and Submission

When to submit?

The College will consider proposals annually. Annual deadlines are:

  • Stage 1 proposals must be submitted by October 15.
  • Stage 2 and Stage 3 proposals must be submitted by April 15.

Note: If the 15th falls on a weekend, the proposals will be due on the next business day.

Please note the following options, guidelines and requirements:

  • Teams may choose to skip Stage 1, if the collaboration and proposal are sufficiently developed to support a Stage 2 project.
  • Only current successful Stage 2 projects are eligible for Stage 3 funding. We allow a one-year gap for currently funded Stage 2 proposals to submit to Stage 3.
  • Funds will be awarded for Stage 2 and Stage 3 project start dates approximately 2-3 months past due dates.
  • Funds must be expended within 12 months beyond start date.

How to Submit

Following the relevant guidance below, assembled proposal packages should be submitted to research.development@science.oregonstate.edu

Eligibility

All COS faculty and research professionals are eligible to submit a proposal. The lead PI should be in COS. At least two departments at OSU must be represented in an application. Applicants may serve as PI or receive major funding for only one funded project (SciRIS-ii, SciRIS Stages 1-3, DMPF, Industry Partnership award, etc.) at any time. Applicants may serve in support roles on one or more funded grants.

Stage 1 Proposal Guidelines

The proposal must adhere to the following guidelines. Incomplete proposals will be returned without review.

The project description is limited to two pages for Project Narrative plus a 1 page summary, 1 page budget & budget justification, up to a 3 page bio-sketch for each co-applicant and Current & Pending (no page limit) for each co-applicant. It must be formatted 1-inch margins and 10pt font or larger, with the exception of figure legends (as applicable). Assemble the proposal as follows:

  1. Project Summary (1 page, 1-inch margins and 10pt font or larger):
    1. Project Title
    2. Names & affiliations of all participants
    3. Short Abstract
  2. The Project Narrative is limited to two pages, 1-inch margins and 10pt font or larger, with the exception of figure legends (as applicable). It should include the following sections:
    1. Project plan and timeline
    2. Vision and Goals addressing originality of idea and transformative potential of research and/or innovation. Please address how your project aligns with and/or advances COS's strategic plan, Extending the Reach and Impact of Science, and/or Oregon State University's strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan.
    3. Description of broad impacts including student research
    4. Anticipated outcomes, e.g., manuscript, proposal submission, subaward.
    5. Statement on Inclusive Excellence goals (examples: broadening participation, fostering equity, access & inclusion)
  3. Prior COS internal funding support (if applicable, if not state "not applicable", 1 page or less). Include a brief summary of your proposal(s), outcomes and deliverables. Include headings for:
    1. Intellectual Merit
    2. Broader Impacts
  4. References (optional and encouraged, but limited to 1 page).
  5. Append a 3-page (max) biographical sketch of each PI and student to the project description. (e.g. NSF Style via ScienCV)
  6. Budget & budget justification (including any cost-share) (see template)
  7. Letter of collaborations (Required only for external to COS collaboration. Faculty with adjunct status are considered internal to COS.)
  8. Current & Pending for each faculty co-applicant (no page limit, do not list expired awards)

Reporting: Awardee must submit a report describing how the award contributed to advancing a partnership toward concrete outcomes. The report is due within one year of the award date.

No Cost Extensions: The College of Science Internal Funding Program provides seed funds for one year. We anticipate that some projects may experience challenges that could delay outcomes and deliverables. If your funded project meets this criterium and you would like to request a no cost extension (NCE), you’ll need to fill out the following form: https://beav.es/cew (Note this requires ONID login). The NCE request will be reviewed by the College of Science Research Development Unit (RDU) and a recommendation will be sent to the Dean of Science by the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. If approved by the dean, an appropriate NCE will be provided. Note: Filling out the form does not guarantee that an NCE will be granted. Please contact the COS RDU for further details at research.development@science.oregonstate.edu

Stage 2 Proposal Guidelines

The proposal must adhere to the following guidelines. Incomplete proposals will be returned without review.

The project description is limited to three pages for Project Narrative, 1 page summary, 1 page prior support from SciRIS funding, if applicable, 1 page References, 2 pages funding & other support, up to a 3 page bio-sketch for each co-applicant and Current & Pending (no page limit) for each co-applicant. It must be formatted 1-inch margins and 10pt font or larger, with the exception of figure legends (as applicable).

  1. Project Summary (1 page)
    1. Title, names & affiliations of each co-applicant
    2. Vision and Goals addressing originality of idea and transformative potential of research and/or innovation. Please address how your project aligns with and/or advances COS's strategic plan, Extending the Reach and Impact of Science, and/or Oregon State University's strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan.
    3. Intellectual Merits (addressing development & transformative Potential)
    4. Broad Impacts (Innovation, outreach & public impact)
    5. Inclusive Excellence Goals
  2. Project Narrative (3 pages)
    1. Project Plan, potential outcomes & timeline
    2. Plans for extramural funding support
    3. Student Involvement & broadening participation
  3. Prior COS internal funding support (if applicable, if not state "not applicable", 1 page or less). Include a brief summary of your proposal(s), outcomes and deliverables. Include headings for:
    1. Intellectual Merit
    2. Broader Impacts
  4. References (1 page)
  5. Funding & Other Resources Support (2 pages)
    1. Budget & budget narrative (see template)
    2. Source of cost sharing (if applicable)
  6. Biographical sketch for each co-applicant (3 pages each, e.g. NSF Style via ScienCV)
  7. Current & Pending for each co-applicant (no page limit, do not list expired awards.)
  8. Letters of Collaboration (Required only for external to COS collaboration. Faculty with adjunct status are considered internal to COS.)

Stage 3 Proposal Guidelines

The proposal must adhere to the following guidelines. Incomplete proposals will be returned without review.

The project description is limited to six pages narrative, 1-page project Summary, 1 page (or less) of prior SciRIS support, 1 page References, 2 pages funding & other support, 3 page bio-sketch for each co-applicant and Current & Pending (no page limit) for each co-applicant. It must be formatted 1-inch margins and 10pt font or larger, with the exception of figure legends (as applicable).

  1. Project Summary (1 page)
    1. Title, names & affiliations of each co-applicant
    2. Vision and Goals addressing originality of idea and transformative potential of research and/or innovation. Please address how your project aligns with and/or advances COS's strategic plan, Extending the Reach and Impact of Science, and/or Oregon State University's strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan.
    3. Intellectual Merits (addressing development & transformative Potential)
    4. Broad Impacts (Innovation, outreach & public impact)
    5. Inclusive Excellence Goals
  2. Project Narrative (6 pages)
    1. Project Plan, potential outcomes & timeline
    2. Plans for extramural funding support
    3. Student Involvement & broadening participation
  3. Prior COS internal funding support (including SciRIS Stage 2, 1 page or less). Include a brief summary of your proposal(s), outcomes and deliverables. Include headings for:
    1. Intellectual Merit
    2. Broader Impacts
  4. References (1 page)
  5. Funding & Other Resources Support (2 pages)
    1. Budget & budget narrative (see template)
    2. Source of cost sharing (if applicable)
  6. Biographical sketch for each co-applicant (3 pages each, e.g. NSF format via Sciencv)
  7. Current & Pending for each co-applicant (no page limit, do not list expired awards.)
  8. Letters of Collaboration (Required only for external to COS collaboration. Faculty with adjunct status are considered internal to COS.)

Note: Applications that do not meet the proposal guidelines will be returned to the applicants without review.

Reporting Requirements

For all funded SciRIS projects, the following reporting requirements are in effect:

  • An interim financial report will be due six months into the project. We have a form that you can use.
  • Final reports for each award are due within 30 days after the end of the grant. We have a form that you can use.
  • Please note that we no longer allow no-cost extensions.

Acknowledgments

Please acknowledge the SciRIS program on any documents about the project, including but not limited to video productions, press releases, brochures, publications, posters, etc. and include the phrase:

“This project has been made possible with support of the College of Science Research & Innovation Seed (SciRIS) program at Oregon State University."

Proposal Review Criteria

The SciRIS program supports transformative research that will lead to extramural funding. Such research involves ideas, discoveries, or tools that radically change our understanding of an important existing scientific or educational practice or leads to the creation of a new paradigm or field of science or education.

Proposals to any stage will be judged on scientific merit, significance of the proposed research, development of new or existing partnerships with industry, potential impact on future funding, creativity in the use of emerging technology and the potential to broaden participation, equity and access. Proposals must demonstrate

  • Originality & Transformative Potential: How original is the proposed idea? Does the research challenge current understanding? What is the transformative potential of the proposed work? Does the research open pathways to new frontiers of science?
  • Inclusive Excellence: How well does the project promote equity, inclusivity, and access? Does It provide opportunities for broadening participation of under-represented groups?
  • Intellectual Merit: What is the potential of the work to advance knowledge both within a discipline and across disciplines? What are the tangible outcomes?
  • Broader Impacts: What are the benefits to society? Does the plan incorporate training of graduate students, mentoring postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty or involves undergraduates in research experiences.
  • Effective Teamwork: Are resources aligned with proposed work and outcomes? Is the team integrated and poised to succeed? Are there plans in place for extramural funding (Stages 2 and 3)?

Cost Sharing

Cost sharing is not required, but it is encouraged, especially as projects move to later stages.

Examples of potential cost sharing include the following:

  • Department support for travel and students
  • Uncommitted 201 and start-up funds
  • University venture development funds
  • Seed grant from Oregon Signature Research Center
  • Seed grant from other colleges or Research Office
  • NSF EAGER grant or similar award from federal agency or foundation
  • Aligned OSU Foundation gift
  • New, aligned grant or contract from industry

What has been funded?

Learn more about the Full Program

  • SciRIS (Stages 1-3) - awards seed funding for high impact collaborative proposals that build teams, pursue fundamental discoveries, and create societal impact (deadlines in April, July). For past awards made in this program, see Click Here.
  • SciRIS-ii (individual investigator) - funds individual faculty who seek to establish or augment research relationships with external partners (deadline in December). For past awards made in this program, see Click Here.
  • The Disease Mechanism and Prevention Fund - supports research into the mechanism, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of (human) disease (deadline in December)
  • The College of Science Industry Partnership Award - This award provides critical resources for projects that take a new direction, utilize a new technology or are in the “proof-of-concept” phase. Undergraduate & graduate students and faculty researchers can participate in the research, with a preference given to graduate students and faculty who are developing new areas of research AND establishing or augmenting research partnerships with external industrial partners(deadline in July).

Download: cos_IFP_budget_template.pdf (pdf)