2009-2010 COR Faculty Grants Program

FRG: Preparing and Submitting the Application

Funding awarded by the Council on Research/Faculty Research Grant Program (FRG) is made available to help support the conduct of research by eligible faculty at UCLA. The funds are awarded through a peer review process to examine the merit and originality of a project, its potential to generate extramural funding, non-overlap with other research funding available to the investigator and the investigator's prior record of scholarly productivity in the use of Faculty Grants Program awards. FRG funds are intended to provide support for faculty academic research, and not to support other academic responsibilities such as teaching and university service.

The distribution of funds from the Academic Senate's Faculty Research Grant is based on current policy:
The most meritorious projects are to receive funding commensurate with their budget needs and the availability of funding.

Funding is given for the direct conduct of innovative and scholarly research or other creative activity.
Funding is not to substitute for the resources that should be provided through departmental funding.

FRG Reviewing Criteria

FRG funds are awarded through a peer review process that examines:

Is the research meritorious and/or significant?
Is the research feasible?
Is the research productivity and capability of the applicant evident from his/her publications?
Is the request for research assistance appropriately justified?
Does the budget request seem reasonable and not excessive?

FRG Submission Guidelines

Your completed proposal must be received electronically no later than 5 pm on Friday, February 13, 2009. Late applications will not be accepted.
Project Goal: Briefly describe the intended outcome/results of this project at the end of the funding period.
Project Description and Methodology: Please describe the proposed research project. Although this may not provide adequate space to fully describe the objectives and methods of a research project, a well-crafted research proposal does enable one to convey the scope of the work and the need for funding within these limits. The proposed research methodology is an essential component to a successful FRG application. Include methods that will be used to collect data and manner in which requested budget items will be used to conduct proposed research.
COR-CCP Joint Program: This is a joint program with the Center for Community Partnerships (CCP). Entitled UCLA in LA, this opportunity provides additional matching funds from CCP for Faculty Research Grant applicants who work with local non-profit 501 c 3 tax status organizations focusing on Los Angeles communities. The CCP and COR will jointly review proposals and determine which projects are to be supported. You will need to supply justification as to why the application should be forwarded on to the CCP.
Field Entries: Applicants may submit attachments directly into the application. However, please note that the online application will not record special characters (i.e. symbols and accents) or fonts/ styles (bold, underline, italics). For this you may upload a MS Word document as an attachment.
Budget: Applicants may request a total budget of up to $10,000.
Budget Justification: Briefly outline how the funds will be spent. Note specific expenses (i.e.; If you intend to budget $100 for telephone calls, note how these phone calls relate to your research). Requests not accompanied by a statement as to how the item/service/trip relates directly to the proposed project will not be considered. Note: Computers and software that are essential to the research project are eligible for FRG support. The importance of such items for carrying out the proposed research must be fully justified.
Budget Categories
1. FRG allowable budget funding categories include the following:
  - RESEARCH ASSISTANCE - Preferably Graduate or Undergraduate students, whose services are used to aid the research of the principal investigator. FRG funds may not be used to support the student's dissertation research.
  - EQUIPMENT - Non-consumable items used for research with a value of $1,500 or more that are free-standing and have a life expectancy of one year or more. Title to equipment is held by UCLA [UC Regents].
  - REPROGRAPHICS - Research related copying charges (strong justification required).
  - COMMUNICATION EXPENSES (e.g., Fax, Telephone & Mail) - The portion of these charges that is directly related to the research project may be requested. The research-related nature of these charges must be itemized and justified. Does not support lease/purchase of equipment or service contracts.
  - EXPENDABLE SUPPLIES – Research related equipment/items, except generic office supplies. The research-related nature of these items must be itemized and justified. Title to non-inventorial equipment/items, regardless of cost, is held by UCLA [UC Regents].
  - FIELD EXPENSES (Research Travel) - Only travel taken for the purpose of gathering research. FRG grants may not be used for attending conferences. Destination and purpose of travel must be clearly described.
  - OTHER EXPENSES (including Patient Care/Subject Costs) - This category is intended to designate research-related expenses not covered in preceding categories.
2. FRG funds cannot be used to fund the following:
  - Basic cost of departmental infrastructure (teaching/instruction & administration), repairs or maintenance of equipment.
  - Purchase of non-research specific equipment, e.g., telephones, FAX machines, cellular telephones.
  - Purchase of reprints, periodicals, office furniture.
  - Publication charges to publishers; preparation of textbooks.
  - Any costs associated with teaching or instruction; membership fees.
  - Conference travel. (Apply to COR’s Conference Travel Program.)
FGP Support Progress Report: It is very important to include a Progress Report if prior FRG support has been received. It would be helpful if you could highlight any major accomplishments that resulted from work supported by COR in the past.
Other Support: Note other sources of support, both intramural and/or extramural, for all research projects with which you are involved.
Publications: List up to ten representative publications over the last five years.
If you mark "yes" to the use of human or animal subjects in your application, you are required to obtain an approval for the use of these subjects in your proposed project, or an exemption from either the Human Subject Protection Committee (HSPC) or the Animal Research Committee (ARC) prior to award funding notice. This is a University policy, as noted in UCLA Policy 910: Management of Sponsored Projects.
Rebudgeting: The investigator may re-budget award funds among categories unless: (1) The amount is greater than $300 or (2) Purpose is to fund field research not stated in the original proposal. The investigator must seek COR's approval for these.
Equipment/items requested in the categories Permanent Equipment and/or Expendable Supplies are subject to the policies outlined in UC Business and Finance Bulletin BUS 29. Computers and software that are essential to the research project are eligible for FRG support. The importance of such items for carrying out the proposed research must be fully justified.
If an award is made, funds must be spent between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. General accounting will automatically return any funds that are unexpended as of June 30, 2009, to the Academic Senate Office. The faculty member’s department is responsible for removing any overdrafts at the end of the granting period.

Research Protocol

Research involving human or laboratory animal subjects conducted by or under the direction of a UCLA investigator, using any property or facility of the University, funded or not, regardless of location must be submitted to the appropriate Committee for review and approval. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to determine whether the above referenced research requires either an approval or exemption from HSPC or ARC prior to award funding notice. Research proposals must be approved by the appropriate Committee prior to the award funding notice and the research may not continue past its approved term.

If your research project involves the use of human or laboratory animal subjects, you are required to either submit to or file with a Human Subject Protection Committee (HSPC) or the Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee (ARC) copies of your proposal, together with the information requested by those Committees. For more information on UCLA's policies governing the use of live subjects, please visit the Office for Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS). The Protocol on the HSPC or ARC approval form must be the same as the Protocol proposed on your FGP application.

If your research project includes recombinant DNA molecules, UCLA Policy 992: Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules requires that you complete a Registration Document [IBC Form 1 (8/88)] and file it with the Institutional Biosafety Committee as notification of your project or as application for approval by that committee. For information, call the campus Institutional Biosafety Committee at (310) 206-3929.

Intellectual Property Use: Does your research project involve development of potential patentable inventions or intellectual property? Please contact the UCLA Office of Intellectual Property for more information.