College of Communication & Information

Seed Grant Program 2022-2023

 

Proposal Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on April 7, 2022

The purpose of this program is to promote collaboration between and among FSU faculty by providing funding for a new direction or continuing support of existing research or creative activity, with the goal of strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations. Early-career faculty are especially encouraged to apply or participate in collaborations.  

These funds are intended to be an incentive for interdisciplinary collaboration within CCI and/or between CCI faculty and faculty in other FSU units. Seed grants will enable faculty to explore new lines of research with colleagues or expand current work in new ways with new partners. The seed grants should also provide a foundation for later external funding support pursuit.​ 

Thus, there should be at least 2 researchers, from different disciplines, involved in the application. These collaborations can be between faculty at CCI’s schools or between a CCI faculty member and faculty from a unit external to CCI. 

This program provides $25,000 per project and is designed to culminate in a proposal for research funding to the CRC, governmental agencies, or foundations. This program is loosely modeled on the CRC’s planning grant program to provide a first step toward collecting data that would lead to federal funding.  

Deadline to apply: 5:00 p.m. on April 7, 2022 submitted via research@cci.fsu.edu 

Late April 2022: Funding notification and anonymous comments from reviewers.  ​ 

Program period: May 1, 2022–August 30, 2023 

• Start dates just have to be on or before September 1, 2022 ​ 
• Interim report due: February 1, 2023​ 
• Final report due:  5:00 pm on August 30, 2023. Final report includes: the grant proposal prepared for submission to the identified agency/program and a short statement about the program. 

Purpose of the Grant Program
The purpose of this program is to promote collaboration between and among FSU faculty by providing funding for a new direction or continuing support of existing research or creative activity, with the goal of strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations. Early-career faculty are especially encouraged to apply or participate in collaborations.

Award Information

• The maximum award amount for the Seed Grant Program is $25,000. 
• CCI aims to make a maximum of 4 awards. 
• Only one .5 month faculty salary is allowed under this program. 
• The Seed Grant Program funds can be used for student stipends, project-related travel, production of project-related materials, resource and data set acquisition, and/or a variety of other project-related expenses. 

Eligibility

• Participation is open to all CCI faculty.  
• The Seed Grant Program awards are intended to support the planning of research activities for which the PI has not yet received significant external funding. 
• PIs will not be awarded more than one Seed Grant during an academic year.  
• Exception: Those faculty who are eligible to apply for the First Year Assistant Professor program this year (AY 2021–2022, for summer 2022 funding as an FYAP) may also apply for the Seed Grant Program for the same time period. 
• Only one application per PI may be submitted to this program per competition round. 

Important Dates

• Deadline to apply: 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 7, 2022 submitted as a PDF or Word document to research@cci.fsu.edu 
• Funding notification and anonymous comments from reviewers: Late April 2022   
• Program period: May 1, 2022-August 30, 2023 
• Start dates must be on or before September 1, 2022  
• Interim report due: February 1, 2023 
• Final report due:  5:00 pm on August 30, 2023. Final report includes: the grant proposal prepared for submission to the identified agency/program and a short statement about the program and seed grant experience. 

Proposal Preparation Instructions

• The proposal must be written in clear, concise language so that reviewers from any discipline will be able to understand. 
• Applications that do not adhere to the RFP instructions will be ineligible for funding. 

Proposal Transmittal
Seed Grant Program submissions consist of a complete proposal document including the below categories submitted to research@cci.fsu.edu. All submitted applicants are presumed to be approved by Directors, Chairs, and Deans of the PI and Co-PI(s). Please provide sufficient time for approvals prior to the program deadline. It is advisable to check in advance on the availability of those who are required to approve your application if you are intending to try and submit it close to the deadline. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. 

If you need assistance with completing any of sections, contact Marcia Mardis (mmardis@fsu.edu).

 

Abstract
The abstract should not exceed 250 words.

Past, Current & Pending Grants 
List all internal and external grants you have received in the past 5 years, as well as pending external grant proposals. Concurrent submission to other agencies will not disqualify your proposal. If you have received previous CCI Seed Grant Program funding, explain in the comments section of the award the outcomes of that funding, including research and creative results and any external awards won as a result. 

Budget
Use the below items as a guide for your specific budget items: 

• The maximum award amount is $25,000
• Only .5 month summer salary for one faculty member is allowed.
• Salary for CCI Master’s and doctoral graduate assistants (fee waivers must come from other documented sources) or UG research assistants. 
• Award funds may be used for such expenses as project-related travel, photocopying, and like costs necessary to perform the proposed project, and materials necessary to create project products. 
• Equipment purchases (capital outlay over $5,000) are strongly discouraged under this program. However, if you believe an equipment purchase to be essential to the planning of the research related to this proposal, you must include, in the Proposal Text, a detailed and verifiable explanation to support your request. 

Proposal Text
The proposal text cannot exceed 5 pages (not including references and appendices). If you do not have information to submit for a given section, enter N/A. Below are the required sub-sections for the Proposal Text. 

Project/Issue and Goals   

• Describe the project/issue your proposal will address as it relates to interdisciplinary research. 
• Briefly describe the goals/objectives of the project 

Research methods/creative activities
Describe the research methods/creative activities that will be undertaken. 

Significance of intended outcomes
Describe the significance/importance of the intended project outcomes. 

Anticipated external funding         

• Describe how the proposed research or creative activity will enhance the prospects for future external funding. 
• List anticipated outside funding sources to support follow-up activity, including specific grant programs, the goals of those programs, and the amount of funding available. 
• List the approximate date(s) by which you intend to request external funding from one or more of the funding sources you identified. 

Schedule of project activities 

• Indicate the time period during which each of the major project activities will begin and end, including publication and/or performance plans. 
• If appropriate, briefly describe the related research and/or creative activities that will take place before and after the grant period. 

Budget
Provide a detailed and clear budget explanation. The information should mirror the items you will be placed in the budget form but should be significantly more detailed. The description should be narrative in nature and should include quantifiable financial information. 

Departmental/College support
Describe any additional support the PI will receive from the department and/or college. This special or non-routine support may include, but is not limited to, release time from teaching load, graduate student costs, rehearsal or performance space, lab space, and/or technical assistance. 

Professional Obligations
List any professional obligations the PI has for the award period. 

References
Include a references list, if applicable. References do not count as Proposal Text pages.  

Appendices
Include appendices as needed, including approval forms and other supplementary materials pertinent to your request. Please be considerate of reviewers’ time and file space; avoid excessive appendices.   

Research Compliance

• You must seek and receive IRB approval before such research is attempted.  
• You may pre-apply for human subjects or animal use approval prior to funding notifications.

Proposal Submission Process

• Email submissions in PDF or Word form to research@cci.fsu.edu 
• Proposals received after the deadline will not be processed and incomplete proposals will not be accepted. Please revisit your proposal to make certain it is complete before the deadline. 
• Obtain approval from Directors, Chairs, and Deans of PI and Co-PI(s).  

Proposal Review Process

• The Research Steering Committee will review proposals using these review guidelines for scoring the proposal. RSC and Dean’s team members are ineligible to participate. 
• Each reviewer will provide “blind” electronic feedback, not just a numeric score, which will be shared with the PI and his/her department Chair and Dean. Reviewer identification will not be released to the PI. 
• The CCI Dean’s team will make final funding decisions based on the funding allocated to the program, the number of proposals received, and the merit scores of each proposal. 

Timeline 

Deadline to apply: 5:00 p.m. on April 7, 2022 submitted as a Word or PDF document to to research@cci.fsu.edu 

Late April 2022: Funding notification and anonymous comments from reviewers.  ​ 

Program period: May 1, 2022–August 30, 2023 

• Start dates just have to be on or before September 1, 2022 ​ 
• Interim report due: February 1, 2023​
• Final report due:  5:00 pm on August 30, 2023. Final report includes: the grant proposal prepared for submission to the identified agency/program and a short statement about the program. 

Award Terms & Conditions

• CCI Grant Program funds can only be used to support research and creative activity. 
• Capital outlay (over $5,000) equipment purchases are strongly discouraged; any capital outlay purchases become the property of the Principal Investigator's (PI) department. 
• Award funds may also be used for such expenses as project-related travel, production of a recording, manuscript, or body of work to attract external arts and humanities underwriting. 
• The CCI Seed Grant program funds are limited to .5 month summer salary for one PI. 
• CCI approved the scope of work as submitted with the proposal; written approval from CCI is required prior to implementing any major change to the scope of work. Actions likely to be considered a change of scope include, but are not limited to, the following: 
• Change in the goals or specific aims approved at the time of the award; 
• Any change from the approved use of animals or human subjects; or 
• Shifting the emphasis of the research from one topic area to another. 
• No-cost extensions require the prior approval of CCI.  

 

CCI Seed Grant Proposals  Evaluation Criteria  

• Research team: Does the team represent a collaboration between or among units? Are the units within CCI? Are early career researchers participating?
  
• Project/issue and goals: Is the project/issue the project will address important/significant in the PIs’ area of research? Are the goals/objectives of the project clear?
  
• Research methods/creative activities: Are the research methods and/or creative activities representative of new interdisciplinary exploration or further develop existing interdisciplinary work?
  
• Significance of intended outcomes: Are the intended project outcomes of potential importance/significance and likely to lead to successful proposal submission?
  
• Anticipated external funding: Is it likely that the proposed research or creative activity will enhance the prospects for external funding? Do the plans  for seeking external funding seem reasonable?
  
• Schedule of project activities: Does the schedule of project activities seem realistic?
  
• Budget: Considering the project goals/objectives and the proposed research methods and/or creative activities, does the project budget seem comprehensive and reasonable?
  
• Department/College support: If the PIs’ home units will be providing any special or non-routine support for the project, is it likely that such support will contribute to the success of the project?
  
• Professional obligations: Are the PI’s other professional obligations during the award period likely to interfere with the PI’s ability to successfully complete the project?
  
• Clarity of the proposal text: Is each section of the proposal text written in clear, concise language, so that reviewers from any discipline will be able to understand it?