OSP Seed Grant

The criteria for evaluation include the following:

• Evidence of how the funds will enhance OSPs
• Strategies to sustain OSP activity after the seed grant ends
• Institutional commitment to research (as described by the letter from the institutional official).

The review committee will consider geographical location as criteria to ensure the broad regional distribution of seed grants. The program is particularly interested in transformational capacity-building applications. While all institutions with less than $6 million in NIH research funding and >25% Pell-eligible students are eligible, those institutions that have not previously been engaged in NIH-funded research, including MSIs like HBCUs, HSIs, and TCCUs, and institutions from IDeA states, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Each OSP seed grant application must have an Applicant Lead [an individual from OSP (or equivalent); although a faculty member can serve as Applicant Lead at those institutions which do not allow staff members to be the designated head of subawards]. This person will be responsible for seed grant oversight and the proper distribution of seed grant funds. 

Awardees (Applicant Leads and others) will work closely with the SuRE Resource Center, including attendance at quarterly meetings, to ensure that the seed grant objectives are being met and to share best practices. OSP seed grant Applicant Leads must also agree to attend biennial SuRE conferences (costs will be covered by the SuRE program). 

I. Current OSP and Institutional Environment
In this section, you will provide insight into your institution’s current research environment. Supplemental graphics and charts may be included to support this narrative.

1. Describe your current Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), including staffing and budget (or a proposed model if an OSP does not exist) and the current level of sponsored projects activity at your institution. Describe what you consider to be the current major shortcomings in your OSP operations. (500 words or less)
2. Describe the scholarly environment and the institution’s goals for establishing or enhancing sponsored project support. Describe the specific activities that will be conducted to build/strengthen the OSP during the one-year period of the grant. Outline the expected impacts associated with the project activities. (500 words or less)

II. Letter of Support
A letter from an institutional official (Dean, Provost, Vice-President of Research, etc.) demonstrating their support for the OSP Seed Grant. This letter should also describe how OSP responsibilities will be sustained after the grant period ends.

III. Grant Budget & Justification
This attachment must include a brief justification/description for each budgetary item being requested. Allowable Costs Include:  research development/administrative software, travel to meetings for research administration training, society membership fees, consultant costs to enhance research administrative infrastructure, personnel costs, etc. Unallowable Costs Include: direct grants to faculty investigators for scientific projects, Applicant Lead support, or indirect costs.  

It is important for the SuRE Resource Center to evaluate the success of the OSP seed grant program. To help achieve this goal, OSP seed grant awardees must agree to complete yearly updates for five years after the seed grant ends. These updates must include:

1. Number and type of NIH grants submitted/reviewed/scored/funded and non-NIH grants submitted/funded and
2. Number of faculty who have submitted grants; abstracts submitted to national meetings (platform and poster presentations) and publications resulting from NIH funding (highlighting both faculty and students)