Center and Institute Funding

Status of Opportunity

There are no plans to offer this opportunity in the foreseeable future. This was last offered in 2021.

Opportunity Overview

SDSU is home to many nationally and internationally recognized research centers and institutes composed of outstanding faculty, staff, and students.

The purpose of this opportunity is to provide funding to support center and institute efforts to secure extramural funding through federal and state sponsors, local funding agencies, and private foundations. Centers and institutes will be expected to submit 2-3 proposals for extramural funding during the award period.

There is not a threshold of funding that must be met for this program; however, the funding sought should align with typical sources of extramural funding for your center or institute. Centers and institutes will be expected to describe the number and type of proposals this funding will be used to develop. Proposed future activity in terms of specificity and number of anticipated proposals will be used both as a competitive criterion and as part of reporting and deliverables if funding is awarded.

Eligibility

University-approved centers or institutes whose primary mission is focused on research and scholarship. Centers or institutes with a primary teaching or service focus are not eligible for this funding opportunity.

Award Specifics

Eligible centers or institutes can request up to $50k for 24 months of funding. The Division of Research and Innovation (DRI) expects to fund up to six center and institute applications.

Application Details

Applications will be accepted via the InfoReady system. The application must be submitted by the director of the center or institute.

Applications should be no longer than 4-pages (excluding the budget and budget justification, funding announcements, and Dean’s letter of support) using single-spaced, 11-point font with 1-inch margins. Please submit a single PDF document for your application that includes all the elements listed below.

Brief Overview of Center or Institute

Please provide an overview and description of the center or institute. This should include the mission and purpose of the center or institute, center or institute core members, and the research or scholarly focus of the center or institute.

Funding Need and Justification

Please provide a summary of why these funds are needed for your center or institute. Please address how the funds you are requesting will assist with the development of extramurally funded proposals.

Project Plan(s) and Description

Please provide a brief description of the research, scholarship, or creative activity for which the center or institute is seeking funding. The description should also articulate how the project will advance your discipline or field of work. Because the purpose of this program is to assist centers and institutes with submitting a proposal for extramural funding, please describe the number and type of extramural funding proposals for which you are seeking funding.

Description of Center's or Institute's Past Accomplishments

Describe the accomplishments of your center or institute over the past two years. This could include extramural funding, peer-reviewed publications, investigator accolades or awards, development of community partnerships, etc. If the center or institute has been in existence for less than two years, please provide these accomplishments for individual faculty associated with your center or institute.

Description of Timeline for Activities and Proposal Development

Please describe the timeline for the proposal development activities planned for the center or institute.

Budget and Budget Justification

Please provide a budget (up to $50k for the 24-month period) and associated justification for your project. Expenses should be directly related to the capacity of the center/institute to develop and submit additional funding requests. The following lists are representative, not exhaustive.

The following are allowable budget expenses:
1. Salary for non-faculty staff and students.
2. External grant writers or reviewers.
3. Funds to collect pilot data.
4. Purchase of small equipment for data collection or research purposes.
5. Data transcription or translation services.
6. Travel for data collection or research purposes.
7. Supplies related to data collection (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, computer supplies, etc.).
8. Participant incentives.
9. Consultant fees.

The following are non-allowable budget expenses:
1. Faculty salary.
2. Conference-related travel expenses.
3. Assigned time for faculty.
4. General office or printer supplies.
5. Publication fees.
6. Rent or space costs.
7. Tuition.

If you have a specific funding need that you have questions about, please contact [email protected]. The inclusion of unallowable expenses will result in the rejection of your proposal without additional review.

Funding Announcement(s)

Competitive applications will include funding announcement(s) for which the internal funding will be used to prepare a response; program URL, or other unambiguous program identifier should be used.

Letter of Support from College Dean

Please obtain and upload a letter of support from the center or institute director’s College Dean. If the center or institute is co-directed by faculty from different colleges, please include a single signed letter by all College Deans involved. The letter should acknowledge the center or institute meets the eligibility criteria for this funding.

Application Review

The Division of Research and Innovation will review these applications. Applications will be scored using the following criteria: 1) Prior success and accomplishments of center/institute (20%); 2) Extent to which proposed project(s) will contribute significantly to discipline or field of work (20%); 3) Justification of funding need (20%), 4) Appropriateness of timeline for activities and proposal development (15%), 5) number and type of anticipated proposals to be submitted (15%), and 6) Clarity of proposal (10%);

Required Reporting

Centers and institutes are expected to submit 2-3 proposals for funding (see above). Awardees will provide a report 60 days following the end of the grant period. Reports will include evidence of submitted proposals. DRI will send the report template to the center or institute director with instructions at least two months before the report is due.