EIEG Program: Request for Proposals

A. Purpose of the Grant Program

The Equipment and Infrastructure Enhancement Grant (EIEG) program provides funding for new interdisciplinary equipment or infrastructure enhancements (such as upgrades to existing equipment, data set purchases, and data or tracking systems) that cannot be obtained through other internal and external funding channels. The goal of this program is twofold - to provide the needed equipment for FSU's campus community, and to increase the number of multidisciplinary FSU alliances for research and creative activity.

B. Award Information

The average award amount for the EIEG program is $40,000. Proposals with higher or lower amounts are acceptable, but proposals with significantly higher proposed award amounts must especially justify their research necessity.
The award only provides funding for equipment that supports multidisciplinary FSU alliances involving research and creative activity.
EIEG grants do not support salary of any kind.
Departmental or other SRAD sources of cost sharing are strongly encouraged; Letters of Commitment by the contributing parties should be included in the application. Formal Cost Share Commitment forms are not required.
This program does not support project-related expenses including installation, operation, repairs, maintenance, or replacement of this equipment or tool.
Equipment purchased with EIEG funds must be housed in an FSU campus facility.
Computers and/or computing equipment are not allowed on CRC grants.

C. Eligibility

Participation is open to all full-time, active-status FSU faculty who are eligible to apply for CRC funding.
Visiting professors, whose only reason for being labeled “visiting” is the expectation that they shortly will attain permanent residency status, are eligible to apply for this award. Full-time, active status must be achieved by the award date in order to receive funding.
Faculty, or others eligible as stated above, who have received awards from other CRC programs during this academic year remain eligible to receive funding from this program.
Only one proposal per PI may be submitted to this program per competition round; however, an investigator may be listed as a Co-PI on an additional proposal. Individuals not submitting as a PI may serve as Co-PI on up to two proposals per round.
Proposal submissions must include at least two investigators (PI and Co-PI) and involve multiple departments or centers.
Students and post-docs are not eligible to be a PI or Co-PI on CRC grants.
No more than 5 Co-PIs may be included on each proposal (LIMIT: 1 PI + 5 Co-PIs = 6 "named" personnel per proposal).
FAMU-appointed Engineering faculty members are eligible to apply for funding from the CRC.

D. Important Dates for the 2022 - 2023 Round

Fall 2022 Round

Pre-review Deadline: Monday, September 19, 2022, @ 4:59 pm*
Proposal Deadline: Thursday, September 29, 2022, @ 4:59 pm
Award Notification: Mid December 2022
Award Period: January 15, 2023 - January 14, 2024

Spring 2023 Round

Pre-review Deadline: Monday, February 13, 2023 @ 4:59 pm *
Proposal Deadline: Thursday, February 23, 2023 @ 4:59 pm
Award Notification: Late May 2023
Award Period: June 15, 2023 - June 14, 2024

*NOTE: If you would like your proposal to be reviewed for technical errors, you must submit it through the CRC portal by the Pre-review Deadline date shown above. Pre-reviews are completed on a first-come, first-served basis. The CRC Program Staff will review your proposal for document inclusion, budget allowability and accuracy, and adherence to program guidelines. Please note the following:

In order for your proposal to count as having been submitted in time for this pre-review, your application must have the "Pending Technical Review" status, which means you have obtained all required Chair and Dean approvals prior to the Pre-Review Deadline. Until your proposal has all these approvals, it will not be considered ready for a technical review.
If your proposal is submitted after the Pre-Review Deadline, there is no guarantee that it will be reviewed for errors prior to the Proposal Deadline. Thus, choosing to submit after the Pre-Review Deadline leaves you at risk, as any technical errors, no matter how minor they may seem, will render your proposal disqualified. However, if you meet the Pre-Review Deadline and make the required corrections, as per instructions, by the Proposal Deadline, your proposal will not be rejected on technical grounds.
Your proposal's accuracy is ultimately your responsibility, and not that of the CRC. The CRC will not make corrections, and revisions cannot be accepted after the deadline.

E. Proposal Preparation Instructions

The proposal must be written in clear, concise language so that reviewers from any discipline will be able to understand it; field-specific jargon and acronyms are discouraged unless they are plainly defined within the proposal text.
Proposals with incomplete required fields will not be able to submit until all required fields are completed; any fields left incomplete will result in the proposal being disqualified from competition.
Applications that do not adhere to the RFP instructions will be ineligible for funding.
Go to Section H. Proposal Submission Process for instructions on how to apply.
The following sections must be completed in your proposal application:

-- PROPOSAL TRANSMITTAL --

For CRC submissions, this document is a part of the electronic submissions application. All applicants will complete these sections directly within the CRC program application.
Once the proposal is submitted, the Directors, Chairs, and Deans of the PI and Co-PI(s) will be contacted automatically via email for approval of the submission. Please provide sufficient time for electronic approvals prior to the proposal deadline. It is advisable to check on the availability of those who are required to approve your application if you are intending to submit close to the deadline. Directors, Chairs, and Deans have 24 hours after the proposal deadline to electronically approve applications. Submissions that lack the necessary approvals within the provided time will be disqualified and will not be reviewed.
If you need assistance with completing any of these forms and want a staff member from your department to assist you, you can grant access to them by adding a “proposal contact” to your application. Any staff who will be assisting with the administration of this award, if granted, should also be added as a proposal contact.

-- ABSTRACT --

This section is completed within the electronic CRC program application. Your abstract cannot exceed 250 words.

-- CURRICULUM VITAE (Word Doc) --

The CV form in the link above is the preferred form for this requirement. If you choose to not use this specific form, your CV must contain the same information: Education from baccalaureate-level forward including Institution, Degree, Field of Study, and Completion Date; Previous Positions; Publications related to the proposal; and Research Support including completed and ongoing grants related to the proposal. You may also include other data pertinent to the research or activity proposed. Regardless of which form you use, the CV must be no longer than 2 pages at no less than 11 point font, with 1" margins. All CVs must be submitted in PDF format.
The PI must list the names and department affiliations of each Co-PI in the proposal text and provide a vitae which meets the same requirements stated above for each Co-PI. To view CV examples, please click on the subject area that is closest to your field of research: Arts, Engineering, Humanities, and STEM.
No more than 5 Co-PIs may be included on each proposal (LIMIT: 1 PI + 5 Co-PIs = 6 "named" personnel per proposal).

-- PAST, CURRENT, & PENDING GRANTS --

This section is completed within the electronic CRC program application. List all internal grants awarded to the PI and any Co-PIs in the past 5 years (AHPEG, COFRS, EIEG, FYAP, PG, MDS, SGP, Honorary, or FAT awards), as well as any pending grant proposals. If the PI and/or Co-PI(s) received previous CRC funding, they must 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. Use of previous CRC funding is one factor in the evaluation of this proposal. Failure to include applicable CRC awards will result in proposal disqualification.

-- BUDGET --

This section is completed within the electronic CRC program application. For the EIEG program, please enter the proposed amount of funding in the Equipment Section of the budget form. Salary, travel, and all other non-equipment-related purchases are not allowed in this program. Please note that computer and/or computing equipment purchases are not allowable on any CRC grant.

IMPORTANT NOTE: CRC grants are awarded in part based on the appropriateness and feasibility of the proposed budgets. Approved budgets must be followed as proposed/awarded, unless a budget amendment request is approved in advance by the chair of the CRC. Any unapproved expenditures will result in the grant being frozen until the overage is refunded to the grant. In addition, no further CRC grant proposals will be accepted from applicants (as PI or Co-PI) on any grant that is out of budgetary compliance until the situation is rectified.

Cost sharing is strongly encouraged for this program. Including a cost share form is not necessary, but Letters of Commitment should be included in the application.

-- PROPOSAL TEXT (Word Doc) --

The proposal text cannot exceed 8 pages (not including References and Appendices). Pages must be formatted with 1" margins, utilizing 11pt Times New Roman or Arial font. Only a PDF version of your proposal will be accepted. Below are the required sub-sections for the Proposal Text.

Project/Issue and Goals: Describe the project/issue your equipment or infrastructure enhancement will address. Briefly describe the goals that this equipment or infrastructure enhancement will help to achieve.
Research Methods/Creative Activities: Describe how this equipment or infrastructure enhancement will increase the research/creative capacity of the faculty. Identify the multidisciplinary users across FSU’s campus (departments, programs, and/or individuals), in addition to other potential university users and beneficiaries. Provide usage details for each researcher involved.
Broader Impacts: Describe this equipment/infrastructure enhancement’s direct contribution to a new tangible public benefit, beyond its research goals.
Funding Information: Describe why this equipment/tool has not been funded from other sources. If applicable, provide a detailed description of this equipment or tool’s eligibility for external matching; include the sponsor, status of application, and probability of assessment of receiving such funding. Describe the departmental and college support for the acquisition and identify cost sharing amounts that will be contributed, if any.
Budget: Provide a quotation from the vendor detailing the cost of this equipment or infrastructure enhancement. If cost sharing for the equipment/ infrastructure enhancement is available, please provide more details in this section. Cost Share Commitment forms are no longer needed, but a Letter of Commitment from each contributor of cost share should be included in the Appendix of the Proposal Text.
- If you intend to submit a proposal for a refresh of existing equipment, you must include an explanation for why these charges are not on an auxiliary budget.
Management of the Equipment: Identify the department where this equipment will be housed and explain how access will be provided to other departments and FSU researchers at large. This program will not fund the cost of installation, operation, maintenance, repairs, and/or replacement of this equipment or tool. Explain in detail the Administrative plan, which should address who will be responsible for these additional costs.
Impact of Previous EIEG Awards: List all previous EIEG funds that the PI and Co-PI(s) have been awarded in the last 5 years and explain how these equipment and/or infrastructure enhancements have enabled external funding for your research. If this section is not applicable, please write N/A.
Appendices: Include appendices as needed, including Letters of Commitment, vendor estimates, and other supplementary materials pertinent to your proposed project. Please be considerate of reviewers’ time and file space; avoid excessive appendices.

F. Proposal Examples

Examples of successful proposals are available on ORD's Successful Proposal Database. Your FSU username and password will be required.
Please contact the CRC Program Manager for clarification or questions related to these proposals.

G. Research Compliance

Typically, research compliance approvals are not necessary for EIEG proposals since the funding is strictly for the purchase of equipment.

However, any future proposals utilizing the equipment are subject to compliance requirements as determined by the individual proposal scope. Research activities requiring compliance review and approvals (Human or Animal Subjects, DNA, RNA, Hazardous Materials, or Marine Lab facilities) require the completion and submission of forms to the appropriate FSU department or group.

H. Proposal Submission Process

Go to CRC Submissions Portal.
Login using your FSU username and password.
Start a new proposal by selecting one of the CRC programs listed under the apply tab. Complete all the sections and upload each of the required elements.
You will have the ability to submit/save your proposal elements and update/edit them until the posted proposal deadline for the program.
Proposals with incomplete required fields will not be able to submit for Chair/Dean approval until all required fields are completed. Minor changes can still be made to the proposal after it has been submitted for Chair/Dean approval.
Once the application is submitted, the Directors/Chairs and Deans of the PI and Co-PI(s) will be contacted automatically via email for approval of the submission. Please provide sufficient time for electronic approvals prior to the program deadline. It is advisable to check on the availability of those who are required to approve your application if you are intending to submit close to the deadline. Directors, Chairs, and Deans have 24 hours after the proposal deadline to electronically approve applications. Submissions that lack the necessary approvals within the provided time will be disqualified and will not be reviewed.

I. Proposal Review Process

The EIEG Review Committee consists of selected faculty members, including current CRC members, representative of the broad range of research interests across campus. The Committee reviews the EIEG proposals, and recommendations for funding based on their scores are presented to the CRC.
Reviewers will use these review guidelines for scoring the proposal. In addition, reviewers will take note of the external proposals submitted by the PI and Co-PI(s) as a result of previously-awarded CRC funds.
Each reviewer will provide written feedback, not just a numeric score, which will be shared with the PI and Co-PI(s). Reviewer identification will not be released to the applicants.
The CRC makes final funding decisions based on the funding allocated to the program, the number of proposals received, and merit scores of each proposal.
If awarded, the PI and Department Chair/Director must sign the CRC Conditions of Award form and return it to the CRC Program Staff prior to award budget activation.
All necessary forms must be received by the Program Staff no later than 60 days following notice of award; failure to submit these documents in a timely manner may result in the withdrawal of the award.

J. Award Terms & Conditions

CRC grant funds can only be used to support research and creative activity.
This program only provides funding for equipment that supports multidisciplinary FSU alliances involving research and creative activity; the EIEG program does not support project-related expenses, which include installation, operation, repairs, maintenance, and replacement of this equipment or tool.
The CRC approved the project budget as submitted with the proposal. Budget deviations greater than 10% per budget line item (cumulatively) require the prior written approval of the CRC. Budget revisions should be requested via a Budget Amendment Form. The Budget Amendment form, which can be downloaded from the Forms page, must be electronically signed by the PI and submitted via the Time Extension and Budget Amendment Request page. Here's an example of a completed Budget Amendment form. If the budget revision is approved by the CRC (limit 2 per award), the OMNI Project Budget will be modified to reflect the newly-approved categorical amounts. Budget amendment requests must be approved before any changes can occur. You may not submit an amendment request after the fact, and all budget amendment requests must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the award end date; requests submitted within 30 days of the award end date will not be considered.
The CRC approved the scope of work as submitted with the proposal. The written approval of the CRC is required prior to implementing any 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
- Purchasing a different piece of equipment/data set than proposed
- Transferring the performance of substantive programmatic work to a third party by contract or any other means.
Budget or scope of work violations may result in loss of CRC funding eligibility for multiple years.
Time extensions (limit 1 per award) require the prior approval of the CRC. Any request and justification for a time extension should be submitted to the Time Extension and Budget Amendment Request page at least 30 days prior to the award expiration date; requests submitted within 30 days of the award end date will not be considered.
Only one time extension is permitted per project; if the project budget is in good standing, a 90-day extension will be automatically granted upon request. Time extension requests for greater than 90 days will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

K. Grant Close-Out and Reporting

Financial closeout of the award will automatically occur within 60 days following the award period end date.
Time extensions require the prior approval of the CRC (limit 1 extension per award). Any request and justification for a time extension must be submitted through the Time Extension and Budget Amendment Request page at least 30 days prior to the award expiration date; requests submitted within 30 days of the award end date will not be considered.
Only one time extension is permitted per project; if the project budget is in good standing, a 90-day extension will be automatically granted upon request. Time extension requests for greater than 90 days will be considered on a case-by-case basis but will not exceed 6 months.
The PI of the project will be required to respond to short project outcomes surveys via email at 6-, 12-, and 18-month intervals after the award end date. Surveys will allow faculty to identify the proposals, publications, exhibits, presentations, and/or other external funding outcomes resulting directly from CRC-funded awards.

L. Payback

PIs who later find that they have funding from another source for similar or the same support are requested to decline acceptance of this EIEG award so that funds can be redirected to provide support for other applicants who would otherwise go unfunded.
In the event that a PI leaves the university, involuntarily or voluntarily, prior to the end of the award period, the awardee’s Dean or Department Chair has the responsibility of notifying the CRC Program Manager and either returning the award amount to the CRC or requesting that the project be transferred to a Co-PI currently on the project.

Last Updated: Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 2:07 PM

Internal Funding