A. Grant Program Overview

The First Year Assistant Professor (FYAP) grant program provides assistant professors in their first year at FSU with essential information and hands-on learning to aid in jumpstarting a successful research career. The full-year program includes a Workshop, proposal submission opportunity, peer mentoring and feedback, and a final report in the form of a poster session. The support provided by this program is intended to enable faculty to devote significant time and effort during their first summer at FSU to the research and/or creative responsibilities of their academic careers by providing summer salary and/or support for project-related expenses incurred during the award period.

B. Award Information

Award Amount: Up to $20,000

Award Distribution:  If allocated to salary, funds will be disbursed over the award period through the biweekly pay cycle; salary-related deductions and fringe, as applicable to the individual, will be subtracted from the total award amount. If allocated to other categories, payout of funds will be on a cost-reimbursable basis.

Requirements:

• FYAP Workshop:  Attendance at the FYAP Workshop is a mandatory portion of the FYAP program; failure to attend will result in disqualification from competition.

• Proposal Submission: Applicants are to submit a well-written, competitive proposal that clearly indicates a planned effort to establish or continue an ongoing program of research or creative activity at FSU. CRC members will review the proposals and provide feedback. Proposals will either be (a) approved for funding, (b) invited to revise and resubmit in the next award cycle, or (c) denied for funding.
• Poster Submission: Awardees must submit a poster at the FYAP Workshop immediately following their award period. This poster should showcase the awardee’s research or creative efforts during the FYAP award period. Failure to submit a poster will result in future ineligibility for all CRC programs as either a PI or Co-PI.
• Progress Reports: Awardees must respond to post-award progress reports, emailed at 6-, 12-, and 18-month intervals.

Restrictions:

• Teaching and service responsibilities during the FYAP award period are not permitted; however, if a Seed Grant or other CRC grant has also been awarded, the awardee is expected to complete the respective projects as proposed, even if those award periods overlap.
• Co-PIs are not permitted.
• Proposals for support to write textbooks or to develop instructional materials will not be accepted; book subventions are not an allowable expense.

C. Eligibility

• Applicants for the FYAP grant must be in their first or second year at FSU, based on the academic calendar, in the position of full-time Assistant Professor (Job code 90039S or 9003AS); 'Visiting' Assistant Professors are not eligible until they have transitioned into a full-time, regular Assistant Professor appointment.
• Applicants must have completed all requirements of their terminal degree and be appointed to ‘active’ full-time employment status as of the grant period start date.
• A maximum of one FYAP grant will be awarded to eligible faculty members; awardees may not reapply in their second year if awarded in their first year.
• FAMU-appointed Engineering faculty members are eligible to apply for funding from the CRC.

D. Important Dates for the 2023 - 2024 Round

• FYAP Workshop: Friday, September 8, 2023
• Proposal Deadline: Thursday, October 26, 2023 @ 4:59 pm
• Award Notification: Mid February
• Award Period: May 6, 2024 – August 2, 2024 

E. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• It is strongly advised that FYAP applicants consult with their mentor and/or the CRC member in their area of work during the FYAP proposal writing process. Applicants are required to identify a mentor within the application.
• Only one proposal per applicant may be submitted per round.
• The proposal must be written in clear, concise language so that reviewers from any discipline will be able to understand; field-specific jargon and acronyms are discouraged unless they are plainly defined within the proposal text. TIP: Have a colleague or friend that is unfamiliar with your work read your proposal for clarity. The Research Development Coordinator for your area may also be able to assist with this.
• Proposals with incomplete information in required fields will not be able to submit until all required fields are completed; any required fields left incomplete will result in the proposal being disqualified from competition.

-- PROPOSAL APPLICATION --

Applicants must complete the application for the FYAP grant using the online submission portal. All sections must be completed to submit your application. If you would like to make changes to your application after you have submitted it, contact the Internal Funding Program Manager for CRC submissions. Changes cannot be made to an application once the submission deadline has passed.

-- CURRICULUM VITAE --

The CV Template provided by the CRC is the preferred format for internal funding competitions. 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, in Arial or Times New Roman font.

To view CV examples, please click on the subject area that is closest to your field of research: Arts, Engineering, Humanities, and STEM.

-- BUDGET --

This section must be completed by utilizing the portal application. The maximum award amount is $20,000. Use the tips below as a guide for your specific budget items:

• Typically, FYAP funding is applied as support toward the PI’s salary during their initial summer with FSU. The funds allocated to salary support will be disbursed over the award period through the bi-weekly pay cycle. Deductions and fringe benefits will be taken from the maximum award amount as they would in a typical paycheck. Twelve-month faculty members cannot apply for PI salary support. These faculty members can use the funding for student salary and other allowable research expenses.
• PIs may waive salary support and apply the award to other expense items such as salary support for a student, materials and supplies, and/or travel.
• Project-related travel is allowed; however, travel is restricted to necessary and direct support of the research conducted as part of the proposed work. Conference or workshop attendance for the purpose of presenting research or creative activities is not permitted. Any travel included in the proposal must be accompanied by a detailed description stating the dates and locations of the travel, transportation and lodging estimates, and justification for the necessity of the trip. If awarded, any travel plan alterations must receive prior approval by the CRC before the travel occurs.
• Funding for student travel is not permitted on CRC grants.
• Equipment purchases, including computers and computing equipment, are not allowed on this 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 a representative of the CRC.

-- PROPOSAL TEXT --

The Proposal Text cannot exceed 5 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. Review and complete the required sections within the Proposal Text template; explanations for each section are provided within the template and may be deleted prior to document submission.

F. Proposal Examples

• Examples of successful proposals are available on Research Development's Successful Proposal Database. Your FSU username and password will be required.
• Please note that some examples shown may include items that are no longer allowable under CRC Policies. Please contact the Internal Funding Program Manager for clarification or questions related to these proposals.

G. Research Compliance

• Research activities requiring compliance review and approvals (such as Human or Animal Subjects use, DNA/RNA use, Hazardous Materials, or Marine Lab facilities) require the completion and submission of forms to the appropriate FSU department or group. You must seek and receive approval before such research is attempted and before any funds can be released, if awarded. See Human Subjects, Animal Care and Use Committee, Environmental Health & Safety, or Research Compliance for other compliance requirements that may apply to your research or performance plan.
• You may pre-apply for Human Subjects or Animal use approval prior to funding notifications. While not required in advance, having prior approval will prevent delays in receiving grant funds, if awarded.
• If you have already received approval for proposal-related certifications, you may include the approval paperwork in the appendices of your proposal text.

H. Proposal Submission Process

• Applicants must complete the application for the FYAP grant using the online submission portal.  All sections must be completed to submit your application. If you would like to make changes to your application after you have submitted it, contact the Internal Funding Program Manager.
• Once the proposal is submitted, the selected Director(s)/Chair(s) and Dean(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.

I. Proposal Review Process

• The FYAP review subcommittee consists of selected faculty currently serving on the CRC.
• Reviewers will use the FYAP Reviewer Guidelines for scoring the proposal. 
• Each reviewer will provide written feedback, not just a numeric score, which will be shared with the PI. 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.

J. Required Post-Award Activities

• If awarded, any research compliance items must also be approved prior to award activation.
• All necessary forms must be received by Internal Funding Program Staff no later than 30 days following notice of award; failure to submit these documents in a timely manner may result in the withdrawal of the award.
• FYAP award recipients should plan to attend the 2024 FYAP Grants Workshop (September 2024). A poster showcasing the work accomplished during the FYAP award period will be required to be submitted, and the poster will be displayed at the FYAP Workshop Poster Session Reception. Failure to fulfill this requirement will render the PI ineligible for all future CRC funding as either a PI or Co-PI.

K. Award Terms & Conditions

• Faculty and their departments must adhere to the Terms and Conditions outlined and accepted in the award application. The Standard CRC Terms and Conditions of Award document can also be found in the program documents.

L. Grant Close-Out and Reporting

• Sponsored Research will begin financial closeout of the award will automatically within 60 days following the award period end date.
• Time extensions are permitted but require the prior approval of the CRC. Additional information can be found in the Standard CRC Terms and Conditions of Award document
• 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.

M. Return of Funds

• Recipients of a FYAP award, or their department, must notify the Internal Funding Program Manager as soon as possible if they also have been awarded similar funding from another source.
• In the event that a FYAP recipient leaves the University, involuntarily or voluntarily, prior to the end of the award period, the awardee’s Dean or Department Chair must notify the Internal Funding Program Manager and return the award funds to the CRC. Summer funding will not be awarded to faculty planning to leave the University immediately following the award period.
• The balance of any remaining award funds will be returned to the CRC general fund at the conclusion of the award period.