INFORMATION and GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS
Annually the RISC Program at the
Background
The RISC Grant Program supports and encourages a variety of
undergraduate efforts in Research, Innovation, Scholarship, and
Creativity. Projects providing evidence
of innovative endeavors in any academic discipline will be considered. Proposals from students to initiate,
continue, or complete projects are eligible for funding. Potential for student development, learning
impact, achievement toward educational goals, project quality, and proposal
clarity will be essential factors in award decisions. Funding may be used to purchase goods or services, and to travel to and from the research locality regardless of where the site is located with proximity to USI. The RISC Research Grant Program does not fund meeting registration fees or travel to professional
meetings. A separate program (the RISC Travel Grant Program) is available for students to seek funds for travel to present their research efforts at professional meetings.
Procedures
RISC Grant Committee. The RISC Grant Committee will be chaired by a committee member selected by the Director or Associate director of the CTLE. Voting members of the committee will consist
of one representative from each College, a Representative from the Honors Council, the Director of Grants and Sponsored Research, an
at-large member, and a Chair (9 members total). The Dean from each School will choose a
member to serve on this committee and one alternate. The Provost will select the at-large member. The committee will be responsible for
reviewing proposals submitted for funding and recommending to the Provost which
proposals should be funded. Members of
the committee from each school and the at-large member will serve two-year
terms. The Chair (as selected by the CTLE Director or
Associate Director) and Director of Sponsored Research serve continuous terms.
Proposals. The policy guidelines, proposal
outline, and final report form are available from links within this page. When preparing a RISC Grant proposal, applicants must
follow the Proposal Outline, including the MS Excel budget form provided on the outline web page . If awarded,
projects involving human subjects must receive IRB approval before monies may
be awarded (http://www.usi.edu/sro/form.asp).
Deadlines and Decisions. There will be 3 calls for proposals; the first during the
Fall semester and the second and third during the Spring semester. One original proposal (with original
signatures) and eight (8) copies should be submitted to the Office of Grants
and Sponsored Research (WA 104K) on or before
Start-up. RISC Grant recipients must
work with the RISC Program Chair and the Accounting Office to establish the
necessary grant account and budget categories before the start of the funding
period. The RISC Program Chair will act
as fiscal agent.
Duration and Award Limitations. Proposals must include anticipated starting
and ending dates. In general, proposed projects
should start before the next proposal submission deadline and be completed
within one calendar year after the proposed starting date. When circumstances beyond the control of the
award recipient(s) make it impossible for a project to be completed within the
allotted time, an extension may be requested by submitting to the
Final Reports. Within one month after the proposed ending
date for a project, award recipients will submit a completed Final Report Form
to the RISC Grant Program Chair. The report should include a brief summary of the findings or outcomes of the research, and a budget sheet that shows how the funds were spent. Also,
award recipients will agree to present project results at the Annual RISC
Showcase. New proposals from a past
recipient will not be considered until a completed Final Report including
information on outcomes has been submitted for all projects in which the
applicant has been involved.
Publicity and Acknowledgments. The RISC Grant Committee may
publicize awards and results of projects. Recipients will acknowledge the RISC
Grant Program when a funded proposal leads to presentation or publication of a
paper, performance or exhibition of creative work.
Annual Review. Annually the Provost and Vice President for
Other Considerations
Conflicts of Interest. No committee member will be allowed to vote
on a proposal of which he or she is a sponsor.
Alternate Funding Sources. If
applicants have an alternate or related funding source, it should be identified
and the proposal should indicate whether the proposed project is contingent
upon the availability of funds from other sources. The RISC Grant Committee may
advise the applicant to seek alternate funding.
Financial Gains. Recipients must comply with
University policy regarding intellectual-property management.
Calls for Proposals. The CTLE will announce a call for proposals at the beginning of the Fall
term (end of the 6th week) , the beginning of the Spring term (end of the 4th week) and the first Friday in April for the summer terms, Unless otherwise specified,
proposal deadlines will be
- The following timelines are set for use of funds to purchase approved materials, procedures, equipment, etc.
- students who apply in the Fall granting session (Friday of the sixth (6th) week of the semester) have a maximum timeline up to March 15 of the following year to spend their funds;
- students applying in the Spring granting session (Friday of the fourth (4th) weekof the semester) can have a maximum timeline of up to June 15 of the same year;
- students applying in the summer granting session (First Friday in April) will have a maximum timeline up to October 15 of the same year to spend funds.
After each of the dates listed above, the accounts will be closed, and no further purchases will be allowed. unused funds will revert back to the RISC program
- All purchases using RISC Research Grant funds must be approved by the faculty mentor of the student. The mentor should contact the Committee chairperson and get the appropriate account number for the funding. A copy of the form must be sent to the RISC Committee chairperson in advance of the purchase using the budget appproval form. Copies of the RISC Research Grant Budgetary Approval form, for use after the grant has been approved, are available at the following link: http://www.usi.edu/ctle/RISC%20Program/BudgetApprovalForm.pdf. DO NOT USE THIS FORM AS THE BUDGET SHEET FOR A RISC RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSAL. The link for the MS Excel Budget form for Grant proposals is located on the following web page (Proposal Outline).
- Once the Budget Expense approval form has been signed by the faculty mentor, and the RISC committee chair, a copy of the approval form and copies of all receipts must be turned into the RISC Chair and the Provosts office. Any purchases not pre approved by the RISC Chair will not be covered by the grant, and become the responsibility of the purchaser.
- All unused materials and equipment purchased by the research grant revert to the students host department or College at the end of the project time allotted.
- Raw mateials (precious metals, paints, stone, ceramic materials) for artistic creations like sculptures, paintings, or jewlery are to be donated to the host department upon completion of the project. In addition, the completed project is to reside in the host department for a period of no less than 1 year. After that period, the artist may petition the host Department and Dean of the College for the release of the artistic creation. If no claim is made after the 5th year, the all ownership rights to the project are forfeited.
- Raw mateials (metals, paints, stone, ceramic materials, robotics, etc.) for engineering projects are to reside in the host department upon completion of the project. In addition, the completed project is to reside in the host department for a period determined by the department chairperson. Engineering majors should petition the host Department and/or Dean of the College for the release of their creation. If no claim is made after the 5th year, the all ownership rights to the project are forfeited.
NOTE: Information on the RISC Grant Program, RISC
Showcase, and