Faculty Summer Research Grant Program

Deadline Reminder

College Dean must approve and submit the proposal by the following RSP deadline: 

  • Fall 2023: November 6 before 5 PM PST

Suggested Timeline

We suggest that application materials are sent to....    *

  • Department Chairs: 2 weeks before RSP deadline 
  • College Deans: 1 week before RSP Deadline

 

*Be sure to check if your department/college has set specific internal deadlines!

Call for Proposals

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Faculty Summer Research and Creative Activities Grants Program provides faculty $7,000 in summer salary to engage in projects with potential to result significantly advance their professional development and field of research, scholarly or creative work. Applications are reviewed by the Faculty Summer Research and Creative Activities Grants Committee, which makes funding recommendations to the Vice Provost for Research.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

ELIGIBILITY: Who can apply?

Eligible applicants are those who are employed full-time by Western Washington University (WWU) for the current academic year and have a contract (or formal agreement of full employment with the university) for the academic year. The following exceptions apply:

  • Faculty who received a Summer Research Grant last year are not eligible
  • Faculty members in their first year are not eligible because the university offers summer support to first year faculty

In addition:

  • Faculty members may not hold a Summer Teaching Grant and a Summer Research and Creative Opportunities Grant concurrently.
  • All summer appointments combined may not exceed 100% effort.
  • Priority will be given to tenured and tenure-track faculty members and to faculty who have not held an award in the previous two-year period. 

Funding Information 

  • All summer appointments combined may not exceed 100% effort.
  • Funding is for faculty salary only.
  • Faculty may apply in teams to support a single project, but must indicate how the award will be shared.
  • The RSP Office will initiate personnel action (PA) forms in the spring.

Proposal Requirements

1. The proposal should be a maximum of 5 pages as follows: 

  • Proposal narrative adhering to the narrative content guidelines not to exceed 3 pages 
  • Current curriculum vita not to exceed 2 pages

2. Proposals must use the provided template and be attached to the eSign application form in a pdf format 

3. The eSign application form must include an assessment from the Department Chair 

Note: Incomplete applications, applications that do not use the required proposal template, and those received after the deadline for submission will not be considered for review.  

Narrative Content Guidelines

Please be sure to write your narrative for an audience of colleagues who are not in your discipline. Do not assume that reviewers are familiar with the details of your scholarly work. Explain methods or techniques that are specific to your field and may not be clear to someone from another field. Avoid technical jargon and offer sufficient background information to assist the reviewer to understand the merit of your proposal. Ensure that figures, charts, or other graphics are readable and fit within the 3-page narrative limit.

Note: Faculty applying in teams to support a single project must use the header box in the required template to indicate which collaborators will share in the award.

 

Use the following headings, included in the template, to address key merit criteria within the project narrative (not to exceed 3 pages):
Introduction:

Briefly summarize how funding will significantly advance your professional development and field of research, scholarly or creative work (3-4 sentences).

Background:

Your application will be evaluated based on the clarity, completeness, and strength with which you describe the following:

  • Statement of need/problem/context for the proposed activity
  • The potential for impact on the field, scholarly and/or creative merit
  • Opportunity for advancing your professional scholarship
  • Impact on the discipline/students/community that is the focus of your work
  • An appropriately scaled dissemination plan

Subheadings pointing to these merit criteria are strongly encouraged. They support the review committee to navigate and evaluate your proposal.

Deliverables and Timeline:

Your proposal will also be evaluated based on the clarity and feasibility of the timeline and endpoints. What are the proposed deliverables for the project (publication, performance, display, ability to seek additional funding, etc.)?  What specific activities and tasks will be completed to ensure those deliverables are met?

Provide enough information so that the committee can evaluate the feasibility of accomplishing the scope of the project over the course of the summer. In addition:

  • If the award would immediately follow or precede professional leave, clarify what will be accomplished during the summer as distinct from the project undertaken or to be undertaken during the professional leave.
  • If previously awarded a Summer Research and Creative Opportunities Grant, use this section to acknowledge the previous funding and explain how prior outcomes are related to this proposal or not.
  • Use this section to indicate whether the activity can be accomplished during the summer and, if not, describe what other support is available to sustain the continuation of the work over the necessary timeframe.
Bibliography:

Include a bibliography within the 3-page limit, if appropriate

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

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Helpful Tip!

The proposal template MUST be downloaded, completed, and attached to your application eSign form as a PDF file to be considered for funding. 

For best functionality, open template in the desktop Word application.

*Template updated 8/2023

Questions?

APPLICANT

Using the required proposal template submit all required components as one pdf file attached to the Faculty Summer Research Grant application (eSign Form) and submit to your department chair. 

Please give yourself, your department chair, and college dean plenty of time for this process

DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

Department Chairs should review the application, enter their written comments on the eSign form, and forward their approvals to their College Dean.

DEANS (SUBMISSION DEADLINE)

In the esign form, College Deans should review the materials and submit the proposal by approving the application to rsp.internalgrants@wwu.edu.

 

Deadline for Deans to Submit to RSP

Fall 2023 Deadline: November 6 before 5PM PST

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applications that do not use the required template or are received without approval from a Department Chair and College Dean or materials time stamped after the deadline for submission to RSP will not be considered for funding.

NOTIFICATION 

Faculty will be notified of award decisions on or before December 15, 2023. 

REVIEW PROCESS

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EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

Summer Research and Creative Opportunities Grants are awarded for research, scholarly or artistic/creative endeavors, but not for the development of curricular materials. A multi-disciplinary committee of the RCA Council evaluates proposals and makes recommendations to the Vice Provost for Research based on the Chair’s assessment and the following merit criteria:

  • Clarity, completeness, and strength of statement of need/problem/creative activity
  • Opportunity for advancing professional scholarship of the faculty member
  • Significance of the project to the applicant’s educational goals
  • Scholarly and/or creative merit benefiting the field
  • Likely impact on discipline/students/community
  • Suitability/feasibility of the proposed methods, staffing and timeline
  • Clarity and feasibility of the dissemination plan and endpoints (publication, performance display, ability to seek external funding, etc.)
  • Feasibility within the proposed timeframe and funding available
  • The committee is also concerned with the equitable distribution of awards across colleges