University of Pennsylvania

University Research Foundation Guidelines

(Revised January 2008)

March 20/October 31

1.       Application

2.       Budget

Statement of Purpose and Guidelines

The University Research Foundation (URF) is an intramural resource to support research for faculty for a variety of purposes, including:

• Helping junior faculty undertake pilot projects that will enable them to successfully apply for extramural sources of funding, and aid in establishing their careers as independent investigators.
• Helping established faculty perform exploratory research, particularly on novel or pioneering ideas, to determine their feasibility and develop preliminary data to support extramural applications.
• Providing support in disciplines where extramural support is difficult to obtain and where significant research can be facilitated with internal funding.
• Providing limited institutional matching funds that are awarded contingent upon a successful external peer-reviewed application that requires an institutional match.

Conference Support Guidelines are at the end of this document.

Guidelines:

Disciplines .  The URF supports research in all disciplines.  For purposes of review, applications are assigned to four broad disciplinary areas: Biomedical Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Engineering, and Social Science and Management.

Grant Term . 1 year only . Unexpended funds must be returned. A no cost extension must be approved by the Vice Provost for Research. Request for a no cost extension should be made prior to the expiration of an award. The formal extension form is available on the website or by emailing vprgrant@pobox.upenn.edu.

Budget. Applications up to $50,000 will be considered. Salary support for Faculty is not allowable.

Eligibility. Eligibility is limited to University faculty, in any track, at any professorial level. Instructors and Research Associates may apply but need to establish (by letter from the Department chair) that the applicant will receive an appointment as an Assistant Professor by the time of the award.

Renewals. Applications for renewal of a previously funded project may be submitted but receive low priority.

Resubmission. Applications previously not funded must be revised, changes should be clearly indicated.

Instructions:

• Total application should be no longer than 10 pages. This includes the cover page, research proposal, abstract, biosketch, research support, references, and budget.
• Research proposal should be no longer than 5 pages and include: background, hypothesis/purpose, methods used, work to be undertaken, and outlook for future (continued research and external funding).
• Use 11 pt or 12 pt font, Times New Roman or Arial and 0.5 inch margins.

Submission

Please send the application as follows:

Every effort will be made to process applications and notify applicants of the outcome within 10 weeks after the deadlines.

Review Process

Applications are reviewed by one of four faculty review panels, Biomedical Sciences, Humanities, Natural Science and Engineering, and Social Science and Management. Funding is spread equitably across the major disciplines. Each application is reviewed for a variety of attributes, including

• scholarly merit, creativity and innovation
• significance of the research
• feasibility
• time-limited opportunities that require immediate funding
• prospects for future extramural funding
• matching support from other sources
• availability of alternate funding sources
• career development
• evidence that junior applicants will be working as independent investigators
• advancement of school or institutional objectives, such as interdisciplinary research

Critiques of applications will not be provided for unsuccessful applications. Please do not contact the faculty on the review panel.

If awarded :

• Regulatory approvals must be obtained before funds are transferred to the department.
• The home department must have a 26-digit budget code.
• A downloaded final report and expenditure report are due within one year of the date awarded.
  
  

University Research Foundation
Conference Support Guidelines

March 14/October 31

Forms to be Submitted:

1. Application

2. Budget

The conference support program is designed for scholarly meetings that will be convened on the Penn campus, thereby providing enrichment opportunities to interested faculty, students, and staff, most frequently in the format of a 1-2 day colloquium. The intent is to support meetings that are designed to enhance existing research and scholarly programs, particularly in disciplines where external funding is difficult to obtain. High priority will be given to inter- or cross-disciplinary conferences that include faculty from more than one School

Budget:

• Applications up to $3,000 per event will be considered.
• Grant term 1 year.
• To be used for speakers, travel, and accommodations. Not to be used for meals and entertainment.
• Evidence of matching support required.

Instructions:

• Application available above.
• Application must be no longer than 3 pages (Use 11pt or 12pt font in Times New Roman or Arial and 0.5 inch margins) (this does not include the Appendix). The following should be included:
• Purpose of meeting
• Conference benefit to Penn students and faculty
• Conference benefit to scholarly or research programs at Penn
• Number of Penn students and faculty expected to attend
• Relationship of the meeting to department, institute or center programs
• Names of faculty organizing the meeting
• Business administrator responsible for administration of funds (Include contact info)
• Matching funds from institutional or external sources
• Institutional support (no cost facilities and av support)
• The appendix should include the program agenda and list of presenters.

Submission

Submission. Please send application as follows:

• Email a complete PDF including signed coversheet, application, budget, and letter of support if applicable to vprgrant@pobox.upenn.edu.
• The name of the PDF must be the last name of the principal investigator.
• Must be received on or before 5:00pm on due date.

Review Process
Applications for the Conference Support Program are processed in the same cycles, and will be reviewed by the same faculty committees that are used for URF research applications.

If awarded :

• The home department must have a 26-digit budget code.
• A downloaded final report and expenditure report are due within one year of the date awarded.

If Questions Please Contact:

Lindsay Brown
215-746-6821
vprgrant@pobox.upenn.edu
Provost Administrative Affairs
3401 Walnut St. Suite 353B