The Senate Scholarly Activities Committee, elected by the University Senate, awards grants based on the merits of the proposal, the merits of the project, and the availability of funds. This application form is to be used to request Research/Creative Activity Grants only; other SSAC forms are available to request travel and publication funding.

• Program Objective - The SSAC awards grants to faculty and staff in order to encourage research and creative activity at the University. The grants provide funds to new faculty members to initiate a research or creative activity program and to established faculty to enter new lines of research/creative activity or to complete existing projects. The SSAC anticipates that many SSAC grants will lead to the development of projects that will ultimately be funded by external agencies.
• Limitations - The University allocates funds to the Committee on an annual basis for awards to applicants. These funds are derived from indirect cost monies received by the University through externally supported research programs and projects.

Continuous support will not be provided for a specific project or for any one faculty member.

Awards may range from a few hundred dollars up to $2,500. Awards in the upper range are only made in sufficiently justified circumstances.

The Committee will not consider more than one research/creative activity application from an individual at any one meeting; however, such grants may be requested concurrent with an SSAC travel or publication grant.

An individual will not be allowed to hold more than one active SSAC research/creative activity grant at any given time.

Final reports for completed previous SSAC research/creative activity grants must be on file with the SSAC before new proposals will be considered for funding.

Projects to improve a faculty member's teaching will not be considered by the SSAC. Support for such projects should be requested from the Office of Instructional Development.

The SSAC will consider projects that request funds to:

• Conduct both pure and applied research.
• Support writing projects.
• Support other creative and scholarly endeavors (e.g. performances, art projects, exhibitions, compositions).

All costs normally incurred in the conduct of the research or creative activity (i.e., equipment, consumable supplies, travel to sources, technical assistance, stenographic assistance, etc.) are eligible budget items. Travel costs which are essential to the conduct of the project may be requested (such as travel to collect specimens at remote sites, travel to confer with collaborators, travel to conduct experiments at remote labs, etc.). Travel to present papers or attend conferences is not allowable under this program. Equipment requests must include cost estimates, justification, and be clearly tied to the research question or creative activity.

The budget must be fully itemized and consistent with the scope of the project. Any personnel costs should reflect the rate of payment (i.e., hourly, monthly, per page, etc.), as well as the total, and the recipient should be identified by function and by name, if possible.

• Salary support for thesis or dissertation research of graduate students or any other support for thesis or dissertation research of graduate students apart from the creative activity proposed by the faculty member as Principal Investigator. For those activities that will be used toward a thesis or dissertation, an explanation of the relationship of the proposed work to the Principal Investigator's research/creative activity must be included.
• Travel to professional or other meetings (complete SSAC travel application form).
• Publication costs such as page charges or subsidies to publishers of books (complete SSAC publication application form).
• Salary of the Principal Investigator.

The Committee will consider the following factors in reviewing your application:

• Technical merit of project.
• Academic rank of applicant (preference is given to junior rank).
• Number of SSAC research/creative activity awards received by applicant during past five years.
• Positive outcomes of previous SSAC research/creative activity awards (presentations, proposals to external funding agencies, publications, performances, etc.).
• Potential for future external funding, if applicable.
• Departmental/college contributions to the project.

Proposal Requirements

The proposal should be written with a multidisciplinary readership in mind. Avoid technical jargon and undefined abbreviations. All sections of the application for SSAC research/creative activity grants should be completed carefully and fully in the space provided. Exceeding the space limitations will result in rejection of your proposal. The proposed research plan should be explained in detail but with a minimum of technical jargon. Proposals requesting monies near the allowable limit ($2,500) should demonstrate a clear link between the proposed research and future attempts to obtain external funding, if applicable. An abbreviated vita may be included with the proposal. Letters of support from the departmental chair and/or dean of the college may also be included. Please number the pages in your proposal.

The original application should be submitted to the SSAC prior to the published deadline, and an electronic copy to julie.solheim@research.UND.edu. Where appropriate, supplemental pages may be appended, but no more than three additional pages are allowed.

All proposals must be signed by the applicant, the Department Chairperson, and the College Dean.

Deadlines

Application deadlines are set by the SSAC each year. Generally, there are several competitions. Deadlines are announced on the SSAC homepage. 

Note: Completed applications must be submitted to Research Development & Compliance (RD&C) by 4:30 p.m. on the specified deadline.

Any project which proposes to use human subjects or animals in research must be approved by the appropriate University committee before research is initiated. Faculty/staff who use recombinant DNA, radiation, or other biohazards in their research must also have approval from the appropriate committee; however, that approval is given to the investigator and is not generally required for each individual project.

Involvement of UND Committees

• Human Subjects: Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• Animals in Research: Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC)
• Recombinant DNA: Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
• Hazardous Materials: Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
• Radiation: Radiation Safety and Hazardous Materials

While faculty may obtain these reviews after a project has been approved for funding by the Senate Scholarly Activities Committee, it is recommended that the reviews and approvals be sought either prior to or at the time the application is submitted to the Committee. This will avoid delays in beginning the research and establishing a grant account. The research may not be initiated until these approvals have been received. Copies of the approvals should be submitted to the SSAC. Information on submitting a project for the necessary reviews may be obtained from RD&C.

Committee Action

Applications received by the deadline will be reviewed and acted upon by the SSAC at its first scheduled meeting after a given deadline. Applications may be:

• Approved
• Approved contingent on modifications
• Rejected
• Deferred for future action

Faculty will receive a letter from the Chairperson soon after the Committee's deliberations, indicating the decision of the SSAC. In cases of approval with modification, rejection or deferral, the letter will indicate the reasons for the Committee's action and any additional information required to complete action on the application. For those projects approved by the Committee, a Notification of Award specifying the amount and duration of the award will accompany the letter. A copy of the award letter will be sent to the chair of the department and the dean of the college.

Grant Period

Awards are made for periods of up to one year but are generally for shorter time periods. The exact dates will be specified on the Notice of Award. Unexpended funds from individual grants will revert to the Senate Scholarly Activities Committee account unless a written request for an extension and justification (with a current financial report) is submitted and authorized by the SSAC at least one month prior to the termination date.

Faculty desiring a time extension should file a request with the SSAC. The letter should specify the requested new termination date and a current financial report should be appended. In no instance will an extension be permitted for more than one year beyond the original termination date.

Deviations from Approved Budget

Because the funds available to the Senate Scholarly Activities Committee are limited, any over-expenditure of SSAC accounts will be the responsibility of the awardee. In unusual circumstances and with the prior approval of the Committee, arrangements may be made to cover unanticipated expenses.

Research/creative activity awards may be used only for the purposes indicated in the approved application, and may not be diverted to other types of research/creative activity expenses.

In general, awards are made for a specific project and the scope of work described. If, in unusual circumstances, there is a surplus of money, use of awards funds for purposes outside of those listed in the approved budget can only occur after approval of a formal request for budgetary revision. Requests for budgetary revisions must be accepted by the Chair of full committee of the SSAC.

Final Reports

All persons receiving research/creative activity grants are required to submit final reports, including a financial statement, at the termination of the grant. Subsequent applications will not be considered from anyone who has had a previous grant unless the final report, including a current financial statement, has been submitted. Final reports are due one month following the termination date. The termination date is defined as the earlier of the date all awarded funds are expended or the end of the performance period specified in the grant application