Funding Opportunities ~ Internal Support

The University of Mississippi, through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, offers four internal programs of support for faculty and staff involved in research and research administration:

Faculty Research Program

The primary purpose of the Faculty Research Program (FRP) is to provide initial support for projects that will be of interest to external funding agencies. The program may also support projects that are in areas where external funding is presently unavailable or very limited, or are of a “high risk” nature that might be less competitive when compared with more mainstream proposals in an external agency review. Examples of high-priority FRP projects include:

• Conducting a well-defined research project, act of scholarship, or creative activity.
• Collecting preliminary data for future proposals to external sponsors.
• “Seeding” a multi-investigator research collaboration.
• Release time for the development of a proposal to an external sponsor.

Priority will be given to beginning tenure track faculty who are establishing their programs, followed by more advanced scholars and researchers who are changing areas of study. Faculty who have received previous FRP support will be given lower priority for FRP funding. Faculty who received an FRP grant in either of the last two competitions are not eligible.

FRP proposals are accepted and reviewed annually, with an application deadline in the fall semester of each academic year.

Faculty Travel Support

The primary purpose of Faculty Travel Support is to provide funds for UM faculty members to take part in development activities that will lead to new or extended research, scholarly or creative work.

Highest priority for awards is given to junior faculty members (below Associate Professor rank).

For senior faculty, supplemental funds may be available in exceptional cases when the travel is also supported by other institutional sources.

Two primary types of activity are supported:

1. Individual Visits: Visit funding agencies, academic institutions, regional or national facilities, research collections, libraries, or sites ~ may include proposal development, setting up new collaborations, learning about funding opportunities, examining original sources or material evidence, collecting documentation, conducting interviews or surveys, utilizing or evaluating special collections, or other scholarly or creative activities.
2. Organized Events: Attend organized seminars, workshops, meetings, conferences, or other group activities aimed at professional development, training, or continuing education ~ may include networking with potential collaborators, project/proposal development with other attendees, discussions with funding agency officials, learning a new technique or application, consulting with expert advisors on a new method or approach, or other professional or project development activities.

Applications are due in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs by 5:00 p.m. on the 15th of each month (see guidelines for deadline details).

NOTE: Only one international trip per faculty member per fiscal year (travel beginning between July 1 and June 30) will be eligible for funding from the Faculty Travel Support Program.

Project Coordinator Travel Support

The objective of the Project Coordinator Travel Support Program is to enable university personnel functioning in a project coordinator-type role to attend a conference or training workshop related to the management of contracts and grants. This support is provided to offer program personnel an opportunity to advance skills required for the effective management of externally funded programs.

One Project Coordinator Travel Support Grant will be awarded for each of two annual competitions (see guidelines for deadline details). Applicants must be employed in a position involved in the coordination and management of at least one currently active sponsored program, and the conference or workshop must be related to the employee’s grants management responsibilities. High priority will be given to those in academic departments with insufficient travel funds.

Interdisciplinary Working Group Development

Through the Interdisciplinary Working Group Development Program, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs provides initial support for the formation of working groups composed of faculty and researchers from different disciplines that share common interests and expertise. By supporting the development of interdisciplinary working groups, the ORSP hopes to draw on strengths within unique areas of UM faculty to promote cross-discipline research.

The initial RFP for this program was issued in February 2005, and 17 proposals were received at the April 11, 2005 deadline. Five groups were selected for funding (up to $10,000/year for one or two years). For a complete listing of selected groups, investigators, and focus areas, see the May 2005 issue of the ORSP Research Highlights online newsletter.