Division of Research

Division of Research
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Faculty Research Support Program (FRSP)

Major Research Initiatives Course Buy-Out

  1. Objective: Supports individuals that are members of a team of faculty who are working on the initiation and/or establishment of trans-disciplinary research initiatives with the purpose of seeking external funding for the initiative.

  2. Award Criteria & Terms:
    1. Award is only for the academic year.
    2. Award is limited to one-course buyout. As a team, there may be a request for more than one individual for a course buyout.
    3. Approval at the application stage will be required from Department Chair and Dean.
    4. Awardee(s) must submit an external grant application associated with the project being supported by the FRSP within 6 months of the end of the FRSP funding period. Failure to submit disqualifies the individual(s) from future FRSP funding for a period of 5 years.

  3. Application Deadlines: a. June 1 for Fall Semester support and October 1 for Spring Semester support.

  4. Proposal Package
    1. Internal Clearance Form: The FRSP Internal Clearance Form must be used.
    2. Resume(s): Attach resume(s) of the applicant(s).
    3. Title: Provide a project title that clearly represents the research topic.
    4. Project Narrative  [not to exceed 2 1/2 pages]:The Narrative must include the following identified sections:
      • Course Buy-Out : Name of faculty members requesting course buy-out.
      • Problem: Clearly state the research question or creative area to be explored. Specify the transdisciplinary nature of the research effort.
      • Methods: Discuss the research design, data collection methods, analysis, write-up, and dissemination of results.
      • Timeframe: Delineate the timeframe of the project.
      • Goals: Provide the short-term and long-term goals of the proposed project. Include plans for obtaining external sources of funding, and contribute to the university’s mission.

    Proposals that do not strictly adhere to all requirements will be returned without review. For all application types, pages must be letter size, 8.5x11 inches, Arial 11 point or Times New Roman 12 point, single-spaced with 1-inch margins.

    All proposals submitted for consideration must contain the components listed below under each award type, and must be in the specified order. All awardees MUST submit to the Division of Research a final report within 30 days of completion. Failure to submit a final report disqualifies the individual(s) from future FRSP funding for a period of 5 years.

  5. Application and Review Process
    Submit the complete proposal as a single pdf file to frawards@fiu.edu. The entire package must be received by the deadline specified for the specific type of proposal. Proposals will be declared ineligible if the guidelines are not followed or if all components of the proposal package are not received by the deadline

    Applications will be reviewed by peer faculty, with the VPR Advisory Research Council making funding recommendations to the VPR.

    For Bridge Funding: Funding determination will be made by the respective Dean and the Vice President for Research.

    Review Criteria
    • The FRSP scoring system for uses a 9-point scale. A score of 1 indicates an exceptionally strong application with essentially no weaknesses. A score of 9 indicates an application with serious and substantive weaknesses with very few strengths; 5 is considered an average score. Ratings are in whole numbers only (no decimal ratings).
    • The following three core review criteria will be used:
      • Significance: Does the project address an important problem or critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? For Seed Funds and Major Research Initiatives Course Buy-Out: How likely is it that external funding will be obtained?
      • Innovation: Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or creativity paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?
      • Approach: Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed?
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