Unestablished Investigator Guidelines

Definition

An unestablished investigator is a faculty member who has not been a principal investigator on an external grant and/or who has received less than three years of GRC support, whichever comes first, and/or who has had less than five years of research experience after completion of formal training.

(A) Unestablished investigators in their first academic appointment may apply for a total of three years of GRC support. Awards to unestablished investigators will be based on a single GRC application that contains the goals of the entire project period. A priority score will be assigned to the project based on scientific merit; this score will be used to fund all three years of the project.

(B) Funding for the second and third years will be contingent upon submission of a new application that contains a progress description made toward the aims outlined in the original application. To be considered for the third year of GRC support, the investigator must submit, along with the Annual Progress Report, evidence of having submitted an application as principal investigator to an external national funding agency.

(C) Renewal applications from unestablished investigators that demonstrate satisfactory progress will have the highest priority for funding and will have funding allocated to them before allocation to new applications.

(D) If an investigator receives a two-year GRC grant as an unestablished investigator and, subsequently, receives an external award for a project unrelated to the GRC-supported project, the investigator will continue to be considered an unestablished investigator for the purposes of the second year of GRC support.

Guidelines for Financial Support

(A) The Grant Review Committee will consider only those applications requesting between $1,500 and $15,000. Requests of less than $1,500 should be presented first to the appropriate department chairman, and secondarily to the Associate Dean for Research. The Associate Dean for Research may refer such proposals to the GRC for review. Individuals excluded by GRC guidelines from submitting a GRC application can explore other research opportunities and options with the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs.

(B) Depending on the project, salaries for personnel can be considered an appropriate use of GRC funds. New personnel requests must be well justified. A request to expand an existing researcher position must explain why the research project cannot be accomplished without increased personnel time. GRC funds can be used to pay for graduate student stipends. The request for PI’s salary is not allowed under any circumstances.

(D) Requests for equipment must be limited to less than $2,500. Major items of equipment (i.e., those costing more than $2,500) are the responsibility of the department in conjunction with the central administration.

(E) Using GRC support for contractual services is an appropriate use of GRC funds. However, documentation must be provided to show that the requested service is more appropriate and less expensive relative to performing that work using SIUSM resources. Note that if funds are awarded, an appropriate prior contract or purchase order must be established with the vendor through Purchasing before committing for or incurring charges for services.

(F) GRC funds cannot be used to support travel expenses, publication costs, biomedical illustration costs, computer costs, or purchase of journals. Under some circumstances, funds may be requested for computer equipment and software. Such requests will be considered only if the computer is integral to conducting the study (e.g., data collection in which the computer is attached to a piece of equipment). Documentation of how the computer will be attached and how the software will be used must be provided.

(G) The GRC funds are not to be used to support "longterm" ongoing research.

(H) The funding period associated with the GRC mechanism cannot be extended. The entire award must be expended by June 30 of each fiscal year.