University of St. Thomas

Research Grants

Research grants for scholarship are intended to support the scholarly work of all full-time, returning faculty as they advance their professional careers.  Funds can be used for course release, for expenses to travel to research sites, attend a conference or workshop, and/or purchase supplies, but not capital equipment, defined as equipment costing more than $3,000. Three levels of support can be requested for a project (see further description below under Awards).

Pre-tenure faculty may be supported a maximum of twice during the pre- tenure period, without intervening application for external funding.  These applications would typically be funded at Level 1 (up to $4300 for one semester); requests for higher levels of funding should be well justified because of the potential negative effect of the number of course releases on tenure. Pre-tenure faculty may not apply for Level 3 funding.  Faculty applying for a second pre-tenure award must file a final report showing evidence of successful completion of the prior project before reapplying

Research grants awarded to tenured faculty are designed to support faculty engagement in continuation of their current scholarly work, in new directions in their scholarship, or for large, multi-year projects. The support requested for this award must be justified by the scope and merit of the project and may vary from Level 1 to Level 3.  These awards may not be used in conjunction with sabbatical leave and are limited to once every six years. Post -tenure faculty who have already received a research grant (RAG. MAXI, RG) must show evidence of having sought external funding before applying for another research grant.
Clinical faculty may apply for any level of support, in consultation with their department Chair or Dean.

Deadline.  Proposals must be submitted by 4 p.m. February 1, for support the following academic year(s) or summer.  Funds are not available until July 1.

Awards.  There are three levels of support for scholarship:

• Level 1: up to $4,300 in any one semester (e.g., completing a manuscript for publication; analysis of data leading to presentation at a professional conference)
• Level 2: up to $8,600 in one semester or over a year (e.g., for larger-scale projects, such as several book chapters, or multiple manuscripts resulting from analysis of data)
• Level 3: up to $12,900, three course releases over two years (for advanced scholars, who have not yet achieved the national reputation of a University Scholar, but have established a significant track record of publishing)

The basic amount, $4,300, represents the cost of a replacement adjunct for one course release.  Applicants should negotiate with their department chairs and dean to determine whether to apply for an expense award or course release, or a combination of the two, and the level of the request.  All applicants need to carefully justify how much they request.  The expense award is cash awarded to the applicant to pay for travel, supplies, or other materials related to the project.  The applicant should keep receipts in order to claim business expenses on their tax return and avoid paying taxes on the expense award.

Application Process.  The RG application must be filled out completely, including a narrative that addresses all of the criteria for evaluation of the grant proposal, a timetable for the project, bibliography, and curriculum vitae in the required format.  Applicants for this grant must demonstrate how the proposed activities will enhance their own scholarly development.  In addition, they must carefully justify the level of support for the requested funds.  Applicants must also include a letter of support from their current Chair or Dean.  The application deadline is 4 p.m. February 1; complete applications should be e-mailed as one Word or pdf format to pmalexander@stthomas.edu. * Feedback only guaranteed if submitted by January 1st which is one month before the deadline.

Selection Criteria.  Proposals should be written in jargon-free language appropriate for a non-technical reviewer and will be judged on the basis of the quality of the narrative and the applicant’s ability to convincingly justify the requested level of support.  Applications from current recipients of an FD or other grant for the same project will not be considered.