Office of Research Announces New Round of Multidiscipinary Research Seed Grants

A new round of multidisciplinary, multi-investigator grants will be awarded by the Old Dominion University Office of Research to nurture promising startup research projects of ODU faculty members and their collaborators.

Mohammad Karim, vice president for research, said his office plans to fund several research projects that must be conducted between January and June of next year. Maximum funding per project is $100,000, and previous awards during the four-year history of the program have averaged $80,000.

These seed grants support innovative multidisciplinary projects judged to have a good chance of becoming research initiatives that will attract external funding.

The deadline for proposals is Oct. 31, 2008.

Here are details:

One-Time Multidisciplinary Seed Funding for 2008-2009

In an effort to support and promote the growth of multidisciplinary, multi-investigator sponsored programs at Old Dominion University, the Office of Research invites members of ODU faculty to submit proposals detailing their ideas for such research. The work may begin as early as Jan. 1, and will need to be completed by June 30, 2009. The goal of this initiative is to provide seed funding for projects that (a) will involve areas relevant to institutional research priority; (b) are multidisciplinary and can produce immediate impact; and (c) build thematic teams with serious prospects to attract additional and new research dollars.

Those who have been funded by previous Office of Research multidisciplinary awards, may not serve as investigators on subsequent proposals; however, they may serve as unpaid consultants.

The proposal should consist of a narrative plan (not to exceed five pages) including:

a. Description of the multidisciplinary problem.

b. Targets that will be accomplished during this phase and subsequently

c. A statement as to how this project could help the proposing team attract new or additional research dollars

d. The target agency and program, or other funder. The rationale for choosing this funding mechanism for the proposed project. A justification of why it is appropriate to apply for intramural seed funding rather than apply to the target agency now.

e. Description of any interactions with the target agency or other funder to date, either through previously funded projects or discussions about the project at hand. Prior to discussing potential intellectual property with any company, please talk with Zohir Handy (zhandy@odu.edu).

f. How this project will bring together investigators from multiple units, departments, and/or centers and additional resources.

g. A time line for this seed project to be completed by June 30, 2009.

h. A tentative six-month budget that does not exceed $100,000. Include budget justifications. Principal investigators are encouraged to discuss the budget with chairs and deans. If department and/or college will provide some support, this should be stated.

i. If the proposed project includes a collaboration with any institution other than ODU, the project team must consult Zohir Handy (zhandy@odu.edu) in order to develop an intellectual property agreement. A copy of this agreement should be included in the proposal if possible. The agreement must be in place prior to beginning the project.

The proposal is due by no later than 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. Please send an electronic version of the proposal to mkarim@odu.edu or kferguso@odu.edu. The Office of Research may ask for additional information as well as seek budget adjustments before making final decisions by Nov. 30, 2008. For more information, call 683-3148.