The Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kennesaw State University
offers the Research Partnerships Program (RPP) to foster collaborative research endeavors
among its faculty. This initiative aims to cultivate robust partnerships that can
be leveraged for external funding opportunities. Eligible applicants include full-time
tenured or tenure-track faculty within the Radow College, with a preference for assistant
and associate professors. The program provides funding to support research activities
that align with the college's mission and strategic priorities. Recipients are expected
to develop a project for grant or foundation submission within one year of the funding's
conclusion.
Highlights
Eligibility: Radow College full-time tenure or tenure-track faculty
Funding: Up to $10,000
Focus: Promote research partnerships whose aim is to secure extramural funding
Application: Proposals accepted from September 1, 2024 – November 1, 2024. Submit applications via the InfoReady @ KSU portal.
Program Purpose
The Radow College Research Partnerships Program (RPP) is intended to support the development of relationships that have the promise to produce a robust research program. Building research partnerships often requires significant investment. It can take time to identity partnership opportunities. And it can take resources to establish the infrastructure needed to grow a relationship. The fund is designed to support faculty efforts to build these teams.
Fundable partnerships can take many forms. The previous iteration of this program focused on Research-Practitioner Partnerships – the goal of which is to leverage and integrate expertise possessed both by researchers and by practitioners (e.g., consulting relationships, training partnership, or focused research projects). Partners can include practitioners in public, nonprofit, or private agencies. We still encourage partnerships of this nature.
We expanded the scope of fundable projects to include the cultivation of cross-institutional faculty partnerships. We will entertain proposals whose aim is to identify promising new relationships by supporting early-stage meetings between research teams at different institutions. Proposals that seek to create interdisciplinary projects/teams will be looked on with particular favor.
The program invites proposals on a range of topics. However, in line with this year’s emphasis on mental health awareness, research proposals that engage the topic are eligible for additional funding beyond
the above noted funding caps. Proposals that seek the additional level of funding must make a clear and compelling case for how the project addresses mental health wellness/mental health awareness and the value-added of the increased funding requested.
A Radow College RPP grant is not an end in itself. The goal of the program is to cultivate
and support robust relationships that can be leveraged for extramural funding. As
such, recipients commit to developing a project for grant or foundation submission within 1 year of the funding’s conclusion.
Eligibility
An RPP team must include at least one (1) Radow College-based tenured or tenure-track
faculty member, with preference given to assistant and associate professors.
Only Radow College faculty can benefit directly from program award (e.g., travel or
salary support).
There is a limit of one (1) award per faculty member per fiscal year.
Allowable Expenses And Limitations
Awardees must submit a written plan for encumbering/spending funds to RCHSSresearch@kennesaw.edu within 14 days of a funding decision. Failure to submit a spending calendar within the 14-day window risks having the funds reclaimed by the college.
Funds can be used for equipment, materials, and technology purchases essential to
the project.
Funds can be used to hire a Graduate Assistant to support research efforts.
Funds can be used for June compensation. The award will be inclusive of fringes (23%)
and is subject to 33 1/3% summer compensation limit.
Funds cannot be used for faculty salaries or to secure course reassignments during
fall or spring semesters.
NOTE: All award funds must be expensed during the fiscal year and must observe Radow College year-end purchasing deadlines.
Application Procedure
The Research Partnerships Grant program is using the InfoReady @ KSU portal for all submissions. The application should be composed in an MS-Word compatible format using 12-point fonts and 1” margins. Text shall be double-spaced. Each Roman-numerated section should begin on a new page. Proposals that do not meet the formatting expectations are subject to being returned
unreviewed.
I. Cover Page: Title of the project, the names of partners, and institutional affiliations (with
full addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses).
II. Abstract (250 words max): Describe the primary objectives of the project, the significance of the project,
and key deliverables.
III. Project Narrative (2 pages max): The narrative should include the following in clearly identifiable sections.
Background Statement: What is the project or research question? Why is it significant?
Include a brief statement on current approaches to the topic, identify existing challenges
or limitations of the current approaches, and explain how the proposed partnership
addresses those challenges.
Statement of Objectives: How do you expect to leverage the researcher-practitioner
partnership to execute the project? What are the expected deliverables? Avoiding unnecessary
jargon, explain your approach and anticipated outputs/results.
Plan of Work: What is the project timeline? Provide a plan for meeting objectives,
with an explanation of procedures, activities, risks, timeline, and milestones. If
appropriate, explain the plan for human/animal use and safety. Identify the contribution
of each partner and provide a clear plan of collaboration.
IV. Plans for Obtaining External Funding (1 page max): What are your follow-on plans? Please provide the following: 1) The name and URLs
for agency/foundation you plan to approach, 2) an estimate of the funding to be requested
from the entity, 3) an indication of any interactions you have already had with these
entities, and 4) applicable submission deadlines. If considering multiple funding
agencies, please provide above information for each.
V. Selected Bibliography (1 page max)
VI. Budget with Justification (1 page max)
VII. CV or Biographical Sketch(es) (2 pages max): Each RP participant should provide a current CV or biographical sketch. Faculty
applicants are encouraged to follow NSF or NIH format.
VIII. Statement on Human Subjects: All research involving human subjects must have IRB approval. Though a proposal
that has not yet undergone IRB review will be considered for funding, no funds can
be disbursed until the project is approved.
NOTE: Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis and awards offered until the available
funding has been exhausted.
Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of: project feasibility; intellectual merit; clarity of objectives, methods, and anticipated results; reasonableness of costs; qualifications of personnel, including familiarity with the relevant literature, data, and methods to be used; as well as demonstrated organizational capacity for – and commitment to – the success of the researcher-practitioner partnership. Special attention will be given to the potential for outputs to serve as the foundation for a larger-scale, externally funded project.
Award Expectations
Funded investigators commit to submitting an End of Year Report (see below).
Funded investigators agree to notify the Associate Dean of Research of project deliverables
and to provide copies of articles, chapters, or other scholarly outputs supported
by the award, including any publicity materials, press clippings, or reviews.
Funded investigators agree to have research summarized in a Radow College publication,
if requested.
Funded investigators agree to participate in follow-on activities such as present
their research at a seminar, workshop, or other event and/or serving as a reviewer,
if requested.
Funded investigators commit to acknowledge Radow College support in any papers and
publication ensuing from the research.
Reporting Requirements
An End of Year Report is due by June 30, 2025.
The report should be completed using the template distributed through InfoReady.
The report shall include proof of proposal submission to an extramural funding agency. If the investigator has not submitted a grant proposal by the report date, the investigator should provide a clear timeline for submission.
A project cannot be “closed” until the report has been received. An investigator with an “open” project is not eligible for additional Radow College research funding.
Evaluation Rubric
The Radow College grant application scoring system uses the NSF’s 5-point scale. The entire scale should be considered for each criterion. The Summary Assessment should reflect the reviewer’s overall evaluation of the proposal (i.e., not a numerical average of individual criterion scores). A score of “3” represents a “good” application.
CRITERIA
DESCRIPTION
Aims & Objectives
Aims and objectives are clearly presented and can be met.
Background
Demonstrates knowledge of existing research/approaches.
Significance
Potential to make a significant impact on area of study.
Approach
Methods/procedures/process are clearly explained & appropriate.
Timeline
Research plan is clearly stated and achievable.
Funding Potential
Strong potential for project to secure future outside funding.
Budget
Budget is complete, well justified, & appropriate.
Summary Assessment
Overall (holistic) assessment of proposal quality.
Comments: Identify key strengths and highlight areas that need strengthening. Offer recommendations for how to address shortcomings.