URB provides grant support for innovative research activities. Grants are competitively awarded to support individual or group research projects and are administered by the Office of Grants and Contracts.
A URB Grant can not exceed $10,000 in annual funding. Awards may be lower than requested based on funding availability, expenditure eligibility and/or timeline. If a group application includes scholars from outside of AUB, the URB funds can only be used to support AUB faculty members’ research.
1. Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility for Faculty Research Grants
2. Classification of Faculty Research Grants
3. Limitations on URB Research Grant Funding
4. Elements of the Research Proposal and Grant Renewals
5. Procedures for Applicants
6. Role of Faculty Research Committees
7. Role of the URB Committee
8. Deadlines
9. URB Grant Management and Oversight
Faculty members are encouraged to supplement URB funding with additional funding from other sources. A single project cannot be funded by two sources (internal or external) unless stated and justified. Special emphasis could be given to the development of new research ideas (in which case, the grant may be viewed as support for a pilot study to allow submission to external funding sources) and to activities that may positively affect the development and growth of the applicant(s), department, faculty and/or University. URB funding may also be awarded to help faculty members supplement funding (i.e. gap funding) for an on-going project, as well as for projects involving new technology development that are close to commercialization (i.e. close to proof of concept).
1. Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility for Faculty Research Grants
URB grant funding is restricted to faculty members of professorial rank. Priority is given to junior faculty submitting quality research proposals. Junior faculty members are identified as assistant professors within 5 years of their initial appointment at AUB or associate professors within the first two years of their initial appointment at AUB. The URB does not award grants to visiting professors or faculty members who are in their terminal year at the University or who are on one-year contracts. Faculty members who will be on leave for more than one semester during the grant award period will not be eligible for URB funding in that cycle.
2. Classification of Faculty Research Grants
URB research grants normally fall into one of the following categories:
a. Humanities and Arts.
b. Medical, Life, Health and Environmental Sciences.
c. Engineering, and Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
d. Social Sciences and Business.
3. Limitations on URB Research Grant Funding
The limitations that exist regarding the use of funds allocated by the URB are:
a. Faculty members may be PI for only one proposal during a funding cycle.
b. Proposals’ duration can extend to a maximum of 3 years, but funding is approved on a yearly basis.
c. Funds must be used as stated in the proposal.
d. Unless explicit authorization is granted in the URB award letter, URB grants cannot be used for any travel-related expenditure (including registration fees for conferences, workshops, or training courses); major or minor equipment (including computers and accessories); books; publication costs; and/or professional society membership fees.
e. Funds may not be used for the dissemination of research.
f. Funds may not be used to pay a faculty member’s salary.
g. All expenditures must follow AUB stated policies and procedures regarding the hiring of personnel, purchases, and travel arrangements.
h. Projects which are proprietary in nature are subject to AUB’s Intellectual Property Policy.
i. Proposals will not be considered from past recipients who failed to submit progress reports (for renewals) or final reports. Such reports should be included with the application package.
j. Instructional projects are not eligible for funding.
k. Members of the University Research Board may submit their own proposals but must recuse themselves when they are reviewed.
l. All items purchased using URB funds remain the property of AUB.
m. Faculty members, who have received URB support for a total of four (4) years, but who had failed to submit research proposals for funding from external agencies (including the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research), or who had failed to receive funding from external sources, may jeopardize their chances from receiving any further URB funding.
n. After receiving three URB awards, individuals must show evidence of publications resulting from URB support, including acknowledgments to URB funding.
The allowable expenditure items using URB funds are:
· Field work, surveys and related-expenses.
· Personnel: graduate research assistant, research assistant, or casual labor.
· Travel to special archival libraries, including per diem and access fees (restricted to Humanities and Arts).
· On-line access to specialized archives.
· Microfilm/microfiche orders.
· Office supplies and postage (not to exceed $300).
· Testing services at AUB and outside laboratories.
· Laboratory supplies and materials.
· Software (hardware may be approved only in specialized projects and on exceptional basis) that is justified and for which AUB does not have a license.
4. Elements of the Research Proposal and Grant Renewals
4.1 New Proposals
A new proposal must include the following elements:
a. Title of the project.
b. Abstract (not to exceed 200 words).
c. Specific aims (not to exceed one page).
d. Introduction, including review of related research (1-3 pages).
e. Preliminary results, if applicable (1-3 pages).
f. Methods of inquiry and analysis (1-5 pages), including how each specific aim will be investigated.
g. Significance of the project (not to exceed one page).
h. Time commitment and role of the PI(s) and, if applicable, co-investigator(s).
i. Itemized budget in US dollars.
j. Justification for the budget. This includes a list of research related tasks that will be assigned to GRAs, RAs and casual employees paid from URB funds.
k. Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the PI(s) and, if applicable, co-investigator(s).The CV should include: a list of pending and/or current external and internal funding including the title of the projects, start and end dates, and overlap with the present proposal if any; a list of previously awarded URB grants; a list of publications identifying those that resulted from URB grants received during the last three years; and evidence of seeking or receiving external funds during the last three years.
l. A list containing the names of scholars that the applicant does not want to review the proposal may be submitted.
m. A signed copy of the URB Proposal Transmittal and Approval Form.
4.2 Grant Renewals
A request for the renewal of a current URB grant that was originally proposed as a multi-year project will normally be granted after review and approval (by FRC) of a detailed progress report on the project for which the grant was awarded. Renewals will not be permitted for grants that were not originally proposed as multi-year projects. Further funding from URB is contingent upon receiving and approval of these reports.
5. Procedures for Applicants
Faculty members must adhere to the following procedures when preparing their grant applications:
a. Proposals should include the URB Proposal Transmittal and Approval Form, which should be signed by the department chair and dean.
b. The proposal should be submitted to the Faculty Research Committee for review by the Faculty posted deadline.
c. If the proposal involves human subjects, the faculty member must apply to the Institutional Research Board (IRB) for project approval before submitting or when submitting the proposal to the FRC. The IRB requires all researchers using human subjects to take a web-based course on ethical issues in clinical research entitled: "Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams.” This requirement is part of an AUB initiative to enhance compliance with international standards and regulations for the conduct of clinical research. If the proposal is approved by the URB, the grant will not be released until the IRB also gives its approval.
d. If the proposed research involves experimental animals, the faculty member must apply to the Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for approval before submitting or when submitting the proposal to the FRC. If the proposal is approved by the URB, the grant will not be released until the IACUC also gives its approval.
e. If the proposed research involves the use of radioactive or biohazardous material, the faculty member should apply to the Radiation Safety and/or Biosafety Committee for a license before submitting or when submitting the proposal to the FRC. If the proposal is approved by the URB, the grant will not be released until such licenses have been approved.
6. Role of Faculty Research Committees
a. Funding of grants is competitive. The Faculty Research Committee will evaluate applications according to clearly written guidelines established by the Faculty/School and communicated to faculty members.
b. For each proposal, the FRC must solicit a minimum of two evaluation reports from qualified individuals who are not its members. The FRC is responsible for ensuring the anonymity of the reviewers. Reviewers can be faculty members at AUB or at other Lebanese or international universities; they cannot be current collaborators with the PI or co-PI; in addition, the FRC should make every effort to choose reviewers who are not themselves applicants in the current URB funding cycle. At least one reviewer is expected to be from outside of the applicant’s department.
c. Each evaluation report must include the reviewer’s qualitative comments for the merit of the proposal, its strengths and challenges, the adequacy of the budget and a clear recommendation regarding whether the proposal should be funded or not. Reviewers can also be asked to submit an overall assessment score of the proposal. The evaluation of the proposal will be based on the originality, intrinsic merit and methodology of the research; the suitability of the research objectives and plan; the strength of the preliminary data; the likelihood of success, and the budget requested.
d. Using the evaluation report, the FRC will rank the proposals according to multiple criteria such as: the qualitative comments and recommendations of the reviewers; the department chairs’ endorsement; the average overall scores if available; prior research activity related to the proposed projects; the quality of applicants’ previous publications; list of external funding proposals submitted or projects received by the applicants, the rank of applicants (junior faculty); the interdisciplinary nature of the proposals; novelty of the project. The FRC should also consider performance and outcomes in relation to previous URB funding. Progress or final reports on funded URB grants must be evaluated by the FRC and must be approved before new funding is awarded. The FRC must supply written justification for its decisions when making its recommendations.
e. The FRC chair submits all documentation, including the committee’s recommendations to the dean of the faculty/school for his/her consideration, comments and endorsement. The dean sends his/her recommendation to the URB through the OGC.
f. The OGC collects all proposals, supporting documents and recommendations and sends them to the chair of the URB by the appropriate deadline of 30 April of every year.
7. Role of the URB Committee
a. The URB committee receives and considers the documentation submitted by the FRCs. The URB committee selects the proposals to be funded based on its own evaluation as well as the evaluation and ranking of the proposals by the FRCs. The URB committee’s decision is final.
b. The URB ensures compliance with University policies for internal grants (see Section 3 on Restrictions).
c. Proposals requesting two to three years of funding should contain detailed descriptions of the specific aims and deliverables for each year, and the annual funding required to achieving these aims and deliverables. Continued funding in subsequent years is contingent upon the submission to the OGC and FRC of a progress report on the outcomes and deliverables achieved during the previous year. The progress report must be evaluated by the FRC and approved prior to any further funding.
d. The University may designate areas of institutional priority and allocate funds for grants in these areas.
8. Deadlines
The University has established one application cycle for Research Grants. Applications for Research Grants should be submitted to the appropriate Faculty Research Committee by January 23. Exact deadlines will be announced by the OGC at least one month in advance. The FRCs must submit their recommendations to the OGC no later than April 30. The URB committee will make every effort to announce funding decisions by June 10. Progress reports for projects’ renewals should be submitted to the appropriate FRC by March 31.
9. URB Grant Management and Oversight
The Office of Grants and Contracts is responsible for administering URB awards. The URB officer at the OGC will monitor the project for administrative and financial compliance with the award conditions. The officer will also scrutinize research accounts to ensure timely use. Failure to expend funds in a timely manner may jeopardize eligibility for future URB grants.