NYUADI Research Grants Pre-Proposals for Scholarly Groups and Research Centers, Creative/Performance Groups, and Experimental Laboratories

Round II: Application Deadline August 1, 2010

Pre-Proposals for scholarly groups and research centers, creative/performance groups, and experimental laboratories

Consultation in Developing Pre-Proposals 

Proposals to the NYUAD Institute and the structure and scale of support for these proposals will be developed through an iterative and consultative process with the Institute. Faculty investigators are encouraged to think ambitiously and creatively about the research scope and the support that it needs. All applicants are strongly encouraged to notify K.R. Sreenivasan, Senior Vice Provost and Special Advisor for Science and Technology to the Vice Chancellor of NYUAD (krs3@nyu.edu), of the intent to submit a Pre-Proposal and subsequently to consult with him in its development. This consultation may concern the nature of the proposal and the team required to successfully complete it; space and equipment needs for offices, laboratories, and studios; and/or project scope and budget. It is particularly critical for investigators with extensive or specialized facility and equipment needs to consult as early in the process as possible, so that the NYUAD leadership can have sufficient lead time to secure adequate space. Projects will be housed initially in interim facilities and continuing projects will be relocated to the Saadiyat Island campus when it is completed in 2014.

Senior Vice Provost Sreenivasan can also provide information on possible synergies with other existing and proposed projects for NYUAD, and facilitate discussions among research teams. Such linkages are essential to realizing the long-term vision for the NYUAD Research Institute to contain several large “signature initiatives” that will give a sharp profile to research at NYUAD. These substantial endeavors, which will typically arise organically to link supported research teams, will focus on major research themes, problems, and challenges of singular complexity and critical significance that require robust collaboration within and across disciplines.

Eligibility to Obtain Support

For Scholarly Groups and Research Centers and Experimental Laboratories, Principal Investigators must be full-time, tenured NYU faculty (or recruits to that faculty). Eligible Principal Investigators include tenured NYUAD Standing Faculty (and recruits to that faculty). Co-Principal Investigators and research team members need not be on faculty at NYU, and might include NYUAD Standing Faculty (and recruits to that faculty). In developing their proposals, faculty investigators are encouraged to take advantage of the potential for research collaborations with the Standing Faculty, whose recruitment is ongoing.

For Creative/Performance Projects, Principal Investigators must be full-time NYU faculty who are tenured or tenure-track, or who are Arts Professors (all ranks) in the Tisch School of the Arts, or Music Professors (all ranks) in The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, or Clinical Professors in the Arts (all ranks) in The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (or recruits to these faculties).

Proposals from all departments and schools of NYU are welcome. Joint proposals and multi-disciplinary proposals are encouraged where appropriate.

There are no restrictions on the number of Principal Investigators who may apply from the same department, assuming that the Department Chair and Dean agree with the arrangements.

Duration of Support

For scholarly groups and research centers, and computational, experimental and observational laboratories, support for Principal Investigators and their research teams will typically be provided for an initial period of five years. Upon successful external peer review, support may be renewed for an additional five years. Further renewals, with funding cycles of up to seven years, may be considered after the second term, pending the availability of funds. All renewals are conditional upon successful review and upon research results that make important, deep, and original contributions to the advancement of knowledge and thought, with significant published academic impact. If a review is unsuccessful at any stage, the investigator will be supported for a phase-out period. For all investigators, there is flexibility at inception and at each point in the cycle to obtain awards of shorter duration.

For creative/performance groups, support will typically be provided for Principal Investigators and their groups for a period ranging from six months to two years. (These research grants are not intended to support only performances. For such events, applicants may apply for support for the Public Programs sponsored at the Institute. See NYUAD Institute Program Proposals.

Criteria for Awarding Support

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• Quality of scientific, scholarly, or creative content;
• Likelihood that the research will lead to fundamental advances, new discoveries, technological developments, and/or innovative solutions in the discipline or area of inquiry, or across disciplines or areas of inquiry;
• Scholarly strength and creative/research record of the Principal Investigator and research team or group members, and ability to undertake the project successfully, including appropriate commitment of time;
• Potential for advancing the research mission of NYU, including integration of the NYUAD project with research at NYU in New York;
• When appropriate to the topic, relevance to the Abu Dhabi region.

Conditions of Support

As a condition of support, all projects funded by NYUAD will require the frequent and regular presence of Principal Investigators at NYUAD. The Principal Investigators, even those based in New York, and all group and team members who are permanently based in Abu Dhabi, are expected to be active members of the community on the NYUAD campus, contributing significantly to its intellectual life and environment -- performing research, directing their laboratories, directing students involved in the research or creative team, mentoring undergraduate research projects such as theses and independent studies, and hosting public programs and conferences related to their research.

In addition, the Vice Chancellor of NYUAD may at times invite Ph.D. level group members, depending on NYUAD curricular needs and teaching expertise, to teach up to two courses a year as members of the standing faculty of the undergraduate program.

Commitment of Time at NYUAD

Principal Investigators who head experimental laboratories, and scholarly groups and research centers may remain in residence at NYU in New York. Their budgets will include funds for multiple trips of reasonable duration between NYU in New York and NYUAD, including travel, hotel, and per diem.

New York based Principal Investigators will be expected to commit annually at least 25% of academic year time and one summer month in Abu Dhabi in multiple visits of reasonable duration to supervise research and meet with colleagues and collaborators. Co-Principal Investigators will have a varying commitment of time at NYUAD, which can range from 10% to 100%.

Principal Investigators leading the creative/performance groups will typically be located in Abu Dhabi for the duration of the award. Principal Investigators who relocate to NYUAD will receive a full package of competitive benefits for themselves and their immediate families, including housing, travel allowances, and private school tuition.

The amount of academic year and summer time will be charged to grant, in accordance with the University policy. Academic year salary charged to grant will be made available to the Principal Investigator’s School and reserved for the Department, which may use it to replace lost teaching if any, or for support of graduate students, etc.

Department and School Approval of Proposed Project

All projects must have the support and approval of Department Chairs and School Deans. Principal Investigators and, as appropriate, co-Principal Investigators must consult, reach agreement with and obtain the approval of the Department Chair and Dean about plans to apply, plans for maintaining a regular and effective presence in Abu Dhabi, and plans for meeting or adjusting their research and teaching commitments at NYU in New York.

Process for Reviewing Applications

Awards will be made on the basis of external peer review and review panels. Final award decisions will be made by the NYUAD Institute Research Review Council, which consists of the Provost of NYU, the Vice Chancellor and the Provost of NYUAD, with additional members of the senior academic leadership and faculty of NYU in New York and NYUAD.

In reviewing Pre-Proposals, the Research Review Council will select projects to be developed further, issue invitations to submit Full Proposals, and provide instructions for their preparation. The review process for Pre-Proposals may include meetings with applicants to discuss project scope, budget, facilities, equipment and timetable.

In reviewing Full Proposals, the Research Review Council will determine their suitability for further review and refer meritorious proposals to an advisory panel that will carry out a peer review process that involves consultation with discipline-based expert referees outside NYU. Candidates will be invited to submit names of appropriate external reviewers who they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal, and may designate persons they would prefer not to review the proposal. Based on these external reviews, the advisory panel will rate the proposals and submit its recommendations to the Research Review Council. The Council will consider all these recommendations in making final award decisions.

Application Instructions for Pre-Proposals for Scholarly Groups and Research Centers, Creative/Performance Projects, and Experimental Laboratories

Application Form (NetID login required)

Abstract (up to 1 page)

In language suitable for non-specialist readers, describe the project and its relationship to the goals of NYUAD and NYU in New York.

Narrative (no more than 5 pages)

• Description of the project and its goals;
• Relationship of the project to the investigator’s scholarship, creative projects, and research at NYU, including currently funded research commitments;
• Proposed timeline of activities;
• Congruence of the project with the goals of the NYUAD Institute;
• When appropriate to the topic, relevance to the Abu Dhabi region.

Appendix Materials

• Project Scope: A detailed description and enumeration including:
• List of project participants (a staffing plan) including a list of categories, numbers of personnel and a brief description of their roles including approximate annual budget;
• Description of needs for space (number of offices and work stations, lab space, studio space, etc.) and any special facility and utility needs;
• Description of major equipment and instrumentation, if relevant, including approximate cost estimates, special requirements and, if relevant, cost estimates for initial installation in interim facilities and for relocation to permanent facilities in 2014;
• Description of research supplies (including computers) and materials, including approximate annual budget;
• A summary account of the phasing of the project with respect to start-up in Year 1 and subsequent ramp-up of personnel and associated space, equipment and supplies in Year 2 and beyond.
• Biosketch: Two-page biosketch for each Principal Investigator and co-Principal Investigator(s). Biosketch Requirements (PDF)
• Organization and Operations Plan, including plan for spending time at NYUAD, investigators’ responsibilities at NYUAD, and impact on research program and commitment at NYU in New York.
• Letters of support from Dean and Department Chair. The letters should describe the relevance of the project to school and department plans for advancing research, and approve the Organization and Operations Plan.

Budget

Pre-Proposals should include preliminary estimates of costs for major categories of personnel and non-personnel costs as outlined above. Typically, scholarly groups will include a Principal Investigator, one or two co-Principal Investigators, and a research team of several members including postdoctoral appointees, graduate students and research scientists. Typically, experimental laboratories and observational groups will have larger annual operating budgets and specialized equipment and instrumentation. Creative / performance groups may include the Principal Investigator and a small creative team. The budget should be appropriate to the task. Detailed budgets will be developed in consultation with NYUAD Institute after invitations to submit Full Proposals are issued.

Proposal Routing and Signatures

Complete the appropriate approval and transmittal form with sign off by Dean and Department Chair as follows:

For proposals from all schools at NYU in New York, including the College of Dentistry and the College of Nursing, complete the OSP Synopsis Application for Approval for Research or Training Proposal Submission.

For proposals from the NYU School of Medicine, complete the NYU School of Medicine/Office of Science and Research Transmittal (MS Word doc).

For proposals from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, submit the Polytechnic form.

Submission: One Paper Copy plus Electronic Submission

Paper copy: Submit one hard copy of the application, along with the Application Form and a hard copy of the School transmittal form with appropriate signatures.
and
Electronic submission: Electronically submit the application as a single PDF file containing all required items for the application, along with the Application Form and a scanned copy of the School transmittal form.

 

Submit applications to the attention of

Farooq Niazi
Director of Research Administration,
NYUAD Institute and Provostial Research Programs
Bobst Library, Room 1226
70 Washington Square South
farooq.niazi@nyu.edu
(212) 992-7223