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Cullen Grants

Purpose

The Cullen grant fund was established to provide a source of internal support for any qualified faculty member at Abilene Christian University. The intent of the program is to provide time for faculty scholarship during a summer term. The financial resources within a given fiscal year determine the number of grants awarded. Cullen funds are generated by an endowment from the Cullen Foundation and support research projects in all academic areas, with the exception of Mathematics and the Physical Sciences. (Excluded from eligibility are Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering and Physics, and Mathematics.)

Applications

Applications for this internal grant are due on the second Friday of February, with award announcements in March. Funded projects will commence at the start of the next fiscal year on June 1st.

Instructions:

  1. Click “Submit Application” which will open the Cayuse Sponsored Projects
  2. Select “Start New Proposal”
  3. Select “Internal Funding Proposal”

Apply Now!

Budget Template

Selection

Full-time faculty members at the rank of instructor or above are eligible to apply. Funds are awarded to proposals that demonstrate potential for serious research and creative activity. Proposals by new/junior tenure-track faculty will receive priority points to support the development of research programs and tenure portfolios. The Research Council evaluates proposals submitted by the faculty according to the following criteria:

  • Clear purpose, goals, and objectives.
  • Worth and value to the discipline, researcher, or the university.
  • Use of sound, clearly explained background, methodology and procedures.
  • Expected outcomes of project (e.g., a book, article, paper, presentation, video).
  • Clear writing that is precise, detailed, and understandable to a lay audience.
  • Well-developed budget with likelihood of successful completion in allotted time.
  • Faculty rank and tenure status

ACU encourages the use of internal grants toward developing proposals for extramural funding, particularly for research programs or projects that span multiple years.

To support this goal, faculty who have received Cullen funding for a specific project/program for 3 consecutive years must submit an external application before being eligible to receive internal funding for that project/program again.

Exceptions will be made only for cases in which the faculty member has worked with ORSP to search for opportunities and none were found. In such cases, ORSP can provide an exemption to this requirement. This requirement takes effect beginning with 2019-20 applications; 2019-20 will be considered Year 1 for all applicants.

Goals

Cullen Grants are intended to support scholarly activities including:

  • quantitative research studies,
  • qualitative research studies,
  • technological innovations, and
  • developmental and innovative research activity related to musical compositions or artistic production.

Funding

Awards are usually given according to the following categories requested in the budget:

  • Summer Salary Request. This amount is paid commensurate with university summer pay schedules as the equivalent of two summer classes and based upon faculty rank. In some cases, the amount of funding may be reduced due to lack of funding or because a project may be judged as less ambitious than others receiving funding.
  • Single-semester adjunct costs to receive a course reduction in order to complete the work during a long semester.
  • Expenses related to the research. This amount is limited to essential and necessary materials or support directly connected with the research project. Ineligible expenses include clerical work, office supplies, telephone, computer equipment, and travel that is not essential to the conduct of the research, as these support services usually can be obtained from departmental or college resources.
  • Partnership with externally funded research support. In certain cases, applications can be made to provide matching funds for an externally funded project. The amount of funding is limited to the equivalent of teaching two summer courses. Also, no salary funds can be used from the Research Council while a faculty member is simultaneously being paid from an outside agency, thus preventing double dipping.

Outcomes

Projects should be completed during a single fiscal year and must produce a tangible, scholarly product. Examples of acceptable outcomes include completion of a book, an article submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal, presentation at a professional conference, etc.

A final report detailing the progress made and the scholarly product completed is due by April 1 following the project period.

Faculty who have received a Cullen award 3 times for the same project/program must submit an application for extramural funding.

Certifications

Every participant who receives a grant must agree to the ACU Intellectual Property Agreement. The applicant agrees to certain rights and claims against copyrights and patents resulting from university support. Funds cannot be released to any grantee without this acknowledgement of the agreement. The Intellectual Property Agreement may be found on the Office of the Provost Website.

Every grantee is assigned a budget for expenses if any are awarded. Salaries are paid through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. All budgets must be cleared and accounted for by the April 1 after the summer for which the grant was awarded. Grantees without proper accounting forms are liable for the expenses incurred.

If the project involves research with human subjects, IRB approval must be obtained prior to conduct of the research.

The intent of the program is to provide time for faculty scholarship during a summer term in lieu of teaching. It is strongly advised that recipients do not teach during the summer if receiving a summer stipend. Recipients may not teach more than one course during the summer.

Recipients cannot hold a Cullen/Math-Science award and a Curriculum Development award concurrently, nor can SEED recipients hold either. Recipients may apply for a separate 20/20 award in the same year, but the workload makes this inadvisable.

Math-Science Grants

Purpose

The Math-Science grant fund was established to provide a source of internal support for any qualified faculty member at Abilene Christian University. The intent of the program is to provide time for faculty scholarship during a summer term. The financial resources within a given fiscal year determine the number of grants awarded. Math-Science funds support research projects in the following academic areas:

  • Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Engineering and Physics
  • Mathematics

Applications

Applications for this internal grant are due on the second Friday of February, with award announcements in March. Funded projects will commence at the start of the next fiscal year on June 1st.

Instructions:

  1. Click “Submit Application” which will open the Cayuse Sponsored Projects
  2. Select “Start New Proposal”
  3. Select “Internal Funding Proposal”

Apply Now!

Budget Template

Selection

Full-time faculty members at the rank of instructor or above are eligible to apply. Funds are awarded to proposals that demonstrate potential for serious research and creative activity. Proposals by new/junior tenure-track faculty will receive priority points to support the development of research programs and tenure portfolios. The Research Council evaluates proposals submitted by the faculty according to the following criteria:

  • Clear purpose, goals, and objectives.
  • Worth and value to the discipline, researcher, or the university.
  • Use of sound, clearly explained background, methodology and procedures.
  • Expected outcomes of project (e.g., a book, article, paper, presentation, video).
  • Clear writing that is precise, detailed, and understandable to a lay audience.
  • Well-developed budget with likelihood of successful completion in allotted time.
  • Faculty rank and tenure status

ACU encourages the use of internal grants toward developing proposals for extramural funding, particularly for research programs or projects that span multiple years.

To support this goal, Math/Science faculty who have received Math/Science funding for 3 years (total) must submit an external application before being eligible to receive funding from Math/Science again.

Exceptions will be made only for cases in which the faculty member has worked with ORSP to search for opportunities and none were found. In such cases, ORSP can provide an exemption to this requirement. This requirement takes effect beginning with 2019-20 applications; 2019-20 will be considered Year 1 for all applicants.

Goals

Math-Science Grants are intended to support scholarly activities including:

  • quantitative research studies,
  • qualitative research studies, and
  • technological innovations

Funding

Awards are usually given according to the following categories requested in the budget:

  • Summer Salary Request. This amount is paid commensurate with university summer pay schedules as the equivalent of two summer classes, and based upon faculty rank. In some cases, the amount of funding may be reduced due to lack of funding or because a project may be judged as less ambitious than others receiving funding.
  • Single-semester adjunct costs to receive a course reduction in order to complete the work during a long semester.
  • Expenses related to the research. This amount is limited to essential and necessary materials or support directly connected with the research project. Ineligible expenses include clerical work, office supplies, telephone, computer equipment, and travel that is not essential to the conduct of the research, as these support services usually can be obtained from departmental or college resources.
  • Partnership with externally funded research support. In certain cases, applications can be made to provide matching funds for an externally funded project. The amount of funding is limited to the equivalent of teaching two summer courses. Also, no salary funds can be used from the Research Council while a faculty member is simultaneously being paid from an outside agency, thus preventing double-dipping.

Outcomes

Projects should be completed during a single fiscal year and must produce a tangible, scholarly product. Examples of acceptable outcomes include completion of a book, an article submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, presentation at a professional conference, software program, etc.

A final report detailing the progress made and the scholarly product completed is due by April 1 following the project period.

Faculty who have received a Math/Science award 3 times (total) must submit an application for extramural funding.

Certifications

Every participant who receives a grant must agree to the ACU Intellectual Property Agreement. The applicant agrees to certain rights and claims against copyrights and patents resulting from university support. Funds cannot be released to any grantee without this acknowledgment of the agreement. The Intellectual Property Agreement may be found on the Provost Office website. Every grantee is assigned a budget for expenses if any are awarded. Salaries are paid through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. All budgets must be cleared and accounted for by the 1stof April after the summer for which the grant was awarded. Grantees without proper accounting forms are liable for the expenses incurred.

If the project involves research with human subjects, IRB approval must be obtained prior to conduct of the research.

The intent of the program is to provide time for faculty scholarship during a summer term in lieu of teaching. It is strongly advised that recipients do not teach during the summer if receiving a summer stipend. Recipients may not teach more than one course during the summer.

Recipients cannot hold a Cullen/Math-Science award and a Curriculum Development award concurrently, nor can SEED recipients hold either. Recipients may apply for a separate 20/20 award in the same year, but the workload makes this inadvisable.

SEED Awards

Overview

This highly competitive grant is designed to fund an investigator:

  • For 2 years | Total amount $20,000 ($10,000 each fiscal year)
  • In the conduct of studies aimed at providing preliminary data for an external funding application.
  • For hiring a Proposal Developer
    • to assist the investigator in identifying target funders
    • to assist the investigator in preparing, and submitting the application.
    • Total funds for the Developer | $3,000 ($1500/yr)
      This calculates to approximately 40 total hours of work at $75/hour.

Investigators should submit a preliminary budget proposal with their application that explains and justifies the proposed costs. The source of external funding must exceed the amount of the internal award (i.e., greater than $20,000) and must allow for the collection of indirect costs at the maximal allowable rate.

Applications

Applications for this internal grant will be due the third Monday of October, allowing faculty to use potential Cullen or Math/Science-supported work toward their application. Awards will be announced in November, with sufficient time for those not receiving an award to prepare an application for other internal grant mechanisms in January. The awarded project period will then begin the following fiscal year, June 1.

Instructions

  1. Make sure you are signed into your Banner Account
  2. Click “Submit Application” which will open the Cayuse platform*
  3. Find “Sponsored Projects”
  4. Select “Start New Proposal”
  5. Select “Internal Funding Proposal”

*Cayuse can also be found under Quick Links in Banner

Submit Application SEED Budget Application Form ACU Dallas SEED Budget Application Form

 

Important Information

Use of the Proposal Developer (though the extent of the services may vary depending on the investigator’s needs).

Submission of the external application

  • within 9 months
  • following the end of the 2 year grant period.

Investigators should work with the Developer to set up a timeline that allows the successful submission of the application.
Failure to submit the application will result in ineligibility for ACU internal grants for 3 years.

ACU will contract with a Proposal Developer for the job, unless the PI requests that we contract with a specific individual identified by the PI. The PI will need to justify the alternate developer.

Remaining funds may be used for

course release
This is at the rate of hiring an adjunct. This rate should be supported in the Chair’s memo. A proposed course release should be accompanied by a memo of support from the applicant’s department chair.

summer salary
This is at the rate of one summer course

  • $3,000 for full professor
  • $2750 for associate professor
  • $2500 for assistant professor.

materials/supplies
These are limited to essential and necessary materials or support directly connected with the research project. Ineligible expenses include clerical work, office supplies, telephone, computer equipment, and travel that is not essential to the conduct of the research, as these support services usually can be obtained from other resources.

participant costs

Every participant who receives a grant must agree to the ACU Intellectual Property Policy. The applicant agrees to certain rights and claims against copyrights and patents resulting from university support. Funds cannot be released to any grantee without this acknowledgement of the agreement. The Intellectual Property Policy may be found on the Provost Office Website.

Every grantee is assigned a budget for expenses if any are awarded. Salaries are paid through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. All budgets must be cleared and accounted for by April 1 of each budget period (year 1 and year 2). Grantees without proper accounting forms are liable for the expenses incurred.

If the project involves research with human or animal subjects, IRB/IACUC approval must be obtained prior to conduct of the research.

Full-time tenure-track faculty members at the rank of assistant or above are eligible to apply.
Funds are awarded to the one proposal each year that demonstrates the greatest potential for success at applying for and obtaining external funding.
The Research Council considers the proposals submitted by the faculty and approves the one judged best according to the following criteria:

  • Worth and value to the discipline, researcher, or the university.
  • Clear goals, objectives, and outcomes.
  • Use of sound, clearly explained methodology and procedures.
  • Clear writing that is precise, detailed, and understandable to a lay audience.
  • Likelihood of successful completion during the 2 year project period.
  • Identification of potential external funding sources with a clear plan for how to prepare a submission. External funding applications must be submitted within 9 months following the end of the internal project period, and must be for amounts larger than $20,000 and allow for indirect cost collection.
  • Competitiveness for external award

Projects should be completed during the 2 year project period and must produce an external funding application submission within 9 months following the end of the project period.

An interim report detailing the progress made toward goals is due by the end of the first year, and a final report further detailing the progress made and the application submitted/planned for submission is due at the end of the second year. If the application has not yet been submitted at the time of the final report, a memo should be provided at the time of its submission documenting completion of the grant requirements. The PI is not required to receive the external award, as this is largely out of our control and external funding is highly competitive.

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
320 Hardin Administration Building
ACU Box 29103
Abilene, Texas 79699-9103

Phone: 325-674-2885
Fax: 325-674-6785
Email: orsp@acu.edu