Skip Navigation

Office for Research Funding Support

Instrumentation, Bridge, Instruction, and Seed (IBIS) Funding Program

In accordance with the Strategic Plan for Research, Emory College has developed a program to provide funds to support a variety of aspects of research, scholarship, and instruction. The Instrumentation, Bridge, Instruction, and Seed (IBIS) Funding Program is administered by the Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Research. IBIS is intended to provide (a) matching funds to encourage development of the infrastructure for research and scholarship, (b) bridge funds to minimize disruption of existing research projects that have temporarily lost external funding but show promise of success in the next round of competitive review, (c) matching funds in support of initiatives to enhance instruction in the College, and (d) seed funds for new lines of research that promise to be successful in competition for external funding.

  1. Eligibility Criteria
  2. Categories of Award
  3. Application Procedure
  4. Selection and Funding Procedures

I. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applications will be accepted from faculty who hold (or will hold during the requested funding period) regular appointments (i.e., tenured, tenure-track, lecture-track). New faculty must begin their appointment by the start date of the grant. (See PI Eligibility Policy-pdf.)

II. CATEGORIES OF AWARD

  1. Support or partial support for major capital equipment that is not currently available, that will be shared by several faculty members, and that will increase the likelihood of external funding. Proposals funded in this category must include 50-70% cost sharing from an external sponsor.
  2. Support for acquisition of research materials, including rare books and manuscripts, back files of journals, photocopied and microfilmed materials, maps, photographs, and so forth, provided the materials are not readily available through standard library procedures and are not considered part of the normal expenses of maintaining personal research libraries by professors. Research materials purchased with College funds will, when appropriate, eventually be lodged in the University libraries. Proposals funded in this category must include 50%-70% cost sharing from an external sponsor.
  3. Support or partial support for major instructional initiatives that will involve several faculty members with the aim of enhancing undergraduate and/or graduate instruction or education. Proposals funded in this category must include a minimum of 50% cost sharing from an external sponsor.
  4. Interim (or “bridge”) support necessary to maintain ongoing research efforts during a temporary lapse in external funding that is beyond the control of the faculty member. To be eligible in this category, the investigator must have submitted an NIH (R-series only) or NSF competitive renewal application that was not funded. A new application is not eligible unless it replaces an existing research grant. In addition, the competitive renewal must have been submitted within a time frame that would have allowed continuous funding, had the application been successful. The total of any bridge award, including the funds provided by IBIS and the department chair, will not exceed 50% of the direct costs of the competing renewal, up to a maximum of $50,000. Funds will be transferred to the investigator's account in four quarterly payments, each upon receipt of a letter to the Senior Associate Dean for Research, signed by both investigator and chair, verifying that additional external funding has not yet been secured.
  5. Support or partial support for new research and scholarly activities that show strong promise for external funding. In the spirit of “seeding,” this category of support is reserved for new initiatives only. It is intended to support initial data collection or “pilot” research that will demonstrate to external sponsors the feasibility and/or promise of new research directions. Moreover, initiatives that show substantial innovation in subject matter or approach will be favored over the projects that represent incremental improvements. Requests to continue ongoing lines of research and scholarship will not be considered.

III. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The applicant should submit an original hard copy and an electronic copy of a request for funding, not to exceed 1000 words of text. The request for support must include a clear indication of the category (A-E) of award sought. In addition:

  1. For Categories A-C, the applicant must include a specific plan for application for externally funded cost sharing, including a timeline for application. The applicant must also include an explanation of need for the matching funds (i.e., why College funds are deemed necessary for the purchase or initiative).
  2. For Category D, the application must include
    • The front sections of the grant application, up through and including the specific aims page. NSF grant applicants should include pages detailing the budget, other support, abstract, specific aims, facilities and resources, local and external collaborative arrangements.
    • The NIH pink sheets or NSF evaluations of the competitive renewal.
    • A letter from the investigator indicating the specific consequences to the research program and laboratory personnel of losing the grant, the termination date of the current grant, and plans for resubmission including responses to major criticisms of the grant. The letter should also state that bridge funds will be relinquished as soon as additional funding is secured. Any research or salary support available to the investigator that was not reported to NIH or NSF must be reported (e.g., foundation awards, discretionary funds, gifts). A granting agency contact (name and phone number) must be provided so that NIH may be contacted to determine the current pay line.
  3. For Category E, the application must include
    • A clear plan, including timetable, for leveraging College funds against new and more substantial funding from external sources. It is understood that leveraging opportunities vary by discipline and this will be taken into consideration. Nevertheless, we encourage applicants in scholarly areas without significant external funding sources to consider all possible forms of leveraging.
  4. For all categories, the application must include
    • A letter of endorsement from the applicant’s chair. The letter should include an assessment of the likelihood of submission of an application for external funding within the stated timeframe.

 

IV. SELECTION AND FUNDING PROCEDURES

A committee comprised of faculty from each of the major divisions within the College will review the applications. As necessary, the standing committee will seek the advice of additional, ad hoc reviewers from within the College. The committee will evaluate requests and recommend action. Awards will depend on availability of funds and be made at the discretion of the College administration. For matching-fund Categories A-C, awards will be contingent on a successful matching award from an external agency.

Work funded under this mechanism must meet all regulatory requirements of Emory University and Emory College.

For Category E (“seed” funding), proposals from last year’s recipients will not be considered and proposals from prior years’ recipients must be for new projects.

The Instrumentation, Bridge, Instruction, and Seed (IBIS) Funding Program will evaluate applications twice per year. The fall submission deadline is September 30; the spring submission deadline is March 30.

Applications (and supporting documents) may be submitted to the Senior Associate Dean for Research (patricia.bauer AT emory DoT edu).