FUSE Program
The Facilitating Uni-PI Science and Engineering (FUSE) Program provides up to $20,000 to support initial or seed funding for research programs, scholarly initiatives, or creative scholarship projects. These may include social and behavioral sciences, inclusive of the communication and information sciences (e.g., journalism, advertising, and communication); the physical, biological, and mathematical sciences; and engineering.
Timeline and Key Dates
- Due Date: Before 5:00 pm Central on October 1, 2024.
- Accommodations for late and/or incomplete proposals are not available.
- Proposal Review Period: October 1 to November 30, 2024
- Decisions Announced: December 2024
- Period of Performance: January 1 to December 31, 2025
Eligibility
Regular, full-time UA employees authorized to serve as a Principal Investigator (PI), and who did not receive ORED internal funding in the previous year, are eligible.
Opportunity
ORED anticipates awarding seven FUSE projects per year, subject to availability of funds.
Requirements
Format: 8.5” x 11”; single spaced; size 11 Times New Roman font; one-inch margins on all sides
Involvement: Single PI (i.e., no co-PIs or collaborators)
Abstract: In no more than half a page, describe the project’s broad significance, proposed activities, and intended outcomes. Priority given to abstracts directed to a sophisticated lay audience and suitable for communication with the public.
Narrative: In no more than two pages, provide a descriptive narrative enabling cognizant reviewers to judge the merits of the project using the following criteria:
- Significance of project (25%)
- Impact on the academic discipline and pathway to prominence (20%)
- Uniqueness relative to the state-of-the-art in the discipline (20%)
- Impact on graduate education and training (15%)
- How funding will lead to tangible product generation (15%)
- Previous PI performance with internal funds (If no history exists, please include a statement to this effect.) (5%)
Budget: In no more than half a page, provide a simple description regarding the utilization of funds (e.g., personnel, supplies, travel).
Deliverable: In no more than half a page, describe how the project will produce at least one of the following outcomes:
- Proposal submission to an external agency or foundation
- Peer-reviewed Publication
- Evidence describing how seed funding led or will lead to future external funding
Additionally, PIs will present posters and a two-minute “Flash Talk” at Faculty Research Day in the year following completion of funding.
Regulations: Projects requiring IRB or IACUC review must receive approval before fund distribution, but not prior to proposal submission.
Budget Notes
Within regulatory requirements, ORED intends to limit the restrictions placed on funding expenditures; however, the following are unallowable expenses:
- Salary for an external collaborator
- Subcontracts
- Items covered under indirect costs
Requests for summer salary must comply with University policies and procedures.
Hourly student workers, both undergraduate and graduate, are allowable expenses. Only currently enrolled UA students are eligible.
Materials and supplies include expendable items with a useful life of less than one year or a unit cost under $5,000. (Subject to change per federal regulations.)
PIs must expend funds during the award year; carry-forward into the following year is not available (i.e., no-cost extensions are not available).
Proposal Notes
PIs may include research methodology; however, remain mindful of the two-page limit.
Though not required, PIs may include references; however, remain mindful of the two-page limit.