Advancing Research and Creative Scholarship (ARCS)

Program Summary

Illinois State has an opportunity to take bold steps to synergize interdisciplinary scholarship, enhance competitiveness and foster the emergence of areas of scholarly excellence. This program, entitled Advancing Research and Creative Scholarship (ARCS), looks to positively impact the inter-departmental collaborative scholarly environment at Illinois State University by investing in grassroots, faculty-led, self-organized teams to attempt to address big, bold scholarly themes. This type of research seeks to solve some of the worlds most complicated problems, often termed “wicked problems”. The program seeks to advance the work of ISU faculty teams organized around self-defined research themes. Ideally, these scholarly themes will align with both Illinois State faculty's research strengths and interests and with major external funding opportunities. A sustainable return of the investment is a central tenet of the program.

The program will provide internal seed funding through a competitive application. The expectation is that the faculty teams will transition from dependence on internal support to support by major external funding (> $100,000) and become self-supporting. The intended purpose of this program is to foster innovation of research and creative scholarship activities at Illinois State through greater coordination, alignment, and strategic investments, which will in turn increase competitiveness and transformational potential of applications for external funding.

Recognizing that teams will vary in the degree to which they are formed, two tracks are available. Track I proposals are for teams who have fully developed plans for interdisciplinary collaboration and are thus ready to submit a full proposal to support implementation of a robust project with established plans. Track II proposals will support capacity building, allowing individuals and nascent teams to develop a plan to grow innovative ideas into a robust, interdisciplinary project, which can be proposed in the future.

ARCS also seeks to accelerate the interdisciplinarity of research and creative scholarship activities at Illinois State among its faculty, staff, and students. Although interdisciplinarity exists in current research and creative scholarship activities undertaken at Illinois State, such activities can be significantly enhanced and leveraged to attract national recognition and prestige. Managing “wicked problems” requires interdisciplinary approaches and scholars who can think outside of traditional disciplinary boundaries to create transformative solutions. Supporting these teams will amplify the university's core strengths and expertise areas and help Illinois State University to develop a national brand identity, and enable Illinois State to impact society in beneficial and transformational ways.

The program and accompanying objectives respond to the priority areas identified at the February 2021 Academic Affairs retreat, i.e. priority areas # 5 (strengthen infrastructure for research, innovation, and faculty/staff support) and #6 (ensure ISU remains academically solid and competitive in a post-pandemic landscape).

Eligibility

Track I
- Lead investigator and a core team (total of five (5) people) shall be full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty, including chairs/directors, at Illinois State University;
- Additional team members may include faculty, administrative personnel, and civil service staff from ISU and experts from governmental, community, academic, or corporate partners;
- Teams should both reflect and advance the university's goal of fostering equity, diversity and inclusion;
- At time of proposal, a minimum of three (3) members of the team, at least two (2) of which are full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty must be included;
- Pre-existing groups or Centers/Institutes are eligible to apply.
Track II
- No minimum team size;
- Lead investigator and a core team shall be full-time tenure-track faculty, including chairs/directors, at Illinois State University;
- Additional team members may include faculty, administrative personnel, and civil service staff from ISU and experts from governmental, community, academic, or corporate partners;
- Teams should both reflect and advance the university's goal of fostering equity, diversity and inclusion;
- Pre-existing groups or Centers/Institutes are eligible to apply.

Deliverables

Track I
- Upon completion of the award funding, teams are expected to have submitted one or more applications for indirect cost-generating external funding opportunities from major research sponsoring agencies such as NSF, NEH, NIH, DOE, USDA, and/or other national foundations, including corporate foundations.
- Upon completion of the project, a written summary of project outcomes must be submitted electronically to the Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.
- Annual progress reports are to be submitted in a timely manner for review and upon request.
- Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to presenting their project to the Illinois State community and to participate in related ISU events as requested.
- Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to acknowledge ISU in outcomes and reports with the following statement or something similar: “This material is based upon work funded by Illinois State University”.
- Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to notify the AVPRGS of publications and follow-up funding achieved resulting from this grant.
- As allowable, Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to depositing data, outcomes, presentations, and reports in our institutional repository, ISU ReD.
Track II
- Upon completion of the award funding, teams are expected to have evidence of planning for submission of a Track I award and/or evidence of planning for or actual submission of one or more applications for indirect cost-generating external funding to major research sponsoring agencies such as NSF, NEH, NIH, DOE, USDA, and/or other national foundations, including corporate foundations.
- Upon completion of the project, a written summary of project activities and future plans must be submitted electronically to the Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.
- Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to presenting their project to the Illinois State community and to participate in related ISU events as requested.
- Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to acknowledge ISU in outcomes and reports with the following statement or something similar: “This material is based upon work funded by Illinois State University”.
- Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to notify the AVPRGS of publications and follow-up funding achieved resulting from this grant.
- As allowable, Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to depositing data, outcomes, presentations, and reports in our institutional repository, ISU ReD.

Funding

Track I

Total funding per team cannot exceed a maximum award of $200,000 ($100,000 maximum per year for two years) from the Office of the Provost. A third year of support for a maximum of $200,000 for one year may be available based on progress and review. The Provost has pledged $3.2 million over seven years in this initiative and for the 2023 application cycle, we anticipate making up to 4 awards. Future requests for proposals are expected.
Track II

Total funding per team will not exceed a maximum award of $5,000 for one year from the Office of the Provost for capacity building. Future calls and cycles are expected. These funds are not intended to replace relevant University Research Grant opportunities.

Eligible/Allowable Expenses

All expenses to be used for the program must be allowable under general University and ISU Foundation policies. Additional stipulations:

Graduate and undergraduate student stipends and the associated fringe benefit costs. If appropriate, graduate students funded through this program will be eligible for scholarships or tuition waivers (but not both).
Research expenses, including fieldwork, data, laboratory analysis, archival search, travel, publication costs, equipment, supplies, research incentives (often in the form of gift cards), and materials related to the proposed research and creative scholarship activity.
Strategic, well-rationalized course buyout (and associated fringe benefit costs) for team members.
Post-doctoral fellowship support.
Reasonable team meeting expenses.
Pilot sub-grants to support collaborative interdisciplinary work.

Ineligible/Unallowable Expenses

Salaries and personnel (except for graduate students and post-doctoral fellowships).
Tuition support (unless part of an allowed graduate assistantship.
Facilities & Administration (indirect) costs. F&A on ISU costs will be waived.
Administrative support, including director stipend (although a group can request a course buyout for the lead investigator outside of the budget for Track I proposals).
Entertainment including alcohol.
Space renovation (except for modest facilities improvements critical to project success).
Other expenses for which funding is available through AEF or Provost Innovation Grants.

Application Process

The application process will occur in two steps. Letters of intent (LOI) are due March 31, 2023 via InfoReady as a single PDF file. LOIs will be minimally reviewed administratively to provide feedback and full proposals will be due May 16, 2023. Awards are expected to be announced in late summer/early fall of 2023. All applying teams will be invited to participate in forthcoming team and capacity building.

Complete application and any additional documents will all be submitted electronically via InfoReady as a single PDF file.

Submit LOI

Letter of Intent Outline

Letters of intent will be used to assess interest in the ARCS program and begin to align potential reviewers and programming needs. They are to be written for an informed, interested, non-expert audience. Please limit the LOI to 2 single-spaced pages, 1 inch margins, and 12 pt Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font.

Your LOI should include:

List of investigators indicating principal investigator/project lead (and their contact information)
Tentative Project Name
Track I or II
Brief synopsis of problem/issue
Team’s potential scope of work to address problem/issue
Intended outcomes
Intended budget request amount and its use

Full Proposal Outline

Proposals are to be written for an informed, interested, non-expert audience. Please use single spacing, 1 inch margins, and 12 pt Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font. Note that page restrictions will be followed strictly during proposal review.

Cover page that includes Project Name, Track I or II, principal investigator/project lead with contact information, co- principal investigators with contact information).
Narrative of the problem and how the team will help address it, written for a general audience (no more than 1 page).
Project Description (no more than 2 pages).
Scope of work including expected outcomes and timeline (no more than 3 pages).
References, if necessary (no more than 1 page).
Figures/tables/graphs, if necessary (no more than 1 page).
Description of potential for future work and potential sources of follow-up external funding. Please include URL(s) for proposed funding source(s), if available. (no more than one page).
Team biographies (no more than one-half page per team member), including current and pending support and each team members’ roles on the project, given their expertise. If the team does not include five (5) full-time ISU employees, please include a supplemental one page plan of how the team intends to grow to address the interdisciplinary criterion and meet the demands of the project.
Team management plan (no more than 1 page).
Budget (no more than 1 page, use attached template)
Budget justification (no more than 2 pages).
Letter(s) of support from Chair(s)/Director(s) for any team member for whom a buyout of time and effort is requested. (no more than 1 page per letter).

ARCS Budget Template

Category	Year 1 Request	Year 2 Request*	Total
A. Personnel
B. Fringe Benefits
C. Course Buyout**
D. Travel
E. Equipment
F. Supplies
G. Other (Specify)
H. Total

Provide a written summary of the budget:

Personnel:
Fringe Benefits:
Course Buyout**:
Travel:
Equipment:
Supplies:
Other (Must be specific):
Total: A maximum of $100,000 per year and $200,000 total for Track I. A maximum of $5,000 in Year 1 for Track II.

*If applicable, i.e. Track I only.

**Buyout for the lead PI may be requested without budgeting, but must be justified in the proposal. Any additional investigator buyout should be justified in the proposal narrative and budgeted in consultation with the appropriate Chair/Director/Supervisor to determine the appropriate cost.

Review Process

An administrative team at Illinois State University will initially screen all applications for eligibility compliance. The AVPRGS will constitute an external review panel to review eligible applications for rigor and potential to accomplish program objectives, including feasibility for receiving external funding. Review criteria include but are not limited to:

Interdisciplinary themes that address essential issues of societal concern;
Clear demonstration of interdisciplinary team membership and, where appropriate/necessary, a clear strategy to recruit additional members to the team;
Demonstrate that the team reflects and advances the university’s goals to foster equity, diversity and inclusion;
Demonstrate evidence of ability to leverage funds to secure external funding;
Show a solid and successful record of prior accomplishments in terms of publications or creative activities (as appropriate to the discipline or area), measurable output, and ability to deliver on research outcomes successfully;
Demonstrate clear and feasible plans for long term sustainability beyond the funding period including future viable grant applications;
Show potential for innovation and ability to substantially elevate the prestige and visibility of their research areas at Illinois State nationally;
Evidence of intentional and thoughtful leadership, team management, and sustainability plan.

Questions

A list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions is available and will be updated periodically. Input on this program will be incorporated into future calls for proposals and may result in the development of distinct programs. For general information and/or to submit further questions, please contact AVPResearch@IllinoisState.edu.