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ISI Seed Grant FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can participate?

Permanent full time faculty and staff of GSU.

What are the eligibility criteria for a Principal Investigator (PI)/Project Director (PD) Status?

Faculty – must be fulltime, tenure or non-tenure track
Staff   - must be full-time (non temporary) staff

The RFP states that ISI funds do not support administrative personnel. Who are administrative personnel?

GSU Employees whose duties and responsibilities are fully devoted to supporting the management and operations of the academic and administrative units of the university. These individuals are mostly supported through state funds (fund code 10 or sponsored program funds).

Why this restriction on the funding of administrative personnel?

The goal is to maximize the use of ISI funds for the development of externally-funded proposals.

Can ISI funds be used to hire graduate research assistants (GRAs) and undergraduate student assistants?

No.

Can I use ISI funds to hire a consultant?

Yes, if the services rendered directly impact the preparation and submission of an external grant proposal.

Can a P.I. submit multiple proposals?

Yes, as long as each proposal, irrespective of the proposed activity location(s), has a unique Program/project focus.

If my proposal involves external partners, do I need letters of support from those partners?

Yes. It is advisable to seek letters of support from partners to strengthen your proposal.

What do you mean by College Cost-Share?

College Cost-Share means direct and / or indirect contributions by the college to support individual proposals. This may include a graduate assistantship, course buyouts, consultant fees, etc.

Why is it necessary to show College Cost Share in the ISI budget?

College Cost -Share demonstrates the college’s commitment and support of the proposal.

Can I use ISI funds to attend or organize international conferences?

No, not if the goal of the proposal is to primarily attend, participate or organize an international conference.  The goal of the ISI seed grant is to fund activities directly related to leveraging external funds. How this will be accomplished must come through very clearly in the proposal.

Can I use ISI funds for local and International Travel?

Yes, but the travel must directly relate to activities involving the leverage of external funds (e.g., meetings with funders, meetings with international consultants and stakeholders, initial assessment and formative evaluation, etc.).