Fiscal Year 2013 Request for Proposal (RFP)

The central goal of the International Strategic Initiatives grant program is to attract external resources to support internationalization objectives as reflected in Goal 5 of the University’s Strategic Plan.  ISI awards are “seed grants” disbursed through a competitive process to leverage external funds to finance international activities/projects.  To this end, priority consideration will be given to proposals which specify concrete plans to apply for grants or contracts from public or private sector funding agencies. Priority will also be given to proposals that reflect multidisciplinary activities in the five strategic countries identified by the university – Brazil, China, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.

The Provost’s Office will provide $100,000 in FY 2013 to fund proposals. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis. Adherence to the following guidelines and attention to the review criteria are therefore very important.

Starting with FY 2013 proposals, there will be a two-step approach to submissions: an initial abstract submission followed by an invitation to submit a full proposal.

STEP 1: Submission of ISI Abstracts

Applicants are invited to submit a one-page abstract summarizing a proposed research / project. 

Submissions should:

•  identify the country in which the proposed activity(ies) will take place;
•  describe the nature of the project  including a short description of the proposed activity(ies) and the corresponding  goal and objectives; 
•  identify the GSU department(s) and/or unit(s) that will participate; 
•  identify the principal investigator (P.I.) /co-principal investigator (Co P.I.), and other participants or partners , including external participants;
•  state the seed grant amounts requested;
• identify and justify selection of potential external funder(s) and their likelihood to sponsor proposed research /  project. This should include existing relationships or interactions with the funders; and   
• state what impact or contribution the proposed research / project will have to related field and Goal 5 of the university’s strategic plan.

Please note that individual faculty or staff projects (e.g., travel to collect data for a book, conferences/symposia, etc.), stand-alone study abroad programs, and simple exchange relationships are outside the scope of this program.

The deadline to submit proposal abstracts is Wednesday, May 16^th.  Abstracts should be submitted online at http://oiaweb.gsu.edu/search/ISIAbsProposal/ISIAbstract.aspx  (Submission notes: 1. Only final abstracts should be submitted. 2.  Following successful submission, users will be issued a unique number. This number should be saved as it will be used during the submission of full proposals.)

Abstracts will be reviewed by an ISI Review Committee formed by the Office of International Initiatives (OII) and chaired by Associate Provost Jun Liu.  This committee will review abstracts based on the following criteria elements:

• adherence to submission requirements and guidelines
• clarity in proposed concept and justification
• strong potential to attract external funding
• potential impact on GSU’s global vision

Following abstract review, an invitation to submit a full proposal will be issued by OII to P.I.’s of selected abstracts. This invitation will include a link with which P.I.s can submit a full proposal. It will also include deadline information. 

STEP 2:

SUBMISSION OF INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC INITIATIVES (ISI) FULL PROPOSALS

Full proposals should not exceed three single-spaced pages of text (excluding short biographical summaries), and should include the following:

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:

1. A brief background statement expanding on the points in the abstract. 
2. A clear and expanded statement on the goals, objectives and expected outcomes for internationalization.
3. A plan for leveraging external resources including a list of prospective or targeted funders, and relationships with institutions (in and out-of-country) that will support and facilitate funding. This plan may also state a projected amount to be leveraged from ISI efforts.
4. A discussion of other complimentary partnerships (existing or potential) in various sectors (in and out-of-country), and the advantage to GSU.
5. Plans and likelihood for sustaining the programs or activities initiated through the proposal and for establishing a long-term relationship with implementing partner institutions. 
6. A detailed budget and justification showing how ISI funds will be used, and expected cost-share contributions from the department/college and external sources, if applicable.  (Note:  A Budget Form will be available online. Also, ISI funds should not be budgeted to cover administrative personnel costs and should be expended in the fiscal year of the award).
7. Short biographical summaries of key GSU and non-GSU participants. Bios should not exceed half a page for each participant.

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE:

8. A discussion of success indicators and expected outcomes for the externally-funded research / project including how it will advance Goal 5 of the university strategic plan and university constituents.  

SUBMISSION, REVIEW AND APPROVAL TIMETABLE

All submissions must have the signed endorsement of the Dean of the P.I., and where applicable, the Dean of the co-P.I., if in a different College/School. (An Endorsement Form will be available online). Inter-disciplinary submissions involving more than one college are encouraged. While all proposals must have an international focus, they should elaborate any relevant local and national linkages to the proposal’s goals and objectives.  Competitive submissions will also incorporate participation of a critical mass of accomplished faculty and include plans for integrating proposed activities into teaching, service and/or research.  

Full proposals will be reviewed by the ISI Review Committee using the same review criteria in Step 1.

The anticipated deadline for submitting a full proposal is July 30^th. This will be confirmed for the P.I.’s. Awards should be announced no later than August 31, 2012.

 ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS

ISI grant recipients are required to submit annual progress reports using the  online reporting form.  (Issued ID’s will be used to access the form.) The report should be submitted at the end of the fiscal year in which the funds are awarded and should include: 

•  how the funds were used
• an assessment of whether or not the investment of additional ISI resources is merited
•  an assessment of progress towards achieving project objectives
• information on funders and corresponding amounts leveraged in external funding
•  confirmation of research / project activity location
• confirmation of new and expanded relationships / partnerships, including partner’s role(s).

As in past years, annual progress reports for ISI grants requesting additional year funding must be received prior to or with full proposal submission. 
Once ISI funding has ended, a final report should summarize grant accomplishments and outcomes, and include a description of any long-term externally-funded programs that have resulted from ISI support. The report should also describe the program’s impact on Goal 5, and where applicable, the strategic country(ies) Georgia State is/has engaged with.